Mega E Radio: What Happened? The O'Jays

The O'Jays

The O'Jays were formed in 1958 and originally consisting of Eddie Levert (born June 16, 1942), Walter Williams (born August 25, 1943), William Powell (January 20, 1942 – May 26, 1977), Bobby Massey and Bill Isles. They formed the group in Canton, Ohio in 1958 while attending Canton formed the group in McKinley High School. Originally known as The Triumphs, and then The Mascots, the friends began recording with "Miracles" in 1961, which was a moderate hit in the Cleveland 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, Herb Hamlett & Eddie O'Jay, (Toop, 1991).

In 1963, The O'Jays released "Lonely Drifter," their very first national chart hit on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #93. Their debut album, released shortly thereafter was Comin' Through.

Throughout the 1960s, they continued to chart 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 once hit the US top 40 (although "Lipstick Traces" made it to #19 in Canada.) On the R&B charts, 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 charts, the group had been considering quitting the music industry in 1972; around that same time original members Bill Isles and Bobby Massey departed, leaving the group a trio. The remaining three members soldiered on and Gamble & Huff, a team of producers and songwriters with whom the O'Jays had been working for several years, signed them to their Philadelphia International label. Suddenly, The O'Jays fortunes changed and they finally scored with their first million-seller, "Back Stabbers", from the album of the same name. By this time, This album produced several more hit singles, including "992 Arguments," "Sunshine," "Time To Get Down," and the #1 pop smash, "Love Train".

Back Stabbers was a breakthrough album for the group, reaching the top 10 of the Billboard Pop Albums chart and selling over 500,000 copies within a year of release. It also featured two of their most successful singles, "Back Stabbers" and "Love Train", which hit number one on the Billboard Pop Singles chart. On September 1, 1972, the title track was certified as a gold single by the Recording Industry Association of America.

The O'Jays next album continued their success with lead single was "Put Your Hands Together," a song urging cooperation and optimistic prayer for "a better day to come." "For the Love of Money," is a protest against materialism with a groove that Rolling Stone described as "downright orgiastic".

The album's title song, "Ship Ahoy," was built around the theme of African captives being transported in a slave ship as part of the Middle Passage of the Atlantic slave trade. It had originally been penned by Gamble and Huff for inclusion in the soundtrack to Shaft in Africa, but the producers decided instead to give it to the O'Jays as part of a concept album centered around slavery.

Survival is a 1975 album by American R&B group The O'Jays, released on the Philadelphia International Records label.

Family Reunion released late 1975 on the Philadelphia International Records label. Recorded at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia, and produced by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, Family Reunion includes the enduring classic "I Love Music" and "Livin' for the Weekend", both of which topped the R&B singles chart, and placed at #5 and #20 respectively on the pop chart. The ballad "Stairway to Heaven", originally issued as the B-side to "Livin' for the Weekend", has also gone on to become a staple of quiet storm programming. Family Reunion became the group's third consecutive R&B chart-topping album, and its #7 peak on the pop chart was their highest placing on this chart at the time (1978's So Full of Love would peak one place higher). Family Reunion was awarded a Platinum Album for RIAA Certification of over one million copies sold.

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 produced by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, Message in the Music spawned two R&B chart-topping singles in "Message in Our Music" and "Darlin' Darlin' Baby (Sweet, Tender, Love)", with the latter also giving the group their fourth UK top 30 single. Message in the Music peaked at #3 on the R&B chart (ending a run of three consecutive #1 R&B albums for the group) and reached #20 on the pop chart.

Message in the Music is the last O'Jays album to feature vocals from original group member William Powell, who would die prematurely from cancer, aged 35, in May 1977.

During the remainder of the 1970s the O'Jays continued releasing hit singles, including "Put Your Hands Together" (Pop #10), "For the Love of Money" (Pop #9), "Give the People What They Want", "Let Me Make Love To You", "I Love Music" (Pop #5), "Livin' for the Weekend", "Message in Our Music" and "Darlin' Darlin' Baby (Sweet Tender Love)". Original member William Powell died of cancer in 1977 at age 35.

