Wilbert "Wil" Hart (born October 19, 1947) is an American

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

singer, songwriter, and producer, best known as a founding and last surviving member of the musical group

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 life

Hart was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as one of eight children for Wilson and Iretha Hart. He went to Philadelphia public schools and attended Overbrook High School where he and his older brother William were in different vocal groups.

Career

With The Delfonics

Wilbert and William formed

in 1965, with William as their primary songwriter, often in collaboration with

Thom Bell Thomas Randolph Bell (January 27th, 1943 – December 22, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter, record producer, arranger, pianist, and composer known as one of the creators of Philadelphia soul in the 1970s. He found success as a producer ...

. Between 1968 and 1974, The Delfonics had a string of hit singles on

Philly Groove Records Philly Groove Records was a soul music label started by Stan Watson and Sam Bell in 1967, with noted producer Thom Bell doing A&R. The label's best-known artists were male vocal group the Delfonics and female group First Choice. Both acts enjoye ...

that included " La-La - (Means I Love You)", "

Ready Or Not Here I Come (Can't Hide From Love) "Ready or Not Here I Come (Can't Hide from Love)" is a single from American R&B vocal group The Delfonics. The song was produced by Thom Bell and released on October 22, 1968 by Philly Groove Records. The song peaked at number 35 on the U.S. pop ...

", and "

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 ...

" among several others that reached the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' R&B and Pop charts. In 1971 the group won a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

for Best R&B Performance, and were featured in the first live televised performance of that ceremony. Also in 1971, the group was awarded a

Gold Record Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile meta ...

for "Didn't I (Blow My Mind This Time)". After several years of hit singles, The Delfonics split into two groups in 1975, with Wilbert and William each leading their own units. The brothers were involved in a legal dispute over the use of the group name, with a judge ruling in 2007 that both could use the name while properly informing the audience of the distinction between the two groups. Henceforth, Wilbert's version was called Wil Hart & The Delfonics, or Wil Hart formerly of the Delfonics.

Other work

Wilbert Hart also worked as a songwriter for other acts while he was active with the Delfonics. In 1970, he wrote and produced three songs for the vocal group Honey & The Bees on their debut album ''Love''. After the original Delfonics disbanded, Hart remained active as a songwriter and producer. In 1977, he contributed to the album ''This Is Your Life'' by

Norman Connors Norman Connors (born March 1, 1947) is an American jazz drummer, composer, arranger, and producer who has led a number of influential jazz and R&B groups. He also achieved several big R&B hits of the day, especially with love ballads. He is pos ...

, and wrote a song under the pseudonym A. Hakeem Waheed. Hart appeared with his own group on ''

The Arsenio Hall Show ''The Arsenio Hall Show'' is an American syndicated late-night talk show created by and starring comedian Arsenio Hall. There have been two different incarnations of ''The Arsenio Hall Show''. The original series premiered on January 3, 1989, ...

'' in 1989. In 1994 he contributed songwriting and production to the album '' Break of Dawn'' by rappers

Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock were an American hip hop duo from Harlem, New York City. Rob Base is the stage name of Robert Ginyard (b. 1967) and DJ E-Z Rock was Rodney "Skip" Bryce (1967–2014). They are best known for the 1988 hit " It Takes Two", ...

. In 1995, Hart and the other original members of The Delfonics were inducted into the Philadelphia Walk of Fame. In 1999 Hart released the solo album ''Hold on for Love'' on his own label, Mother Earth Records. In 2005 he released the album ''Fonic Zone'' which included a contribution from rapper

Rick Ross William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), known professionally as Rick Ross, is an American rapper. Prior to releasing his debut single, "Hustlin'", in 2006, Ross was the subject of a bidding war, receiving offers from Sean Combs, D ...

. In 1997 the song "Hey! Love", by The Delfonics and written by Hart, was sampled by

The Notorious B.I.G. Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in East Coast hip hop and particularly gangsta ...

on the successful album ''

Life After Death The afterlife (also referred to as life after death) is a purported existence in which the essential part of an individual's identity or their stream of consciousness continues to live after the death of their physical body. The surviving ess ...

''. In 2018, the Album was RIAA certified 11 times platinum. In 2013, Hart was featured in "The Story of The Delfonics", an episode of ''Unsung'' on TVOne. He was also featured in the 2018 documentary film ''

Mr. Soul! ''Mr. Soul!'' (stylized as ''Mr. SOUL!'') is a 2018 American documentary film produced, written and directed by documentary filmmaker Melissa Haizlip. The film was co-produced by Doug Blush and co-directed by Sam Pollard. The film tells the story ...

'' about broadcasting personality and TV/theater producer

Ellis Haizlip Ellis B. Haizlip (September 21, 1929 – January 25, 1991) was an American television and theatrical producer, broadcaster and promoter of African American culture. Haizlip is best known as the creator, producer and host of the television var ...

. On July 14, 2022, Hart's brother William Hart (Co-founder and lead singer of The Delfonics) died after suffering complications during surgery. As of October 2022, Hart, the only surviving member of The Delfonics, continues to perform and tour with his modern group under the name Wil Hart of The Original Delfonics.

Personal life

Wilbert Hart married his wife Sheila in 1966. They have 12 children, 34 grandchildren, 9 great grandchildren and 2 great-great grandchildren. He currently resides in

Willingboro, New Jersey Willingboro Township is a township in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township is a suburb of Philadelphia and part of the state's South Jersey region. As of the 2020 census, the population was 31,889, an increase of ...

Solo discography

Albums

*''The Delfonics Return'' (1981) *''Hold on for Love'' (1999) *''Fonic Zone'' (2005)

Singles

*"Stop Confusion" / "Check Out Your Mind" (unknown date) *"It's Been A Long Time" (unknown date) *"Here For You" (2005) *"Hey Love" (2005) *"Don't Give In" (2005)

References

External Links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hart, Wilbert 1947 births American soul singers American songwriters American soul musicians Musicians from Philadelphia Living people