The O’Jays

Induction Year: 2005

Induction Category: Performer

Inductees: Eddie Levert (vocals; born June 16, 1942), Bobby Massey (vocals; born tk), William Powell (vocals; born January 20, 1942, died May 26, 1977), Sammy Strain (vocals; born December 9, 1941), Walter Williams (vocals; born August 25, 1942)

The O’Jays were at the forefront of Seventies soul music. Racking up a lengthy string of modern R&B classics, including “Back Stabbers,” “Love Train,” “For the Love of Money,” “I Love Music” and “Use Ta Be My Girl,” they helped put the “Philly Soul” sound (so named for Philadelphia-based producers, Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff) on the map. In fact, the O’Jays were the backbone of Gamble and Huff’s Philadelphia International label, which released some of the greatest and most influential Seventies records.

During a fifteen-year run from “Back Stabbers” (1972) to “Lovin’ You” (1987), the O’Jays placed more than forty singles on the R&B chart, nine of which went to #1. The vast majority of the group’s hits were made with Gamble and Huff for their various labels - Neptune, Philadelphia International, TSOP - in a relationship dating back to 1969.

The O’Jays’ story dates back further still, beginning in the late Fifties when founding members Eddie Levert and Walter Williams began singing gospel on a radio station in their hometown of Canton, Ohio. Joined by fellow high-schoolers William Powell, Bobby Massey and Bill Isles, they became the Triumphs, an R&B vocal group, in 1959. Their popularity as a live act got them signed to Syd Nathan’s King label, where they released a pair of singles as the Mascots.

They were then taken under the wing of Cleveland disc jockey Eddie O’Jay and renamed the O’Jays – a name that stuck. In 1961 they headed to Los Angeles, where they honed their craft with producer H.B. Barnum. They recorded for Barnum’s Little Star label and then got signed to Imperial Records. The O’Jays spent much of the Sixties on the Imperial and Bell labels, enjoying chart success on the R&B side with such hits as “Stand in For Love” (#12) and “I’ll Be Sweeter Tomorrow (Than I Was Today)” (#8).

The group’s fortunes took a leap when they met producers Gamble and Huff backstage at Harlem’s Apollo Theater in 1968. The O’Jays signed to the duo’s fledgling Neptune label, for which they recorded seven singles, including the R&B hit “One Night Affair” (#15). The relationship really took off when Columbia Records gave Gamble and Huff their own imprint, Philadelphia International, in 1972. Writers, producers and label impresarios, this dynamic duo honed the Philly Soul sound with the O’Jays. Philly Soul - a.k.a. “The Sound of Philadelphia” or “TSOP,” for short - was a churchy yet contemporary melange of strings, keyboards, octave-leaping guitars and propulsive dance rhythms, crowned by rich, gospel-drenched vocal harmonies. Such O’Jays records as “Back Stabbers” and “Love Train” - both from Back Stabbers, their stunning 1972 debut album for Philadelphia International - apotheosized Seventies soul in general and Philly Soul in particular.

“The day we signed [with Philadelphia International] was the day we finally came in from the rain,” Walter Williams said. The group was now down to a trio of Levert, Williams and Powell, with original members Isles and Massey having left in 1966 and 1971, respectively.

“Back Stabbers” kicked off a hit streak that finally made crossover stars of the O’Jays. With Gamble and Huff, they cut consistently strong records and tore up the R&B and pop charts with high-spirited and often message-minded songs. Highlights include such soul essentials as “Time to Get Down” (#2 R&B, #33 pop), “Put Your Hands Together (#2 R&B, #10 pop), “For the Love of Money” (#3 R&B, #9 pop), “Give the People What They Want” (#1 R&B), “I Love Music” (#1 R&B, #5 pop), “Livin’ for the Weekend” (#1 R&B, #20 pop), “Message in Our Music (#1 R&B), “Darlin’ Darlin’ Baby” (#1 R&B), “Use Ta Be My Girl” (#1 R&B, #4 pop), “Forever Mine” (#4 R&B, #28 pop) and “Lovin’ You” (#1 R&B). However, the O’Jays were more than just a hot singles act, as they released such solid albums as Back Stabbers (1972), Ship Ahoy (1973), Survival (1974), Family Reunion (1975), Message in the Music (1976) and So Full of Love (1978).

Founding member Powell dropped out in 1975 due to health reasons, dying two years later of cancer. He was replaced by Sammy Strain, who’d previously sung with Little Anthony and the Imperials. Strain lasted with O’Jays until 1993, when he was replaced by Nathaniel West. Meanwhile, Eddie Levert’s sons, Gerald and Sean, had begun enjoying success with their own R&B group, Levert, in the mid-Eighties, and this multigenerational link helped keep the O’Jays in the public eye.

