The O'Jays
JANICE'S BLUES ALLEY PRESENTS
THE O'JAYS
The O'Jays were one of Philadelphia soul's most popular and long-lived outfits, rivaled only by the Spinners as soul's greatest vocal group of the '70s. In their prime, the O'Jays' recordings epitomized the Philly soul sound; smooth, rich harmonies backed by elaborate arrangements, lush strings, and a touch of contemporary funk. They worked extensively with the legendary production/songwriting team of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, becoming the flagship artist of the duo's Philadelphia International label. The O'Jays were equally at home singing sweet love ballads or up-tempo dance tunes, the latter of which were often mouthpieces for Gamble & Huff's social concerns. Although the O'Jays couldn't sustain their widespread popularity in the post-disco age, they continued to record steadily all the way up to the present day, modifying their production to keep up with the times.
The O'Jays were formed in 1958 in Canton, OH, where all five original members, Eddie Levert, Walter Williams, William Powell, Bill Isles, and Bobby Massey, attended McKinley High School. Inspired to start a singing group after seeing a performance by Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers, they first called themselves the Triumphs, then switched to the Mascots in 1960. The Mascots made their recording debut in 1961 with the single "Miracles," issued on the Cincinnati-based King label. It earned them a fan in the influential Cleveland DJ Eddie O'Jay, who gave them some airplay and career advice; in turn, the group renamed themselves the O'Jays in 1963, after having recorded for Apollo Records with producer Don Davis. Under their new name, the O'Jays signed with Imperial and hooked up with producer H.B. Barnum, who would helm their first charting single, 1963's "Lonely Drifter," plus several more singles that followed. Isles left the group in 1965 and was not replaced, leaving them a quartet; late in the year, they released their first-ever album, Comin' Through. In 1967, the O'Jays left Imperial for Bell, where they landed their first Top Ten single on the R&B charts, "I'll Be Sweeter Tomorrow (Than I Was Today)." Discouraged by the difficulty of following that success, the group considered throwing in the towel until they met Gamble & Huff, then working as a production team for the Neptune label , in 1968. Gamble & Huff took an interest in the group, and they recorded several successful R&B singles together; however, Neptune folded in 1971, leaving the O'Jays in limbo, and Massey decided to exit the group.
Fortunately, Gamble & Huff formed their own label, Philadelphia International, and made the O'Jays , now a trio , one of their first signings. The O'Jays' label debut, Back Stabbers, released in 1972, became a classic landmark of Philly soul, and finally made the group stars; the paranoid title track hit the pop Top Five, and the utopian "Love Train" went all the way to number one (both singles topped the R&B charts). It was the beginning of a remarkable run that produced nearly 30 chart singles over the course of the '70s, plus a series of best-selling albums and a bevy of number-one hits on the R&B charts. The O'Jays followed up their breakthrough with another classic LP, Ship Ahoy, in 1973; it featured the number one R&B hit "For the Love of Money," a funky protest number that still ranks as one of their signature songs, as well as the ten-minute title track, an ambitious suite recounting the ocean journeys of African slaves. 1975's Survival was another hit, spinning off the hits "Let Me Make Love to You" and the R&B number one "Give the People What They Want." Family Reunion found the group making concessions to the emerging disco sound, which got them their third Top Five pop hit in "I Love Music, Pt. 1." Unfortunately, William Powell was diagnosed with cancer that year, and although he continued to record with the group for a time (appearing on 1976's Message in Our Music), he was forced to retire from live performing, and passed away on May 26, 1977.