Travelin' at the Speed of Thought is a 1977 album by American R&B group The O'Jays, released on the Philadelphia International Records label. The album was recorded at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia, with six of the eight tracks written and produced by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. Unusually for the time, there had been no advance single release from the album; the only single subsequently issued, "Work on Me", became a #7 R&B hit but failed to reach the pop listings, making this the first O'Jays PIR album without a top 100 pop single. Travelin' at the Speed of Thought peaked at #6 on the R&B chart and reached #27 on the pop chart.

Travelin' at the Speed of Thought is the first O'Jays album to feature vocals from Sammy Strain, who in 1976 had been brought into the group as the replacement for the then-terminally ill William Powell. Powell's death from cancer in May 1977 coincided with the release of the album.

After adding Sammy Strain (born December 9, 1941) (of Little Anthony and the Imperials), the O'Jays continued recording, though with limited success.

So Full Of Love is an 1978 album by the The O'Jays. The album contains the #1 R&B hit "Use ta Be My Girl".This album was awarded RIAA Platinum Certification for sales of 1,000,000 copies sold. [1]

1978's "Use ta Be My Girl" was their final Top Five hit, though they continued placing songs on the R&B charts throughout the 1980s.

Identify Yourself is a 1979 album by American R&B group The O'Jays, released on the Philadelphia International Records label. It was recorded at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia, with four tracks produced by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, three by group members Eddie Levert and Walter Williams and one by the esteemed Philadelphia producer and composer Thom Bell.

Identify Yourself produced two top ten R&B singles: "Sing a Happy Song" (#7) and "Forever Mine" (#4); the latter also peaked at #28 on the pop chart, the group's last single to reach the pop top 50. The album sold well, making #3 R&B and #16 pop, and was certified platinum for sales of over one million copies sold.

From 1980 to 2004 The O’Jays continued to record albums

1980 The Year 2000

1982 My Favorite Person

1983 When Will I See You Again

1984 Love and More

1985 Love Fever

Their 1987 album, Let Me Touch You, was a breakthrough of sorts, and included the #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.

The O'Jays continued to record albums most going intoniced.

1991 Emotionally Yours

Home for Christmas

1993 Heartbreaker

1997 Love You to Tears

2001 For the Love

2004 Together We Are One

Imagination

In 1992, Sammy Strain left the group, and returned to the Imperials, to be replaced by Nathaniel Best, and later, by Eric Grant. Later in the 1990s, the group did little recording, though they remained a popular live draw.

In 2003, the album Backstabbers was ranked number 318 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

In 2003, they co-starred in the movie The Fighting Temptations, which starred Cuba Gooding Jr. and Beyoncé Knowles. In the film, they played three barbers who joined the local church choir to help out the film's protagonist Darrin (Gooding) who was the choir director.

Levert is the father of R&B singers Gerald Levert, who died on November 10, 2006, Sean Levert, who died on March 30, 2008 and Eddie Levert Jr., CEO of Levert Entertainment Group, a Music label headquartered in Los Angeles, CA. The relationships between Eddie Sr. and Gerald became a subject of a book, I Got Your Back: A Father and Son Keep It Real about Love, Fatherhood, Family, and Friendship issued in 2007.

In 2005, the O'Jays were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 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 The Imperials in 2009). In 2006, the O'Jays performed at the ESPY awards, hosted by Lance Armstrong. "For the Love of Money" is the theme song to the hit reality TV show The Apprentice, starring Donald Trump.

On June 28, 2009, at the 2009 BET Award Show in the Shrine Auditorium the O'Jays were honored with BET's 2009 Life Time Achievement Award. Tevin Campbell, Trey Songz, Tyrese Gibson, and Johnny Gill performed a medley of the group's songs, followed by the presentation of the award by Don Cornelius. The group reminisced, joked with the audience and accepted their award before performing a rendition of their hit songs.

2010 the O’Jays released Christmas with the O'Jays

On October 30, 2010, the group performed at Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert's Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear in Washington, D.C.