“Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time)” (The Delfonics)

Your classic 1970 soul hit of the day is “Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time)” by the Delfonics. This single was released in December of 1969 and climbed to #10 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B charts on March 21, 1970. It won a Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group.

“Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time)” has a sweet soul sound with a lush string and brass arrangement accompanying the doo-wop-styled vocals. The song was written and produced by Thom Bell and William Hart, and released on Philly Groove Records. Bell and Hart were two of the founding fathers of the Philly Soul Sound and this record was one of the first examples of that sweet Philly Soul.

The Delfonics, who formed in 1965, consisted of William Hart, his brother Wilbert, and Randy Cain. They hooked up with writer/producer Thom Bell early on, and together they created some classics. Their first big hit came in 1967 with “La-La (Means I Love You),” followed by more than twenty R&B hits and another mainstream hit in the form of “Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time)” in 1970.

Cain left the group in 1973, replaced by Major Harris, who left a year or so later to forge his own solo career. (He had a #5 hit in 1975 with “Love Won’t Let Me Wait.”) The Hart brothers continued performing as the Delfonics (actually, two groups of Delfonics; the brothers split in 1975 and toured separately) for a number of years. Thom Bell, of course, went on to write and produce a string of Philly Soul hits for artists like the Stylistics and the Spinners.

“Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time)” was the sound of my 7th grade year, constantly on every radio I turned on—and the 45 was always spinning on my GE Portable Stereo, too. Younger listeners might know the song from the soundtrack to Quentin Tarantino’s movie Jackie Brown. It remains a staple of 70s oldies and soul stations, and rightly so.

William Hart passed away about a year ago, on July 22, 2022; he was 77 years old. Thom Bell died a few months later, on December 22, 2022, aged 79. Randy Cain passed previously in 2009, at age 64. Wilbert Hart is still with us, however, age 76.