YEAR
2005
INDUCTED BY
Justin Timberlake
CATEGORY
Performers
The O’Jays are the pinnacle of Seventies soul music.
They were instrumental in popularizing Philly soul and the work of songwriting team Gamble and Huff. Their velvety, lush, yet funk-tinged sound establishes them as some of soul music’s finest.
Bobby Massey
Eddie Levert
Sammy Strain
Walter Williams
Justin Timberlake Inducts the O'Jays
The O'Jays Acceptance Speech
"Backstabbers"
HALL OF FAME
ESSAY
By Jerry Blavat
When thinking of the O’Jays – the whiz kids of Ohio whom we honor tonight – one usually pictures the group in the 1970s.
After all, beginning in 1972, the O’Jays had gold and platinum records every year of the decade, including the hits “Back Stabbers,” “Love Train,” and “I Love Music (Part 1),” as well as three Grammy nominations for Best R&B Vocal.
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