The O'Jays are an American R&B group from

Canton, Ohio Canton () is a city in and the county seat of Stark County, Ohio. It is located approximately south of Cleveland and south of Akron in Northeast Ohio. The city lies on the edge of Ohio's extensive Amish country, particularly in Holmes and ...

, formed in 1958 and originally consisting of

Eddie Levert Edward Willis Levert (born June 16, 1942) is an American singer, best known as the lead vocalist of The O'Jays. He is the father of Gerald Levert (1966–2006) and Sean Levert (1968–2008) Biography Levert was born in Bessemer, Alabama, but ...

, Walter Lee Williams, William Powell, Bobby Massey, and Bill Isles. The O'Jays made their first chart appearance with the minor hit "Lonely Drifter" in 1963, but reached their greatest level of success once

Gamble & Huff Kenneth Gamble (born August 11, 1943, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) and Leon A. Huff (born April 8, 1942, Camden, New Jersey) are an American songwriting and production team credited for developing the Philadelphia soul music genre (also known as ...

, a team of producers and songwriters, signed them to their

Philadelphia International Philadelphia International Records (PIR) was an American record label based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1971 by songwriting and production duo Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff along with their longtime collaborator Thom Bell. I ...

label in 1972. With Gamble & Huff, the O'Jays (now a trio after the departure of Isles and Massey) emerged at the forefront of

Philadelphia soul Philadelphia soul, sometimes called Philly soul, the Philadelphia sound, Phillysound, or The Sound of Philadelphia TSOP, is a genre of late 1960s–1970s soul music characterized by funk influences and lush instrumental arrangements, often feat ...

with " Back Stabbers" (1972), and topped the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 the following year with "

Love Train "Love Train" is a hit single by the O'Jays, written by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. Released in 1972, it reached No. 1 on both the R&B Singles and the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in February and March 1973 respectively, and No. 9 on the UK Singles C ...

". Several other US R&B hits followed, and the O'Jays were inducted into the

Vocal Group Hall of Fame The Vocal Group Hall of Fame (VGHF) is an American-based hall of fame that honors vocal groups throughout the world in every genre of music. Headquartered in the Columbia Theatre in Sharon, Pennsylvania, it includes a theater and a museum. It was ...

in 2004,

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music an ...

in 2005, and the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame in 2013.

Career

The group was formed in Canton, Ohio, in 1958 while its members were attending

Canton McKinley High School McKinley Senior High School is a public high school in Canton, Ohio, United States. It is the only high school in the Canton City School District and has two campuses: Downtown Campus (mostly known as Early College High School or Timken High ...

. Originally known as The Mascots, and then The Triumphs, the friends began recording with "Miracles" in 1961, which was a moderate hit in the

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

area. In 1963, they took the name 'The O'Jays', in tribute to Cleveland radio disc jockey Eddie O'Jay, who was part of the powerful management team of

Frankie Crocker Frankie "Hollywood" Crocker (December 18, 1937 – October 21, 2000) was an American disc jockey who helped grow WBLS, the black music radio station in New York. Early soul radio According to popeducation.org, Crocker began his career in Buffal ...

, Herb Hamlett and O'Jay. In 1963, the O'Jays released "Lonely Drifter", their first national chart hit on the '' Billboard'' Hot 100, peaking at number 93. Their debut album, released shortly thereafter was ''Comin' Through''. In the early 1960s, member Frank "Frankie" Little, Jr. joined the group as a guitarist and songwriter. He worked with lead vocalist Eddie Levert, assisting with some of the writing for the group, including 1964’s “Do the Jerk,” 1966’s “Pretty Words,” and 1967’s “Oh, How You Hurt Me”. He is also credited with vocals on 1962’s “Down at the Corner”. According to Walter Williams, “Frankie was a guitarist and songwriter in the very early O’Jays. He came with us when we first ventured out of Cleveland and traveled to Los Angeles, but he also was in love with a woman in Cleveland that he missed so much that he soon returned back to Cleveland after a short amount of time." In 2021, human remains discovered in 1982 at

Twinsburg, Ohio Twinsburg is a suburban city in Summit County, Ohio, United States, located about halfway between Akron and Cleveland. The population was 19,248 as of the 2020 census. It is part of the Akron metropolitan area. History In 1817 Ethan Alling, then ...

