Delegation (band)

“Delegation” is a musical group formed in 1976 by Len Coley, Rick Bailey on lead vocals, Roddy Harris. The trio was soon discovered by legendary music producer/songwriter, Ken Gold, who also wrote and produced hits like “You to Me Are Everything”, and “Can’t Get By Without You” for The Real Thing. Ken and his writing partner, Micky Denne, also wrote songs for the legendary queen of soul, Aretha Franklin, Jackie Wilson, and Cliff Richard, to name but a few.

Delegation
OriginUnited Kingdom
GenresFunk, soul, R&B
Years active1976–CURRENT
LabelsState Records, Epic
Websitewww.delegationband.com
MembersRick Bailey
Past membersLen Coley
Roddy Harris
Ray Patterson
Bruce Dunbar

In 1976, Delegation released their first single, “The Promise Of Love”, taken from their debut album of the same name, and released on the State Records label. Unfortunately, this single wasn’t as successful as expected, but it was after the release of their second single, “Where Is The Love We Used To Know” also from the same album, that their fortunes changed for the better. That single charted in February 1977, and gave the group their first hit, and consequently, their first “Top Of The Pops” appearance in the UK, by far the most popular music TV show of its day.

Ray Patterson replaced Roddy Harris later that year and the group released their third single, “You’ve Been Doing Me Wrong”, which became their second hit from the Promise Of Love album. “Oh Honey”, a smooth ballad (also from the Promise Of Love album), gave the group their first US hit in 1979. This song reached #5 in the US RnB charts.

Bruce Dunbar was visiting the UK from the US at the same time they were looking for a falsetto singer to replace the recently departed Len Coley. Rick Bailey and Ray Patterson placed an advert in the Melody Maker music magazine and Bruce answered the call. The chemistry was there from the offset, so they decided to include him in the lineup. The timing was right because they had just signed to Ariola Records and they were already in the process of making their second album “Eau De Vie”. This album turned out to be very successful, with hits like “You And I”, “Put A Little Love On Me”, “Heartache #9,” and “Darling I Think About You”, again, with Ken Gold in the producer’s chair.

Bruce Left the Group 1981 and returned to the states after their third album entitled “Delegation”. Rick and Ray continued touring and recording extensively as a duo for a number of years after that. Two more albums were made, “Deuces High” (the bands fourth), and “Encore”. Ray Patterson decided to quit in the mid-’80s and Rick made the decision to go it alone.

Delegation is still very much active as a live outfit, touring as the “Delegation Band” (with original founder member Rick Bailey, at the helm).

Chart discography

Singles (selected)
  • "Where Is The Love (We Used to Know)" (1977) – UK #22
  • "You've Been Doing Me Wrong" (1977) – UK #49
  • "Honey, I'm Rich" (1978) - UK
  • "Oh Honey" (1978) – U.S. R&B #6, U.S. Pop #45, CAN #99
  • "Put a Little Love on Me" (1979)[1]
  • "Someone Oughta Write a Song (About You Baby)" (1979) – U.S. R&B #45, (1980) – U.S. R&B #66, U.S. Dance #57
  • "You and I" (1979)
  • "Welcome To My World" (1980) – U.S. R&B #50
  • "Heartache No.9" (1980) – U.S. R&B #66
  • "Singing/Twelfth House" (1981) – UK
  • "In Love's Time" (1981) – U.S. R&B #54[2][3]
  • "It's Your Turn" (1983)
  • "Thanks To You" (1985)

Albums
  • The Promise of Love (1976) – U.S. R&B #8, Pop #84
  • Eau De Vie (1979)
  • Delegation (1980) – U.S. R&B #69 (another "Eau de vie" release for the United States)
  • Delegation II (1981)
  • Deuces High (1982)[4]
  • Encore (1993)
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See also

References
  1. Discogs.com
  2. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 149. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  3. Allmusic.com – Charts & Awards (singles)
  4. Dance70.com
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