Powell's replacement was Sammy Strain, a 12-year veteran of Little Anthony & the Imperials. The O'Jays regrouped on the albums Travelin' at the Speed of Thought (1977) and So Full of Love (1978), the latter of which produced their final Top Five pop hit, "Use Ta Be My Girl." 1979's Identify Yourself began to show signs of wear and tear in the group's successful formula, and often consciously attempted to follow disco trends. Although it sold respectably, it marked the beginning of a decline in the O'Jays' commercial fortunes. Undaunted by the increasingly diminished returns of their early-'80s LPs, the group kept plugging away, and never completely disappeared from the R&B charts. They finally left Philadelphia International and signed with EMI for 1987's Let Me Touch You, which melded their classic sound with up-to-date urban-R&B production. Powered by the Gamble & Huff-penned R&B number-one "Lovin' You," as well as the increased visibility of Eddie Levert's sons Gerald and Sean (two-thirds of the hit urban group LeVert), the album gave their career a much-needed shot in the arm. 1989's Serious supplied another big R&B hit in "Have You Had Your Love Today?"; with Nathaniel Best replacing Sammy Strain, 1991's Emotionally Yours and 1993's Heartbreaker also placed very well on the R&B charts. The O'Jays' comeback didn't really extend to the pop side, and didn't attract the sort of critical praise earned by their '70s classics; as the new jack swing craze subsided, so did the group's recording activity, though they remained consistent draws on the live circuit. In 1997, now with Eric Grant joining Levert and Williams, they returned with Love You to Tears. A recording layoff followed, during which the group signed with MCA; they debuted for the label with For the Love..., which was released in 2001. , Steve Huey
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1. Long Distance Lover 2. Let's Ride 3. Don't Break My Heart 4. Put Out The Fire 5. Come Over To My House 6. I'm Ready Now |
7. Searching For The Love I Lost 8. I Don't Know 9. Latin Lover 10. Baby Making Love 11. Sounds Like Me |
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01. Pay The Bills 02. Turned Out 03. I Want My Cake 04. What's Stopping You 05. Serious Affair |
06. You Can Make Me Fall In Love Again 07. Baby You Know 08. Another Lonely Night (Did You Forget About Me) 09. Getting Along Much Better 10. Love You To Tears |
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01. I'll Be Sweeter Tomorrow 02. I'm So Glad I Found You 03. Going, Going, Gone 04. That's Alright 05. I Dig Your Act 06. Look Over Your Shoulder 07. You're Too Sweet |
08. Just Another Guy 09. Four for the Price of One 10. Love Is Everywhere 11. Now That I've Found You 12. I'll Be Seeing You 13. The Choice 14. I Miss You |
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01. Don't Let Me Down 02. Something For Nothing 03. Emotionally Yours (R and B version) 04. Respect (with The Jaz) 05. Keep On Lovin' Me 06. Love And Trust 07. Don't You Know True Love |
08. Emotionally Yours (gospel version) 09. That's How Love Is 10. Closer To You 11. If I Find Love Again (with Najee) 12. Keep On Pleasin' Me 13. Lies 14. Make It Feel Good |
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01. Don't Take Your Love Away 02. Lovin' You 03. True Love Never Dies 04. Still Missing 05. I Just Want Somebody to Love Me |
06. Let Me Touch You 07. Undercover Lover 08. No Lies To Cloud My Eyes 09. Don't Let the Dream Get Away 10. 'Cause I Want You Back Again |
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01. I've Got to Fall in Love 02. Extraordinary Girl 03. I'm the Kind of Man 04. Everybody's Dance Krazy |
05. Summer Fling 06. I Really Need You Now 07. Love You Direct 08. Let Me Show You 09. Give My Love to the Ladies |
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01. I Just Want Satisfy You 02. Your Body Here's With Me 03. My Favorite Person 04. One on One |
05. I Like To See Us Get Down 06. Your True Heart (and Shining Star) 07. Out in The Real World 08. Don't Walk Away Mad |
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01. The Year 2000 02. To Prove I Love You 03. You'll Never Know 04. You're the Girl of my Dreams |
05. You Won't Fail 06. Girl, Don't Let It Get You Down 07. The Answer's in You 08. Once is Not Enough |
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01. Sing a Happy Song 02. Get on out and Party 03. Identify 04. So Nice, I Tried it Twice |
05. Hurry Up & Come Back 06. Forever Mine 07. I Want You Here With Me 08. One in a Million (Girl) |
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01. Sing My Heart Out 02. Use Ta Be My Girl 03. Cry Together 04. This Time Baby |
05. Brandy 06. Take Me to the Stars 07. Help (Somebody Please) 08. Strokety Stroke |
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01. Travelin' At The Speed of Thought 02. We're All in this Thing Together 03. So Glad I got You, Girl 04. Stand Up |
05. Those Lies (Done Caught Up With You This Time) 06. Feelings 07. Work On Me 08. Let's Spend Some Time Together |
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01. Message In The Music 02. Prayer, A 03. Paradise 04. Make A Joyful Noise |
05. Desire Me 06. Darlin' Darlin' Baby (Sweet, Tender Love) 07. I Swear, I Love No One But You 08. Let Life Flow |
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01. Unity 02. Family Reunion 03. You And Me 04. She's Only A Woman |
05. Livin' For The Weekend 06. Stairway To Heaven 07. I Love Music |
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01. Give The People What They Want 02. Let Me Make Love To You 03. Survival 04. Where Did We Go Wrong |
05. Rich Get Richer 06. How Time Flies 07. What Am I Waiting For 08. Never Break Us Up |
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01. Put Your Hands Together 02. Ship Ahoy 03. This Air I Breathe 04. You Got Your Hooks In Me |
05. For The Love Of Money 06. Now That We Found Love 07. Don't Call Me Brother 08. People Keep Tellin' Me |
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01. Let Me Make Love To You 02. Stairway To Heaven 03. Now That We Found Love 04. You Got Your Hooks In Me 05. You And Me |
06. Listen To The Clock On The Wall 07. What Am I Waiting For 08. Where Did We Go Wrong 09. Family Reunion 10. Never Break Us Up |