, were identified as those of Frankie Little. Throughout the 1960s, the group continued to

chart A chart (sometimes known as a graph) is a graphical representation for data visualization, in which "the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart". A chart can represent tabu ...

with minor hits such as " Lipstick Traces" (which they performed nationally on the ABC television program '' Shivaree''), "Stand In for Love", "Stand Tall", "Let It All Out", "I'll Be Sweeter Tomorrow", "Look Over Your Shoulder", "Deeper in Love with You", and " One Night Affair". However, while they issued dozens of singles throughout the decade, they never hit the US top 40 (although "Lipstick Traces" made it to number 19 in Canada). On the R&B chart, the O'Jays were somewhat more prominent, but their only top 10 R&B single prior to 1972 was 1968's "I'll Be Sweeter Tomorrow". In spite of their success as a touring group and on the R&B chart, the group had been considering quitting the

music industry The music industry consists of the individuals and organizations that earn money by writing songs and musical compositions, creating and selling recorded music and sheet music, presenting concerts, as well as the organizations that aid, train, ...

in 1972. Around that time, original members Bill Isles and Bobby Massey departed, leaving the group a trio. The remaining three original members, Eddie Levert, William Powell, and Walter Williams continued recording together, and

, a team of producers and songwriters with whom the O'Jays had been working for several years, signed them to their

label. Suddenly, the O'Jays released their first million-seller, " Back Stabbers", from the album of the same name. This album produced several more hit singles, including "992 Arguments", "Sunshine", "Time to Get Down", and the number 1 pop smash, "

". During the remainder of the 1970s, the O'Jays continued releasing hit singles, including "Put Your Hands Together" (Pop number 10), "

For the Love of Money "For the Love of Money" is a soul/funk song that was written and composed by Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff, and Anthony Jackson; it was recorded by Philadelphia soul group The O'Jays for the album ''Ship Ahoy.'' Produced by Gamble and Huff for Phi ...

" (Pop number 9), " Give the People What They Want", "Let Me Make Love to You", " I Love Music" (Pop number 5), " Livin' for the Weekend", "

Message in Our Music "Message In Our Music" was a hit song for the R&B vocal group The O'Jays in 1976 from their album, ''Message in the Music''. Written by famed songwriters Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, it spent a week at number one on the R&B singles chart in Octo ...

", and " Darlin' Darlin' Baby (Sweet Tender Love)". Original member William Powell died of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

in 1977 at age 35. After adding

Sammy Strain Samuel Strain Jr. (born December 9, 1939) is an American R&B vocalist, known for his time as a member of Little Anthony and the Imperials (1958–1972; 1992–2005) and The O'Jays (1975–1992). He holds the unusual distinction of being twice in ...

(of

Little Anthony and the Imperials Little Anthony and the Imperials is an American rhythm and blues/soul vocal group from New York City founded by Clarence Collins in the 1950s and named in part for its lead singer, Jerome Anthony "Little Anthony" Gourdine, who was noted for his h ...

), the O'Jays continued recording, though with limited success. In 1978, the group released " Use ta Be My Girl", which was their final top-five hit, though they continued placing songs on the R&B charts throughout the 1980s. The O'Jays' success was not confined to the United States, as they also logged nine hit singles in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

between 1972 and 1983, including four tracks that reached the top 20 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. Their 1987 album, ''Let Me Touch You'', was a breakthrough of sorts, and included the number 1 R&B hit "Lovin' You". Though they continued charting on the R&B charts in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the O'Jays never again achieved pop success. In 1992, Sammy Strain left the group and returned to the Imperials. Strain's departure was filled by Nathaniel Best (born December 13, 1960), who was later replaced by Eric Grant. Later in the 1990s, the group did little recording, though they remained a popular live draw. Their latest album was ''Imagination'', released in 2004. In 2003, the trio co-starred in the film ''

The Fighting Temptations ''The Fighting Temptations'' is a 2003 American musical comedy film directed by Jonathan Lynn, written by Elizabeth Hunter and Saladin K. Patterson, and distributed by Paramount Pictures and MTV Films. The main plot revolves around Darrin Hill (C ...

'', which starred

Cuba Gooding Jr. Cuba Mark Gooding Jr. (born January 2, 1968) is an American actor. He is the recipient of an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and an Emmy nomination. After his breakthrough role as Tre Styles in ''Boyz n the Hood'' (1991), he appear ...

and

Beyoncé Knowles Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

. In the film, they played three barbers with incredible vocal harmony who joined the local church choir to help out the film's protagonists: Darrin (Gooding) and Lilly (Knowles), who were the choir director and lead singer, respectively. In 2005, the O'Jays were inducted into the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and othe ...

. Original members Eddie Levert, Walter Williams, Bobby Massey and, posthumously, William Powell, were inducted. In a note of controversy, Sammy Strain was also inducted with the group, while original member Bill Isles was not. (Strain is one of the few artists in popular music history who is a double RRHOF inductee: with the O'Jays in 2005, and

in 2009). In 2006, the O'Jays performed at the

ESPY An ESPY Award (short for Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Award) is an accolade currently presented by the American broadcast television network ABC, and previously ESPN (as of the 2017 ESPY Awards the latter still airs them in the form ...

awards, hosted by

Lance Armstrong Lance Edward Armstrong (''né'' Gunderson; born September 18, 1971) is an American former professional road bicycle racing, road racing cyclist. Regarded as a sports icon for winning the Tour de France seven consecutive times from 1999 Tour de ...

