American R&B singer Major Harris III (February 9, 1947 – November 9, 2012). Linked to the Philadelphia soul sound and the Delfonics (the early 1970s–1974). The 1975 single “Love Won’t Let Me Wait” was his most successful solo artist.
Age and Early Life
Harris entered this world on February 9, 1947, in Richmond, Virginia.
Age-wise, he was up there with the 65-and-up crowd. Harris began his career by recording a handful of 7″ singles and singing with groups like the Charmers, the Teenagers, the Jarmels, and the Nat Turner Rebellion (which also featured his songwriting brother, Joseph B. Jefferson) “records released by the Laurie and Okeh labels.
As a member of the Delfonics, he succeeded Randy Cain in the early 1970s and left the band to pursue a solo career the following year.
Harris signed with Atlantic Records and had a string of R&B hits in the United States, including the Top Ten single “Love Won’t Let Me Wait,” which peaked at #5 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and #37 on the UK Top 50 chart in September 1975.
Gold certification for “Love Won’t Let Me Wait” by Bobby Eli and Vinnie Barrett was issued by the R.I.A.A. on June 25, 1975.
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Career
Then, when his solo career began to wane, Harris went back to the Delfonics and spent the ’90s and ’00s on the road with one of two groups that used the name. Known for his work as a record producer and arranger in Philadelphia, Norman Harris was a cousin of Majors.
I Believe In Love, the title track from Harris’s 1984 Streetwave Records album of the same name, was played by DJ Robbie Vincent on BBC Radio 1 that year. The LP, however, was only moderately successful.
Harris’s birthplace is Virginia, specifically Richmond. Harris recorded a handful of 7″ singles and appeared on albums by the Charmers, the Teenagers, the Jarmels, and Nat Turner’s Rebellion (in which his brother, songwriter Joseph B. Jefferson, also appeared) “vinyl albums released by the Laurie and Okeh labels.
As a member of the Delfonics, he succeeded Randy Cain in the early 1970s and left the band to pursue a solo career the following year. Harris signed with Atlantic Records and had a string of R&B hits in the US, including the Top Ten single “Love Won’t Let Me Wait,” which peaked at #5 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and #37 on the UK Top 50 in September 1975.
Gold certification for “Love Won’t Let Me Wait” by Bobby Eli and Vinnie Barrett was issued by the R.I.A.A. on June 25, 1975.
American R&B singer Major Harris III (February 9, 1947 – November 9, 2012). Linked to the Philadelphia soul sound and the Delfonics (the early 1970s–1974). “Love Won’t Let Me Wait,” released in 1975, was his most successful solo effort to date.
Money that Major Harris Is Worth
Major Harris is a wealthy and well-known family member. According to data compiled from credible sources (such as Wikipedia, Forbes, and Business Insider), Major Harris has a net worth of $1.5 million.
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Facts
Men and women collaborated on the songwriting. Bobby Eli, who also produced and played lead guitar on “Love Won’t Let Me Wait,” and Vinnie Barrett wrote and performed the song. Eli and Gwendolyn Woolfolk, both from Washington, DC, wrote hits for the Spinners and other groups under the latter’s stage name.
Harris was descended from a long line of musicians. His sibling, Joe Jefferson, was the famous lyricist behind such hits as “One of a Kind Love Affair” by the Spinners.
Great covers of the song were released by other artists. Despite Johnny Mathis’ 1984 recording, the 1988 version by Luther Vandross may be better known.
The legendary Philly Soul singer was born elsewhere. The son of a guitarist father and a church choir director mother, Harris grew up in Richmond. He was tall enough to enter adult-only clubs as a teen and observe established R&B performers.