O’Jays, The

The O’Jays formed fresh from McKinley 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 then – Eddie Levert, Walter Williams, Will Powell, Bobby Massey, and Bill Isles –  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.

Over the years, Bobby Massey and Bill Isles left, with Massey moving into record production. The remaining members, Eddie Levert, Walter Williams, and Will Powell, decided to forge ahead as a trio.

Powell was diagnosed with cancer in 1975 and retired from touring. He died in 1977 at the young age of 35.

He was replaced in the group by Sammy Strain, formerly of Little Anthony and the Imperials. Eric Nolan Grant replaced Strain in 1995.

Much of The O’Jays’ success came from their production team, Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff of Philadelphia International Records, and 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
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Walter Williams
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Will Powell
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Bobby Massey
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Bill Isles
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Sammy Strain
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Eric Nolan Grant
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