. "For the Love of Money" was the theme song to the hit reality TV show ''

The Apprentice ''The Apprentice'' is a Reality competition, reality talent game show franchise originally aired in 2004 in the United States. Created by U.S.-based British producer Mark Burnett, the show depicts contestants from around the country with variou ...

,'' starring

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

, and the group once performed the song live on the show. On February 23, 2007, Radio-Canada's website reported that Canadian Industry Minister

Jim Prentice Peter Eric James Prentice (July 20, 1956 – October 13, 2016) was a Canadian politician who served as the 16th premier of Alberta from 2014 to 2015. In the 2004 federal election he was elected to the House of Commons of Canada as a candidate ...

had used the song "For the Love of Money" without the group's permission during a political event, a faux pas since Prentice is responsible for the application of the Copyright Act in Canada. Radio-Canada also reported that Prentice has since been contacted by the attorneys for both the O'Jays and

Warner/Chappell Music Warner Chappell Music, Inc. is an American music publishing company and a subsidiary of the Warner Music Group. Warner Chappell Music's catalogue consists of over 1.4 million compositions and 65,000 composers, with offices in over 40 countries. ...

. On June 28, 2009, at the 2009

BET Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los A ...

Award Show in the

Shrine Auditorium The Shrine Auditorium is a landmark large-event venue in Los Angeles, California. It is also the headquarters of the Al Malaikah Temple, a division of the Shriners. It was designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument (No. 139) in 1975, and ...

, the O'Jays were honored with BET's 2009 Life Time Achievement Award.

Tevin Campbell Tevin Jermod Campbell (born November 12, 1976) is an American singer and songwriter. He performed gospel in his local church from an early age. Following an audition for jazz musician Bobbi Humphrey in 1988, Campbell was signed to Warner Bros. Re ...

Trey Songz Tremaine Aldon Neverson (born November 28, 1984), known professionally as Trey Songz, is an American R&B singer and rapper. His debut album, '' I Gotta Make It'', was released in 2005 through Atlantic Records. His follow-up album, ''Trey Day'', ...

Tyrese Gibson Tyrese Darnell Gibson (born December 30, 1978) is an American actor and singer. He released his self-titled debut album in 1998, which featured the single " Sweet Lady", peaking at number twelve on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100. His second ...

and

Johnny Gill Johnny Gill Jr. (born May 22, 1966) is an American singer and actor. He is the sixth and final member of the R&B/pop group New Edition and was also a member of the supergroup called LSG, with Gerald Levert and Keith Sweat. Gill has released e ...

performed a medley of the group's songs, followed by the presentation of the award by

Don Cornelius Donald Cortez Cornelius (September 27, 1936 – February 1, 2012) was an American television show host and producer widely known as the creator of the nationally syndicated dance and music show ''Soul Train'', which he hosted from 1971 until 1993 ...

. The group reminisced, joked with the audience, and accepted their award before performing renditions of their hit songs. On October 30, 2010, the group performed at

Jon Stewart Jon Stewart (born Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz; November 28, 1962) is an American comedian, political commentator, and television host. He hosted ''The Daily Show'', a satirical news program on Comedy Central, from 1999 to 2015 and now hosts ''Th ...

and

Stephen Colbert Stephen Tyrone Colbert ( ; born May 13, 1964) is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is best known for hosting the satirical Comedy Central program ''The Colbert Report'' from 2005 to ...

Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear The Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear was a gathering that took place on October 30, 2010, at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The rally was led by Jon Stewart, host of the satirical news program ''The Daily Show'', and Stephen Colbert ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

In Cleveland, Ohio, on August 17, 2013, the O'Jays were inducted into the

National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame The National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame is an independent organization whose mission is to educate and to celebrate, preserve, promote, and present rhythm and blues music globally. History The National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame was founded ...

The O'Jays are also two-time

Grammy Hall of Fame The Grammy Hall of Fame is a hall of fame to honor musical recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance. Inductees are selected annually by a special member committee of eminent and knowledgeable professionals from all branches of ...

Inductees for their songs "

" (inducted 2006) and "

" (inducted 2016). The O'Jays were among hundreds of artists whose material was destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire. Bill Isles (born William Carvan Isles II in

McAdenville, North Carolina McAdenville is a small town in Gaston County, North Carolina, United States. It is a suburb of Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte and located east of Gastonia, North Carolina, Gastonia. The population was 890 at the 2020 census. History McA ...

) died on March 25, 2019, at the age of 78.

