Editing The Delfonics (section)

===Hit years===
The Orphonics were soon renamed "The Delfonics," and their first recording, "He Don't Really Love You" b/w "Without You", which had been arranged and produced by Thom Bell, was released on the small Moon Shot Records label in around August 1966. (The artist on first pressings of the 45 RPM record was actually listed as "The Del Fonics" and Thom Bell was credited as "Tommy Bell." Following the increased popularity of the group, the Moon Shot record was reissued in April 1968, and on this later release it was distributed by Calla Records.) The second Delfonics' recording, "You've Been Untrue" b/w "I Was There," once again arranged/produced by Bell (now credited as "Thom Bell") was released in April 1967 on Cameo Records.

[[File:Delfonics 1970's early 70's.JPG|thumb|The Delfonics promo photo, 1971]]

By the end of 1967, Cameo-Parkway Records announced that it would soon no longer exist as a record company. In December of that year, Thom Bell took the Delfonics into Cameo-Parkway's recording studio to record a William Hart composition, entitled "[[La-La (Means I Love You)]]", which featured Hart on falsetto lead.<ref name="LarkinSM">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Guinness Who's Who of Soul Music]]|editor=[[Colin Larkin (writer)|Colin Larkin]]|publisher=[[Guinness Publishing]]|date=1993|edition=First|isbn=0-85112-733-9|pages=66/8}}</ref> With Cameo-Parkway about to be defunct, Stan Watson started up his own label entitled [[Philly Groove Records]] and, in December 1967, "La-La (Means I Love You)" was first released to the local Philadelphia music market.<ref name="LarkinSM" /> After gaining national distribution/promotion with New York's Amy-Mala-Bell, the single became a hit in 1968, selling over one million copies. It reached No. 4 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]],<ref name=chart-history>{{Cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/the-delfonics/chart-history|title=The Delfonics|website=Billboard.com|access-date=July 1, 2021}}</ref> and was awarded a [[music recording sales certification|gold disc]].

The group's debut album ''[[La La Means I Love You (album)|La La Means I Love You]]'', released on Philly Groove Records in 1968,<ref name="LarkinSM" /> featured the hit original compositions "La-La (Means I Love You)", "Break Your Promise", "I'm Sorry", and "Can You Remember"; along with covers of the [[Hal David]]/[[Burt Bacharach]] compositions "[[Alfie (Burt Bacharach song)|Alfie]]" and "[[The Look of Love (1967 song)|The Look of Love]]".

Four more Bell-produced albums appeared in the next few years: ''[[The Sound of Sexy Soul]]'', ''The Delfonics Super Hits'', ''[[The Delfonics (album)|The Delfonics]]'' and ''[[Tell Me This Is a Dream]]''.<ref name="LarkinSM" /> Among the Delfonics' popular hits were the [[Grammy Award]]–winning "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)", "(For The Love) I Gave To You", "Ready or Not Here I Come (Can't Hide from Love)", and "Hey! Love", written by Wilbert Hart.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Delfonics Hey! Love |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/5298032-The-Delfonics-Hey-Love |website=Hey! Love |date=1971 |access-date=22 December 2023}}</ref><ref name="LarkinSM" /> The Delfonics and Bell had to work with a basic budget on the first creation as Thom explained "When I took them into the studio we didn't have any money to pay for string players and an orchestra so I played most of the instruments myself!"—a far cry from the full classical productions from 1968 to the beginning of the 1970s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.souljonespresents.com/heroes_thom.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607162956/http://www.souljonespresents.com/heroes_thom.html|archive-date=June 7, 2011|title=The Sweet Soul Genius of Thom Bell}}</ref> "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)" also sold a million copies and by March 1970 received a gold disc from the [[R.I.A.A.]]

By 1972, the Delfonics racked up twelve top-20 hits on ''Billboard''{{'}}s R&B/Soul Single Chart.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Delfonics Soul/R&B Single Chart History|website=Billboard.com|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/the-delfonics/chart-history/bsi/|access-date=July 7, 2020}}</ref>

Randy Cain left the group in 1971 after completing their fourth album,<ref name="LarkinSM" /> and in 1973 had a hand in forming [[Blue Magic (band)|Blue Magic]]. Cain was replaced by [[Major Harris (singer)|Major Harris]]; by then, however, Thom Bell had moved on to produce [[The Stylistics]] and later, [[The Spinners (American group)|The Spinners]].<ref name="LarkinSM" /> The Delfonics swiftly produced another album, ''[[Alive & Kicking (Delfonics album)|Alive & Kicking]]'' (1974), produced by Stan Watson.<ref name="LarkinSM" /> However, in the absence of Bell, the Delfonics' career declined sharply, and with the exception of the aforementioned "Hey Love" and the minor hits "When You Get Right Down to It", "I Don't Want to Make You Wait" and "I Told You So", success eluded them after 1975.<ref name="LarkinSM" /> ("(For the Love) I Gave to You", although popular, was never released as a [[single (music)|single]].) Most of their songs at this point were written by lead singer William Hart.