Incubator escapee wiki

The O'Jays

Article Discussion
(Redirected from O'Jays)

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox musical artist

The O'Jays are an American R&B group from Canton, Ohio, formed in summer 1958 and originally consisting of Eddie Levert, Walter Lee Williams, William Powell, Bobby Massey, and Bill Isles.<ref name="obi">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The O'Jays made their first chart appearance with the minor hit "Lonely Drifter" in 1963, but reached their greatest level of success once the producers Gamble & Huff signed them to their Philadelphia International label in 1972. With Gamble & Huff, the O'Jays (now a trio after the departure of Isles and Massey) emerged at the forefront of Philadelphia soul with Back Stabbers (1972), and topped the US Billboard Hot 100 the following year with "Love Train". Several other US R&B hits followed, and the O'Jays were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005, and the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame in 2013.

HistoryEdit

File:The O Jays on Soul Train.JPG
The O'Jays on Soul Train, 1974

The group was formed in Canton, Ohio, in 1958 while its members were attending Canton McKinley High School. Originally known as The Mascots, and then The Triumphs,<ref name="LarkinSM">Template:Cite book</ref> the friends began recording with "Miracles" in 1961, which was a moderate hit in the Cleveland area. In 1963, they took the name 'The O'Jays', in tribute to Cleveland radio disc jockey Eddie O'Jay,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> who was part of the powerful management team of Frankie Crocker, Herb Hamlett, and O'Jay.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In 1963, the group saw the release of their song "Lonely Drifter," their first entry on the US Billboard Hot 100.<ref name="LarkinSM"/> The single peaked at number 93. Their debut album, Comin' Through, was released shortly thereafter.<ref name="LarkinSM"/>

In the early 1960s, member Frank "Frankie" Little, Jr. joined the group as a guitarist and songwriter. He worked with lead vocalist Eddie Levert, assisting with some of the writing for the group, including 1964's "Do the Jerk" (recorded by Frank Polk), 1964's "Oh, How You Hurt Me" and 1966's "Pretty Words". He is also credited with vocals on 1962's "Down at the Corner." According to Walter Williams, "Frankie was a guitarist and songwriter in the very early O’Jays. He came with us when we first ventured out of Cleveland and traveled to Los Angeles, but he also was in love with a woman in Cleveland that he missed so much that he soon returned back to Cleveland after a short amount of time."<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 2021, human remains discovered in 1982 at Twinsburg, Ohio, were identified as those of Frankie Little.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Throughout the 1960s, the group continued to chart with minor hits such as "Lipstick Traces"<ref name="LarkinSM"/> (which they performed nationally on the ABC television program Shivaree), "Stand In for Love,"<ref name="LarkinSM"/> "Stand Tall," "Let It All Out," "I'll Be Sweeter Tomorrow,"<ref name="LarkinSM"/> "Look Over Your Shoulder," "Deeper in Love with You," and "One Night Affair." However, while they issued dozens of singles throughout the decade, they never hit the US top 40 (although "Lipstick Traces" made it to number 19 in Canada). On the R&B chart, the O'Jays were somewhat more prominent, but their only top 10 R&B single prior to 1972 was 1968's "I'll Be Sweeter Tomorrow."<ref name="LarkinSM"/>

In spite of their success as a touring group and on the R&B chart, the group had been considering quitting the music industry in 1972. Around that time, original members Bill Isles and Bobby Massey departed, leaving the group a trio.<ref name="LarkinSM"/> The remaining three original members, Eddie Levert, William Powell, and Walter Williams, continued recording together, and Gamble & Huff, a team of producers and songwriters with whom the O'Jays had been working for several years, signed them to their Philadelphia International label.<ref name="LarkinSM"/> Suddenly, the O'Jays released their first million-seller, "Back Stabbers,"<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs">Template:Cite book</ref> from the album of the same name.<ref name="LarkinSM"/> This album produced several more hit singles, including "992 Arguments," "Sunshine," "Time to Get Down," and the number 1 pop smash, "Love Train."<ref name="LarkinSM"/>

During the remainder of the 1970s, the O'Jays continued releasing hit singles, including "Put Your Hands Together" (Pop number 10), "For the Love of Money" (Pop number 9), "Give the People What They Want," "Let Me Make Love to You," "I Love Music" (Pop number 5), "Livin' for the Weekend," "Message in Our Music," and "Darlin' Darlin' Baby (Sweet Tender Love)."<ref name="LarkinSM"/> Original member William Powell died of cancer in 1977 at age 35.<ref name="LarkinSM"/>

After adding Sammy Strain (of Little Anthony and the Imperials), the O'Jays continued recording, though with limited success.<ref name="LarkinSM"/> In 1978, the group released "Use ta Be My Girl," which was their final top-five hit, though they continued placing songs on the R&B charts throughout the 1980s.<ref name="LarkinSM"/> The O'Jays also saw some success in the United Kingdom, where they scored nine singles on the UK Singles Chart between 1972 and 1983, including four of which became major hits, reaching the top 20 on that chart.<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums">Template:Cite book</ref> Their 1987 album, Let Me Touch You, included the number one R&B hit "Lovin' You."<ref name="LarkinSM"/> The O'Jays never again achieved pop success. In 1992, Sammy Strain left the group and returned to the Imperials. Later in the 1990s, the group did little recording.