Original members

(born June 16, 1942) * Walter Lee Williams (born August 25, 1943) * William Powell (January 20, 1942 – May 26, 1977) * Bobby Massey (born 1942) * Bill Isles (January 4, 1941 – March 25, 2019).

Discography

Top twenty albums

The following albums reached the top twenty on the United States ''Billboard'' 200 pop albums chart. *1972: '' Back Stabbers'' (US number 10) *1973: ''

Ship Ahoy ''Ship Ahoy'' is a 1942 American musical-comedy film directed by Edward Buzzell and starring Eleanor Powell and Red Skelton. It was produced by MGM. Background ''Ship Ahoy'' was the first of two films in which Powell and Skelton co-starred. It ...

'' (US number 11) *1974: ''The O'Jays Live in London'' (US number 17) *1975: ''

Survival Survival, or the act of surviving, is the propensity of something to continue existing, particularly when this is done despite conditions that might kill or destroy it. The concept can be applied to humans and other living things (or, hypotheti ...

'' (US number 11) *1975: ''

Family Reunion A family reunion is an occasion when many members of an extended family congregate. Sometimes reunions are held regularly, for example on the same date of every year. A typical family reunion will assemble for a meal, some recreation and discussi ...

'' (US number 7) *1976: ''

Message in the Music ''Message in the Music'' is a 1976 album by American R&B group the O'Jays. Released in 1976 on the Philadelphia International Records label. Recorded at the Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia, with six of the eight tracks written and produce ...

'' (US number 20) *1978: ''

So Full of Love ''So Full Of Love'' is a 1978 album by The O'Jays. The album contains the #1 R&B hit " Use ta Be My Girl", and was awarded RIAA Platinum Certification for sales of 1,000,000 copies. The single "Brandy" has long been speculated by many fans to b ...

'' (US number 6) *1979: '' Identify Yourself'' (US number 16)

Top twenty singles

The following singles reached the top twenty on either the United States ''Billboard'' Hot 100 pop singles chart or the United Kingdom's

. *1972: " Back Stabbers" (US number 3; UK number 14; Canada number 39) *1973: "

" (US number 1; UK number 9; Canada number 15) *1973: " Put Your Hands Together" (US number 10) *1974: "

" (US number 9) *1975: " I Love Music" (US number 5; UK number 13) *1976: " Livin' For The Weekend" (US number 20) *1978: " Use ta Be My Girl" (US number 4; UK number 12)

DVDs

*''The O'Jays Live in Concert'' (2010)

Gold and platinum records

Gold discs, signifying sales in excess of five hundred thousand copies (USA), were awarded by the RIAA for their singles " Back Stabbers," "

," "

," " I Love Music," and " Use ta Be My Girl;" plus for the albums '' Back Stabbers,'' ''

,'' ''The O'Jays Live in London,'' ''

,'' '' Travelin' at the Speed of Thought,'' ''

,'' ''

Emotionally Yours ''Emotionally Yours'' is a studio album by American R&B trio the O'Jays. It was released on January 21, 1991, through EMI Records, making it the group's second album for the label. Recording sessions took place at Right Track in Cleveland, a ...

,'' and ''

.'' "For the Love of Money" was used as the theme for the two reality shows ''

'' and ''

The Celebrity Apprentice ''The Celebrity Apprentice'' is an American television reality competition series. It was a variation of ''The Apprentice'' series, hosted by then real estate developer (later 45th president of the United States) Donald Trump from 2008 to 2015, an ...

'' on NBC-TV. The following albums by the O'Jays have received

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

platinum status indicating sales in excess of one million copies: ''

,'' ''

,'' '' Identify Yourself,'' and ''

''.

Other awards

* Black Entertainment Television Lifetime Achievement Award (awarded 2009) * National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame (inducted 2013) * Trumpet Award (awarded 2011) * Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (inducted 2005) * Vocal Group Hall of Fame (inducted 2004) * Grammy Hall of Fame (two-time inductees) for songs "Love Train" (inducted 2006) and "For The Love Of Money" (inducted 2016) * Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame (inducted 2013) * Numerous

Gold and Platinum Awards (see above) * Soul Train Music Award for Quincy Jones Award for Career Achievement (awarded 2002) * National Rhythm & Blues Foundation Pioneer Award (awarded 1998) * NAACP Image Award - Hall of Fame Award (awarded 1992) * American Music Award (awarded 1990)

References

External links

* * *
Detailed biography of Sammy Strain in PDF format "Lawsuit comes between members of O'Jays: Sammy Strain says Eddie and Walter "conspired" to rob him of royalties."
Accessed 3-14-08. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ojays, The 1958 establishments in Ohio American funk musical groups American soul musical groups African-American musical groups Bell Records artists Imperial Records artists Musical groups established in 1958 Musical groups from Ohio Musicians from Canton, Ohio Philadelphia International Records artists