The O’Jays’ historic run with Gamble and Huff continued until 1988. Even after switching labels and producers, the trio kept having hits. The O’Jays scored their ninth R&B chart-topper, “Have You Had Your Love Today,” in 1989. Emotionally Yours (1991) yielded three R&B smashes, including their choir-filled arrangement of the Bob Dylan-penned title track. The group’s latest album of new material, Love You to Tears, appeared in 1997. The O’Jays received the Rhythm & Blues Foundation’s Pioneer Award in 1998, and they remain a popular performing entity.

TIMELINE

December 9, 1941: Sammy Strain of the O’Jays is born in Brooklyn, New York.

January 20, 1942: William Powell of the O’Jays is born in Canton, Ohio.

June 16, 1942: Eddie Levert of the O’Jays is born in Canton, Ohio.

August 25, 1942: Walter Williams of the O’Jays is born in Canton, Ohio.

1961: The Mascots, an R&B vocal quintet from Canton, Ohio, issue two singles for Syd Nathan’s King label. Soon they will rename themselves the O’Jays.

November 1965: The O’Jays first album, Comin’ Through, is released on Imperial Records.

August 1966: The O’Jays become a quartet when founding member Bill Isles leaves to concentrate on songwriting.

September 1966: The O’Jays’ “Stand In for Love” reaches #12 on the R&B chart, the biggest hit in their three-year run at Imperial.

November 1967: Having moved to the Bell label, the O’Jays score a Top Ten R&B hit with “I’ll Be Sweeter Tomorrow (Than I Was Today).”

March 1969: While performing in New York, the O’Jays meet rising songwriter/producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. The group signs to their Neptune label, a Chess subsidiary, on which they’ll release six singles.

September 1971: The O’Jays become a trio when founding member Bobby Massey quits to become a record producer.

April 1972: The O’Jays are the first group signed to Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff’s new Philadelphia International label.

July 8, 1972: “Back Stabbers,” the title track from the O’Jays’ album of the same name, enters the singles charts. This epochal crossover hit (#1 R&B, #3 pop) will establish the Philly Soul sound.

January 20, 1973: “Love Train,” by the O’Jays, enters the R&B charts. It will be the group’s biggest hit, topping both the R&B and pop charts.

May 8, 1973: The hit-filled Back Stabbers, by the O’Jays, becomes the first of ten gold and platinum albums for the trio.

November 10, 1973: The O’Jays’ most ambitious album, Ship Ahoy, is released. The first of four O’Jays albums to sell over a million copies, it yields “Put Your Hands Together” (#2 R&B, #10 pop) and “For the Love of Money” (#3 R&B, #9 pop).

June 1974: The O’Jays Live in London, recorded in December 1973, is released.

November 1975: Family Reunion, by the O’Jays, cements their reign as kings of Philly Soul, yielding the disco anthem “I Love Music” (#1 R&B, #5 pop).

February 1976: Sammy Strain replaces an ailing Walter Powell in the O’Jays. He’ll remain with the group until 1993, when he’ll rejoined Little Anthony and the Imperials.

October 1976: Message in Our Music, by the O’Jays, is released. It contains three #1 R&B hits: “Livin’ for the Weekend,” “Message in Our Music” and “Darlin’ Darlin’ Baby.”

May 26, 1977: Walter Powell of the O’Jays dies of cancer at his home in Canton, Ohio.

April 8, 1978: “Use Ta Be My Girl,” by the O’Jays, enters the R&B charts, which it will top for five weeks. It will also reach #4 on the pop chart and propel the album So Full of Love to #6.

August 22, 1987: “Lovin’ You,” by the O’Jays, enters the R&B charts. It will become the final #1 hit in their fifteen-year run with songwriter/producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff.

February 1991: The O’Jays release Emotionally Yours, which yields a trio of Top Five R&B hits: “Don’t Let Me Down,” “Emotionally Yours” and “Keep on Lovin’ Me.”

February 26, 1998: The O’Jays receive the Rhythm & Blues Foundation’s Pioneer Award at a ceremony in New York. Eddie Levert’s son Gerald is their presenter.

March 14, 2005: The O’Jays are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum

Essential Songs

Love Train
Back Stabbers
For the Love of Money
I Love Music
Use Ta Be My Girl
Message in Our Music
Livin’ for the Weekend
Lovin’ You
Emotionally Yours
I’ll Be Sweeter Tomorrow (Than I Was Today)

Al Green's White Leather Jacket With Embroidery

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Collection of Al Green