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The Delfonics were a quintessential Philadelphia
soul singing group, most popular in the late 1960s
and early 1970s. Brothers William Hart|William and
Wilbert Hart formed the group with Randy Cain in
high school in the early 1960s.  Soon, they became
known throughout the Philadelphia area, signing
with Cameo Records. At Cameo, Stan Watson
introduced them to the man who made them famous,
producer Thom Bell, then working with Chubby
Checker. Bell dreamed of creating a Phildelphia
version of Motown and struck gold with the
Delfonics, whose first album, released on Watson's
own Philly Groove label, featured the hit "La La
Means I Love You", in 1968. Four more
Bell-produced albums appeared in the next few
years: The Sexy Sound of Soul, The Delfonics Super
Hits, The Delfonics and Tell Me This Is a Dream.
Among the Delfonics' popular hits were "Didn't I
(Blow Your Mind This Time)", "Lying to Myself",
and "Ready or Not Here I Come (Can't Hide from
Love)". 

Philadelphia soul was smoother than traditional
soul, strongly influenced by Phil Spector's "Wall
of Sound" production, but solidly based in the
doo-wop sounds of the 1950s. Randy Cain left the
group in 1971, to be replaced by Major Harris; by
then, however, Thom Bell had moved on to produce
the first album for The Stylistics. The Delfonics
swiftly produced another album, Alive and Kicking,
produced by Stan Watson. However, in the absence
of Thom Bell,  the Delfonics' career declined
sharply, and the band was effectively over by
1975.

Wilbert Hart also left around this time leaving
William Hart as the only original member. New
members were brought in, and the group continued
for some time. The group then broke up and
reformed with William Hart, Randy Cain, and Major
Harris. (Wilbert Hart formed his own Delfonics
group; the members were Wilbert, Eban Brown
(falsetto lead), and Dr. S. Love.) Randy Cain left
for a second time, and was replaced by Frank
Washington.

Their music enjoyed a mild renaissance in the
mid-1990s when Quentin Tarantino used "La La Means
I Love You" and "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This
Time)" in a pivotal role in the film Jackie Brown.
"Ready or Not Here I Come (Can't Hide from Love)" 
served as the basis of two hit hip hop singles:
Lauryn Hill integrates the chorus into the chorus
for The Fugees' 1996 hit "Ready or Not", and Missy
"Misdemeanor" Elliott and Timbaland sampling
(music)|sampled the ominous strings|string/horn
intro for Elliott's hit 1997 "Sock It to Me".

The current lineup of the Delfonics is William
Hart, Garfield Fleming (baritone lead) and Johnny
Johnson. Wilbert also has a group, sometimes
called the "Delphonics", the "New Delfonics", or
sometimes simply billed as "William Hart".

==Samples==
*Media:ReadyorNot.ogg|Download sample "Ready or
Not Here I Come (Can't Hide From Love)"

de:The Delfonics