Love Won't Let Me Wait

1975

Major Harris

There's just something about that smooth, soulful sound that typified '60s and '70s Jazz and R&B,and one of the many, many awesome examples of this sound was penned by Vinny Barrett and Bobby Eli and recorded by Richmond, VA native and former Delfonics crooner Major Harris, to become his one and only Top 40 solo hit.

It's always nice when a Hometown artist...even if Richmond's my adopted home town rather than my real home town...makes it big. Major Harris was born on Feb 9^th, 1947, then started his singing career in his late teens, singing with several bands, including 'The Teenagers' and 'Nat Turners Rebellion' before joining the Delfonics in '71 or '72 to replace the just departed (From the group...he was still very much alive) Randy Cain. He left the group to try a solo career in 1974, and immediately recorded this R&B classic. (Note, people...this is R&B. Not the stuff they call R&B now)

R&B from that era's all about that unique, brassy woodwind tone that only a truly smooth Sax player can pull off, and the Sax solo that kicks off 'Love Won't Let Me Wait' is among the smoothest of the decade, and makes the song both unmistakable and unforgettable before segueing seamlessly into Major Harris' ultra-soulful ballad sung to his lady who, if the gal in the background is any indication, was pretty pleased by his efforts in music and...er...other things.

For the numbers, 'Love Won't Let Me Wait' debuted on March 29^th at #81, and jumped into the Top 20 seven weeks later at #19. It cracked the Top 10 three weeks after that at #9, and peaked at #5 on June 21^st, hanging on th that position for a total of three weeks before dropping off of the chart at the end of July.

This was a night time, weekend song...the kind you listened to while you were in the car with your girlfriend, hoping that the suggestive lyrics might lead somewhere. It still pops up on Oldies stations occasionally, and is especially loved by those couples still together today who were once teenage couples listening to Major Harris croon his classic love balled through the speakers in a Duster or Mustang, or Camaro, if you were one of the rich kids, a Pinto, Vega, or the parents' car if you weren't.

The tune was well received by all of us Seventies Kids, but it was the true and faithful R&B fans that really took it to the Top 10, then kept it out there and I'm glad they did. It'll pop up on occasion on Oldies stations, and I have a feeling it's a regular on any station that dedicates it's airtime to classic R&B. And that's as it should be...classics like this should stay around forever.

So Enjoy! Love Won't Let Me Wait by Major Harris.