On October 30, 2010, the group performed at Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert's Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear in Washington, D.C. In Cleveland, Ohio, on August 17, 2013, the O'Jays were inducted into the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame. The O'Jays are also two-time Grammy Hall of Fame Inductees for their songs "Love Train" (inducted 2006) and "For the Love of Money" (inducted 2016).<ref>[1] Template:Webarchive</ref>

Bill Isles (born William Carvan Isles II in McAdenville, North Carolina) died on March 25, 2019, in Oceanside, California, at the age of 78.<ref name="obi"/><ref name="GLibertyVoice">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2019/04/05/william-carvan-isles-ii-co-founder-of-the-ojays-dies-at-78/</ref>

Original membersEdit

  • Eddie Levert (born Edward Willis Levert, June 16, 1942, Bessemer, Alabama, USA)
  • Walter Lee Williams (born August 25, 1943, Canton, Ohio, USA)
  • William Powell (born January 20, 1942, Canton, Oho, USA died May 26, 1977, Canton, Ohio, USA)
  • Bobby Massey (born 9 March 1942, Detroit, Michigan, USA)
  • Bill Isles (born January 4, 1941, McAdenville, North Carolina, USA died March 25, 2019, Oceanside, California, USA)<ref name="obi">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

DiscographyEdit

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}}

Top twenty albumsEdit

The following albums reached the top twenty on the United States Billboard 200 pop albums chart.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Top twenty singlesEdit

The following singles reached the top twenty on either the United States Billboard Hot 100 or the United Kingdom's UK Singles Chart.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=occ>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

DVDsEdit

  • The O'Jays Live in Concert (2010)

Gold and platinum recordsEdit

Gold discs, signifying sales in excess of five hundred thousand copies (USA), were awarded by the RIAA<ref name="Gold & Platinum">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> for their singles "Back Stabbers", "Love Train", "For the Love of Money", "I Love Music", and "Use ta Be My Girl"; plus for the albums Back Stabbers, Ship Ahoy, The O'Jays Live in London, Survival, Travelin' at the Speed of Thought, Message in the Music, Emotionally Yours, and Family Reunion.<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs"/> "For the Love of Money" was used as the theme for the two reality shows The Apprentice and The Celebrity Apprentice on NBC-TV.

The following albums by the O'Jays have received RIAA platinum status indicating sales in excess of one million copies: Ship Ahoy, Family Reunion, Identify Yourself, and So Full of Love.<ref name="Gold & Platinum"/>

Other awardsEdit

  • Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (inducted 2005) <ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame 2013
  • Vocal Group Hall of Fame (inducted 2004) <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • Grammy Hall of Fame (two-time inductees) for songs "Love Train" (inducted 2006) and "For The Love Of Money" (inducted 2016)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • Numerous RIAA Gold and Platinum Awards (see above)<ref name="Gold & Platinum"/>
  • National Rhythm & Blues Foundation Pioneer Award (awarded 1998) <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • BET Awards Lifetime Achievement Award (awarded 2009)

See alsoEdit

ReferencesEdit

Template:Reflist

External linksEdit

Template:Sister project

| https://www.allmusic.com/Template:Trim/Template:Trim{{ 

 #if: 
 | /{{{tab}}}
 }}

| {{#if: 

 | {{#if: 
   | {{#if: |[[{{{author-link}}}|{{#if: |, {{{first}}} }}]]|{{#if: |, {{{first}}} }}}}. 
   }}[https://www.allmusic.com/Template:Trim/Template:Trim{{
   #if: 
   | /{{{tab}}}
   }} {{
   #if: 
   | {{{title}}}
   | Template:PAGENAMEBASE
   }}] at AllMusic{{
   #if: 
   | . Retrieved .
   }}

 | {{#if: {{#property:P1728}}
   | Template:First word {{#if:  | {{{title}}} | Template:PAGENAMEBASE }} at AllMusicTemplate:EditAtWikidata

   | {{#if: {{#property:P1729}}
     | Template:First word {{#if:  | {{{title}}} | Template:PAGENAMEBASE }} at AllMusicTemplate:EditAtWikidata

     | {{#if: {{#property:P1730}}
       | Template:First word {{#if:  | {{{title}}} | Template:PAGENAMEBASE }} at AllMusicTemplate:EditAtWikidata

       | {{#if: {{#property:P1994}}
         | Template:First word {{#if:  | {{{title}}} | Template:PAGENAMEBASE }} at AllMusicTemplate:EditAtWikidata

         | {{AllMusic}} template missing ID and not present in Wikidata.Template:Main other

         }}
       }}
     }}
   }}
 }}

}}

Template:The O'Jays Template:Navboxes Template:Authority control

Retrieved from "https://zalansite.site/mediawiki/index.php?title=The_O%27Jays&oldid=126573"