The O’Jays formed fresh from high school in 1959 and named themselves after Eddie O’Jay, a disc-jockey on Radio WABQ in their hometown of Cleveland, Ohio.
The group was a quintet back then and they made their first record – Do The Wiggle – for King Records in Cincinnati.
In 1962 they recorded Lonely Drifter which made the Billboard Hot 100, as did three other 45s they recorded for Imperial: Lipstick Traces (long a Northern Soul favourite), I’ve Cried My Last Tear, and Stand In For Love.
They moved to Bell Records in New York where, with the aid of producer George Kerr and arranger Richard Tee, they turned out things like I’ll Be Sweeter Tomorrow and I Dig Your Act.
As the years went by, Bobby Massey and Bill Isles dropped out, with Massey going into record production.
A large part of the success of The O’Jays was down to their production team, Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff of Philadelphia International Records, and to writers and arrangers like Thom Bell, Bobby Martin, and Bunny Sigler.
The combination gave them three American smash hits – Back Stabbers, 992 Arguments, and Love Train – in less than a year, and got Philadelphia International (distributed by Columbia in the States) off to an almost unprecedentedly successful start.
Eddie Levert
Vocals Walter Williams
Vocals William Powell
Vocals Bobby Massey
Vocals Bill Isles
Vocals
Video
Related Posts
Ohio Players, The The Ohio Players started life in the 1960s as The Ohio Untouchables and their first real claim to fame was…
Lee Dorsey Born in New Orleans on 4 December 1926, Lee Dorsey moved with his family to Oregon when he was 10.…
Betty Wright Miami queen of soul Betty Wright served her apprenticeship in the church with family gospel group The Echoes of Joy.…
Ben E. King Ben E King was born Benjamin Earl Nelson in Henderson, North Carolina, in September 1938. After moving to New York…
Johnny & The Hurricanes Although they scored four Top Thirty hits in their native USA, Johnny and the Hurricanes doubled that figure in Britain,…
Dee Jay & The Runaways Dee Jay and the Runaways came from Milford, Iowa, and enjoyed a national US hit with the novelty rocker Peter Rabbit in 1966. The group…
Robert Palmer Robert Palmer was born in Batley, Yorkshire in 1949 but spent his childhood on a Naval base in Malta, where…
Detroit Emeralds, The The Emeralds vocal harmony group was formed in Little Rock, Arkansas by brothers, Ivory, Abrim, Cleophus and Raymond Tilmon. After…
