William Hurt, the lead singer and chief lyricist of the soul trio, helped Delphonics pioneer string arrangements like romantic lyrics, fake vocals and velvet that define the Philadelphia sounds of the 1960s and 70s. He died in Philadelphia on the day. He was 77 years old.
His son Hadi said his death at Temple University Hospital was caused by complications during surgery.
Delfonics combined doo-wop harmonies, orchestral pop sweeps, and funk crispness to create a series of hits, 20 of which reached the Billboard Hot 100. (Two songs are in the top ten.)
Almost all of them are produced by producer Thom Bell, such as “La La (Means I Love You)”, “I’m Sorry”, and “Lady or Not Here I Come (I Can’t Hide)”. Written by Mr. Hart in collaboration with Bell. From Love) ”, all released in 1968, a year later, “I (did not blow your heart this time)” Winner of the Grammy Award for Best R & B Vocals by Duo or Group.
Along with Motown in Detroit and Stax in Memphis, Philadelphia’s sound was a pillar of soul and R & B music in the 1960s and 70s. More relaxed than Motown and less edgy than Stax, the waves of doo-wop in the late 1950s, especially with groups like Frankie Raimon and Teenagers, Little Anthony and the Imperial, and James Brown.
Hart, along with songwriters such as Burt Bacharach and Hal David, inspired all these artists. He preferred to write lyrics after the melody was placed, avoiding the restrictions they imposed to weave stories about sorrow, jealousy and old-fashioned romance.
“I could imagine what a broken heart was when I was very young.” He told the Guardian in 2007.. “When I was young, I had to put myself in that position, and I realized I could write about it. It’s like imagining what it would be like to jump off a cliff. You can write about it, but you don’t really have to jump off that cliff. “
In Philadelphia, Delphonics became the flagship of the frequent “band battles” at the Uptown Theater, the white center of the city’s soul scene, going from toe to toe in the satin lapel, who went to the night. I checked to see if it would be the smoothest crewer.
Their reach far exceeded Philadelphia in the 1960s. Hart’s songs are timeless, dreamy, emotional and urban. That’s one of the reasons they have Second Life and Third Life. The singer recreated them, the rapper sampled them, and the filmmaker introduced them on the soundtrack.
The following year, Quentin Tarantino will use the smooth, nostalgic sound of the song as a plot point with his movie “Jackie Brown” to portray the characters played by Pam Grier and Robert Forster together.
“I think the fact that our music is clean will help us create a crossover for the next generation,” Hart told the Philadelphia Tribune in 2008. I write most of the songs, which is one of the things I’ve always tried to do. “
William Alexander Hart was born on January 17, 1945 in Washington, and moved to Philadelphia with his family a few months later. His father Wilson worked in a factory and his mother Iressa (Battle) Hart was a housewife.
His father gave him the nickname Poogie.
With his son, he survived by his wife, Pamela. His brothers Wilbert and Hart. His sisters, Nicey and Peach’s. His sons, William Jr., Yusuf, Champ. 11 grandchildren. And two great-grandchildren.
William began writing songs at the age of 11 and soon became obsessed with the themes of lost and regained love, which dominated his lyrics for decades.
He joined his brother Wilbert and his high school friend Randy Kane in a group that William first called Orphonics, a variation of the “aurophonics” he saw in the stereo box. They tweaked the name of Delfonics at the suggestion of manager Stan Watson.
Hart still worked as a day laborer at a hairdresser when his friend contacted Bell, who is already well-known around Philadelphia for a lush and sensual arrangement for a local label. was doing.
They became the hit duo Lennon and McCartney in West Philadelphia. Bell wrote the music and Hart provided the lyrics at about the same time. Mr. Hart claimed to have written in two hours, “I (this time blow your heart away).”
The original Delfonics was split in 1975, but Hart continued to play under that name, with a lineup that may or may not include members of the original group. Wilbert Hart continued touring with his own Delfonics after his brother won an injunction against him in 2000.
In 2002, Wilbert Hurt and Cain succeeded in suing William Hurt for back royalties. The court clash did not prevent the three from occasionally reuniting, at least until Cain’s death in 2009.
Mr. Hart continued the tour under the name of Delfonics. His falsetto was a little weak, but his presence was still dominant.He has also released many side projects, including: “Adrian Younge introduces Delphonix” (2013), produced by Younge, sung by Hart, and effortlessly returned to the lyricist’s chair.
“It’s like a white canvas,” he said in a 2013 interview with the music magazine Wax Poetics. “I’m an artist; give me a canvas. I’ll draw.”
