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Members
Originally: The Triumphs
Then: The Mascots

Current:
Edward "Eddie" Levert (Born June 16, 1942 in Bessemer, AL)
Walter Williams
Eric Grant

Former:
Walter Williams (Born August 25, 1942)
William Powell (Born January 20, 1942 – Died May 26, 1977 (Cancer))
Bobby Massey
Bill Isles
Sammy Strain (Born December 9, 1941)
Nathaniel Best

See Also: LeVert & LSG

Album
The O'Jays - Collectors' Items

Also Featured On...
Beg, Scream & Shout: The Big Ol' Box Of '60s Soul
Eric Benιt - Lost In Time (Eddie Levert)
Body + Soul Christmas
The Brothers (Eddie Levert)
Dead Presidents
Johnny Gill - Still Winning (Eddie Levert)
Gerald Levert - Private Line (Eddie Levert)
Gerald Levert - The Best Of Gerald Levert (Eddie Levert)
Smooth Grooves: A Sensual Christmas
Ultimate Soul Christmas

Bio From AllMusic.Com
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 itself 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 it 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

Eddie LeVert's Bio from AllMusic.Com
Eddie Levert sang lead on classic million-selling hits by Philly soul group the O'Jays. They were a part of the artist roster of Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff's Philadelphia International Records. Levert could handle both emotion-soaked ballads, sweat-inducing dance numbers, and thought-provoking message songs with equal aplomb. The singer also co-wrote songs for the O'Jays and others: the heart-achingly poignant radio-aired LP track "Help (Somebody Please)" from their platinum LP So Full of Love; "Don't Walk Away Mad" and "Out in the Real World" from from My Favorite Person; "Just Another Lonely Night," a 1985 hit from Love Fever; "I Like to See Us Get Down" and "Keep on Loving Me" from Emotionally Yours; "Lies"; "Lonely Drifter"; "My Love Don't Come Easy," a hit for PIR labelmate Jean Carn; and "Wind Beneath My Wings," a duet between Eddie Levert and his son, Gerald Levert, on the 1995 CD Father and Son.

Eddie Levert and group member Walter Williams, both Canton, OH, natives, first met in elementary school, then formed a gospel duo. While both were students at McKinley High School, they started the Triumphs with fellow students William Powell (born around 1941, died May 26, 1977), Bobby Massey, and Bill Isles. The group was signed to King Records and renamed the Mascots (not to be confused with the Swedish 1960s rock group) by label president Syd Lathan, recording four sides in 1961.

The group then came under the mentorship of Cleveland, OH, radio DJ Eddie O'Jay. Because of his help, they changed the group's name to the O'Jays. The DJ introduced the group to Detroit-based producer Don Davis who recorded "Miracles" on the Daco label, which was then picked up by New York label Apollo Records. Eddie O'Jay connected the group with former Dootones member H.B. Barnum. Barnum, an arranger of note in the years to come (O.C. Smith's gold single "Little Green Apples"), smoothed out the group's harmonies and helped to get them a deal with Imperial Records. Their first charting single was "Lonely Drifter," which charted at number 93 R&B in fall 1963. Their debut album, Comin' Through, was issued in November 1965. Switching to Bell Records, the O'Jays got their first Top Ten R&B single with "I'll Be Sweeter Tomorrow (Than I Was Today)" (number eight R&B in late 1967) produced by George Kerr. In 1967, Minit Records issued an album on the group, Soul Sounds.

Around 1969, the O'Jays were performing at New York's Apollo Theater, part of a concert bill that included the Intruders who were riding high off the million-seller "Cowboys and Girls," "(Love Is Like A) Baseball Game," and "Slow Drag." They suggested that their producers Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff listen to the O'Jays. Signing to Gamble & Huff's Neptune label distributed by Chicago's Chess Records, their first single for the Philadelphia-based producers, "One Night Affair," went to number 15 R&B in the summer of 1969. After Chess folded, Gamble & Huff set up Philadelphia International Records and secured a distribution deal with CBS Records. After some negotiations and counter offers from Motown and Holland/Dozier/Holland's Invictus label, the O'Jays signed with PIR. Their first single written by Huff, Gene McFadden, and John Whitehead, the million-selling "Backstabbers" went to number one R&B and number three pop on Billboard's charts in summer 1972. It was on the LP Backstabbers (number three R&B, number ten pop, fall 1972), which also went gold and yielded "Time to Get Down" (number two R&B for two weeks) and another gold number one R&B single, "Love Train," from early 1973. The classic ballad "Sunshine," written by Bunny Sigler and Phil Hurtt ,was a popular radio-aired LP track.

The hits kept coming: Ship Ahoy held the number one R&B spot for five weeks in late 1973 and included the singles "Put Your Hands Together," "For the Love of Money," "You Got Your Hooks in Me," "Now That We Found Love" — later a hit for Third World — "Don't Call Me Brother" — later covered by Instant Funk on Kinky, and the environmentally themed "The Air I Breathe." The O'Jays Live in London went gold and held the number two R&B spot for two weeks and included the single "Sunshine." Survival went gold and held the number one R&B spot for two weeks in spring 1975 and included the singles "Give the People What They Want," "Let Me Make Love to You" b/w "Survival," "Where Did We Go Wrong," "How Time Flies," and "Never Break Us Up." Family Reunion went platinum and held the number one R&B and number seven pop spot in late 1975 and included the singles "Livin' for the Weekend" b/w "Stairway to Heaven" — not the Led Zeppelin favorite — and "I Love Music." Message in the Music went gold gold and hit the number three R&B spot in late 1976 and included the singles "Message in ihe Music," "Darlin Darlin' Baby (Sweet Tender Love)," "My Prayer," "Desire Me," and the interesting "I Swear I Love No One but You." So Full of Love went platinum and held the number one R&B spot for three weeks and hit number six pop in spring 1978. It included the singles "Use Ta Be My Girl" and the extremely funky "Strokety Stroke."

The O'Jays left Philadelphia International Records and signed with EMI-Manhattan Records where Levert and Williams began co-writing and producing their tracks. Their EMI debut, Let Me Touch You, went to number three R&B and boasted "Lovin' You," the number one R&B hit from summer 1987. The O'Jays continued to perform in front of enthusiastic audiences well into the year 2000.

Eddie Levert-related releases are Carlito's Way, Patti Labelle Live! One Night Only, LeVert Bloodline, Down in the Delta and Have a Merry Chess Christmas. — Ed Hogan

Official Sites: The O'Jays & Facebook