William “Poogie” Hart died at age 77 due to surgery complications. He was the co-founder of the legendary group “The Delfonics” with hits like “LA-LA – Means I Love You“, “Baby I Love You” and my personal favorite “Hey Love.”
DJ Thump had the pleasure of Dj-ing a concert that featured The Delfonics in 2021 in Atlanta. They sound just as good as they did over 40 plus years ago. I can recall looking from backstage at the audience as they sang every song, word for word. The smiles on their faces proved that great music will take you back to a very familiar happy and peaceful place. Poogie’s soulful voice reached millions, and even though he’s gone, his music will live forever.
Between 1968 and 1974, The Delfonics released five studio albums and had 12 tracks in the Top 20 on the Billboard charts. The group received a line-up change in 1975, with “Poogie” leading a new version of the group. Many artist were inspired by The Delfonics such as The Fugees who did their own version of “Ready or Not” with Lauren Hill. Missy Elliot sampled the same song on her track titled “Sock It To Me”, The Notorious B.I.G took inspiration from Hey Love with his song “Playa Hata“, and Prince did his version of “La-La (Means I Love You) on his 1996 album, ‘Emancipation.’
Rest in Paradise William “Poogie” Hart. your music leaves memories that can never be erased. I put together a few great posts remembering the iconic front man from other media outlets and artists.
