Herbert Randal Cain III (May 2, 1945 – April 9, 2009) was a

Philadelphia soul Philadelphia soul, sometimes called Philly soul, the Philadelphia sound, Phillysound, or The Sound of Philadelphia TSOP, is a genre of late 1960s–1970s soul music characterized by funk influences and lush instrumental arrangements, often feat ...

singer with

The Delfonics The Delfonics were an American R&B/soul vocal group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Delfonics were most popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Their most notable hits include "La-La (Means I Love You)", "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This ...

(early 1960s to 1971). He also helped set up the group Blue Magic.

Life and career

Cain was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, Pennsylvania, United States. Growing up, he befriended two brothers, Wilbert and William Hart. During their attendance at Overbrook High School, Cain joined the Harts' existing vocal group, when a couple of its members dropped out. During his time with the group, The Delfonics won an R&B Grammy in 1970 for "

Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time) "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)" is a song co-written by record producer Thom Bell and William Hart, lead singer of the American R&B/Soul vocal group the Delfonics. It was released by the group in 1969 on the Philly Groove record label and i ...

". Cain left The Delfonics in 1971, with singer Major Harris taking his place in the line-up. In 1973, while working for recording company

WMOT Records WMOT (We Men of Talent) Records, an independent recording company in Philadelphia, produced a series of singles and albums in the "Philadelphia sound" soul tradition (see Philadelphia soul). The company was founded by Alan Rubens and Steve Bernstein ...

, Cain helped introduce singer-songwriter Ted Mills to the vocal group Shades of Love, which Mills would join to form Blue Magic.

Death

Cain died at his home in

Maple Shade Township, New Jersey Maple Shade Township is a township in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 19,131. What is now Maple Shade was originally formed as Chester Township on November 6, 1688, and was ...

in April 2009, aged 63.

References

External links

New York Times: Randy Cain, Member of Delfonics, Dies at 63
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cain, Randy 1945 births 2009 deaths Musicians from Philadelphia American soul singers People from Maple Shade Township, New Jersey Singers from Pennsylvania 20th-century American singers