Saturday Morning Soul: The O'Jays

The O'Jays are a Philadelphia soul group, originally consisting of Walter Williams (born August 25, 1942), Bill Isles, Jerome Pierson, Bobby Massey, William Powell (January 20, 1942 - May 26, 1977) and Eddie Levert (born June 16, 1942). The O'Jays were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004 and The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005. The O'Jays (now a trio after the departure of Isles) had their first hit with "Lonely Drifter" in 1963. In spite of its success, the group was considering quitting the music business until Gamble & Huff, a legendary team of producers and songwriters, took an interest in the group. With Gamble & Huff, the O'Jays emerged at the forefront of Philadelphia soul with Back Stabbers (1972), a huge pop hit.

They formed the group in Canton, Ohio in 1958 while attending high school. Originally known as The Triumphs, followed by The Mascots, the friends began recording with "Miracles" in 1961, which was a moderate hit in the Cleveland area. They took the name "the O'Jays", in tribute to radio disc jockey Eddie O'Jay (Toop, 1991), in 1963 and released "Lonely Drifter", which charted nationally. Their debut LP was Comin' Through. Throughout the 1960s, they continued to chart with songs such as "Lipstick Traces" (which they performed nationally on the ABC Television program , "Shivaree") , "Stand In For Love","Let It All Out", "I'll Be Sweeter Tomorrow", "Deeper In Love With You" and "One Night Affair", along with several other regional & national Pop & R&B hits. In 1972, they finally scored with their first million-seller, "Back Stabbers", from the gold album of the same name. By this time, original member Bobby Massey had also departed , leaving the group a trio. This album also produced several more hit singles, including "992 Arguments", "Sunshine", "Time To Get Down", and the #1 Pop smash, "Love Train".

During the remainder of the 1970s, the O'Jays continued releasing chart-topping 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.

After adding Sammy Strain (born December 9, 1941) (of Little Anthony & the Imperials), the O'Jays continued recording, though with limited success. 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. 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 80s and early 1990s, the O'Jays never again achieved pop success. 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 90s, the group did little recording, though they remained a popular live draw. Their latest album was Imagination in 2004. (wikipedia)

Lipstick Traces (1966)