Major Harris (singer)
Encyclopedia
Major Harris is an American
R&B
singer, associated with the Philadelphia soul
sound.
such as The Charmers, The Teenagers
, The Jarmels
, and Nat Turner's Rebellion, which also featured his songwriting
brother, Joseph B. Jefferson, and recorded a few solo 7" records
on the Laurie
and Okeh
labels. In the early 1970s he took over from Randy Cain
as a member of The Delfonics
; he quit the group to go solo in 1974. Signing with Atlantic Records
, Harris scored a string of R&B hits
in the US
, including the Top Ten single "Love Won't Let Me Wait
", which peaked at #5 in the US Billboard Hot 100
chart
and #37 in the UK Top 50. Written
by Bobby Eli and Vinnie Barrett
, "Love Won't Let Me Wait" was awarded a gold disc
by the R.I.A.A.
on 25 June 1975.
When his success as a soloist subsided, Harris returned to the Delfonics, and continued to tour with one of two touring ensembles that used the name in the 1990s and 2000s. Major was a cousin to the late Philadelphia record producer
and arranger
, Norman Harris
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
singer, associated with the Philadelphia soul
Philadelphia soul
Philadelphia soul, sometimes called the Philadelphia Sound or Sweet Philly, is a style of soul music characterized by funk influences and lush instrumental arrangements, often featuring sweeping strings and piercing horns. The subtle sound of a glockenspiel can often be heard in the background of...
sound.
Career
In his early career, Harris sang with groupsMusical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
such as The Charmers, The Teenagers
The Teenagers
The Teenagers are an American integrated doo wop group, most noted for being one of rock music's earliest successes, presented to international audiences by DJ Alan Freed...
, The Jarmels
The Jarmels
The Jarmels are a doo wop/rhythm and blues group officially formed in 1959 in Richmond, Virginia. They were composed of Nathaniel Ruff , Paul Burnett , Ray Smith , Earl Christian , and Tom Eldridge .They met while attending Armstrong High School and while some sang at nearby Mount Olivet Baptist...
, and Nat Turner's Rebellion, which also featured his songwriting
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
brother, Joseph B. Jefferson, and recorded a few solo 7" records
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
on the Laurie
Laurie Records
Laurie Records was a record label started in 1958 by Gene Schwartz and Allan I. Sussel. Sussel was a multi-millionaire whose earlier record company, Jamie Records , had been unsuccessful. As a result, Sussel joined forces with Schwartz to found Laurie Records, this time named after his other...
and Okeh
Okeh Records
Okeh Records began as an independent record label based in the United States of America in 1918. From 1926 on, it was a subsidiary of Columbia Records.-History:...
labels. In the early 1970s he took over from Randy Cain
Randy Cain
Randy Cain was a Philadelphia soul singer with The Delfonics . He also helped set up the group Blue Magic.-External links:*...
as a member of The Delfonics
The Delfonics
The Delfonics are a pioneering Philadelphia soul singing group, most popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Their most notable hits include "La-La ", "Didn't I ", "Break Your Promise," "I'm Sorry," and "Ready or Not Here I Come "...
; he quit the group to go solo in 1974. Signing with Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
, Harris scored a string of R&B hits
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
in the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, including the Top Ten single "Love Won't Let Me Wait
Love Won't Let Me Wait
"Love Won't Let Me Wait" is a 1975 single by Major Harris, a former member of R&B/soul group The Delfonics. Written by Vinnie Barrett and Bobby Eli, the single is considered to be a staple of classic soul playlists and was Harris' only entry into the top five on both the soul and pop charts...
", which peaked at #5 in the US Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
and #37 in the UK Top 50. Written
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
by Bobby Eli and Vinnie Barrett
Vinnie Barrett
Vinnie Barrett is an American Songwriter and Musician from Washington, DC.-Career:Gwen Graduated from Armstrong High School in Washington, DC. She studied music at Howard University and The University of the District of Columbia...
, "Love Won't Let Me Wait" was awarded a gold disc
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
by the R.I.A.A.
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
on 25 June 1975.
When his success as a soloist subsided, Harris returned to the Delfonics, and continued to tour with one of two touring ensembles that used the name in the 1990s and 2000s. Major was a cousin to the late Philadelphia record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
and arranger
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
, Norman Harris
Norman Harris
Norman Harris was an American guitarist, producer, arranger and songwriter associated with Philly soul. He was a founding member of MFSB and one-third of the production trio of Baker-Harris-Young...
.
Albums
- My Way (Atlantic RecordsAtlantic RecordsAtlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
, 1975) US #28, US Black AlbumsTop R&B/Hip-Hop AlbumsTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...
#12 - Blue Magic Live Featuring Artist Major Harris, Margie Joseph (1975)
- Jealousy (Atlantic, 1976) US #153, US Black Albums #33
- How Do You Take Your Love (RCA RecordsRCA RecordsRCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
, 1978) - The Best Of Now and Then (Hot Productions, 1994)
- I Believe in Love (Hot Productions, 1995)
- The Best Of Major Harris (UnidiscUniDiscUniDisc, Inc. was one of the first digital media companies to publish multimedia titles for consumer market.Based in Palo Alto, California and founded in 1989, the first product published was the Guinness Disc of Records, an interactive version of the Guinness Book of Records that included hundreds...
, 1996)
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Pop Singles Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US Black Singles Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
US Disco Singles | ||
| 1974 | "Each Morning I Wake Up" | - | 98 | 3 |
| 1975 | "Love Won't Let Me Wait Love Won't Let Me Wait "Love Won't Let Me Wait" is a 1975 single by Major Harris, a former member of R&B/soul group The Delfonics. Written by Vinnie Barrett and Bobby Eli, the single is considered to be a staple of classic soul playlists and was Harris' only entry into the top five on both the soul and pop charts... " |
5 | 1 | - |
| 1976 | "I Got Over Love" | - | 24 | - |
| 1976 | "It's Got to Be Magic" | - | 91 | - |
| 1976 | "Jealousy" | 73 | 46 | - |
| 1976 | "Laid Back Love" | 91 | 57 | - |