Delegation - What Took You So Long (1982)

Ricky Bailey founded Delegation -- a three-man group that changed members frequently, with Bailey the only constant -- in the United Kingdom in 1975. Bailey, a native of Jamaica, moved to Britain with his parents as a teen, settling in Birmingham, where he formed his first group, the Five Star Cadets. The short-lived group provided invaluable experience and helped Bailey when he was putting Delegation (Bailey, Len Coley, and Roddy Harris) together. They caught the ear of songwriter/producer Ken Gold, who masterminded the Real Thing. Gold got them a deal with State Records; their first release, “The Promise of Love“ in 1976, flopped despite receiving excellent reviews and airplay. A second release, “Where Is the Love,“ found its way onto the charts and the group started crisscrossing Europe, gigging constantly. They hit again with “You’ve Been Doing Me Wrong,“ but Harris quit, his place taken by Ray Patterson.