The O’Jays, an American R&B band, hail from Canton Ohio. They were formed in 1958. They originally consisted of Eddie Levert and Walter Lee Williams, William Powell and Bill Isles.
Recently you might have heard about “OJays 2021-07-16”, well its the release date of the O’Jays compilation album, titled “The Best Of The O’Jays”. The Very Best Of the O’Jays compilation album features all of their greatest songs. It is part Sony’s Playlist album collection, which covers songs from 1972 to 1978, when Gamble & Huff were at the top of the charts. The album’s songs have all been in the Top 20 of the R&B charts. Many of them reached the top, including “Back Stabbers,” Love Train,” For the Love of Money,” and even “Use ta Be My Girl.”
The Best Of The O’Jays was released on 2021-07-16 worldwide. In this article you will find the list of the songs in the album Best Of The OJays 2021-07-16. Detailed information on OJay’s career and history.
Best Of The OJays 2021-07-16 Album
1. Back Stabbers – 3:06 minutes
2. Love Train – 2:59 minutes
3. For the Love of Money – 7:20 minutes
4. Time to Get Down – 2:52 minutes
5. Sunshine – 3:42 minutes
6. I Love Music – 6:50 minutes
7. Put Your Hands Together – 4:07 minutes
8. 992 Arguments – 6:07 minutes
9. Now That We Found Love – 4:41 minutes
10. Survival – 3:42 minutes
11. Use ta Be My Girl – Single Version – 3:18 minutes
12. Give the People What They Want – 4:10 minutes
13. Livin’ for the Weekend – 6:36 minutes
14. Darlin’ Darlin’ Baby (Sweet, Tender, Love) – 4:10 minutes
15. Message In Our Music – 6:04 minutes
16. Family Reunion – 6:55 minutes
17. Brandy (I Really Miss You) – 4:12 minutes
18. Put Our Heads Together – 5:42 minutes
O’Jays – History of The Band
In 1963, the O’Jays charted their first single, “Lonely Drifter”, but they reached their highest level of success when Gamble & Huff signed them in 1972 to their Philadelphia International label. This team of producers and songwriters was Gamble & Huff. Gamble & Huff helped the O’Jays, now a trio following the departure of Isles & Massey, to emerge at the forefront Philadelphia soul music with “Back Stabbers”, which was released in 1972. “Love Train” was the US Billboard Hot 100’s top song the next year. The O’Jays had many other R&B hits, and in 2004 were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, in 2005 The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in 2013 The Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame.
Career of O’Jays
In 1958, the group formed in Canton, Ohio while its members were at Canton McKinley high school. The Mascots and then The Triumphs were the original names of the group. In 1961, they began recording with “Miracles”, which was a moderate success in the Cleveland region. They adopted the name “The O’Jays” in 1963 to honor Eddie O’Jay (Cleveland radio disc jockey), who was part the formidable management team of Frankie Crocker and Herb Hamlett. The O’Jays’ first hit on the Billboard Hot 100 was “Lonely Drifter”, which reached number 93. Soon after, their debut album was Comin’ Through.
Frank “Frankie” Little, Jr. joined The Beatles in the 1960s as a guitarist/songwriter. He assisted Eddie Levert in writing some of the group’s songs, including “Do the Jerk”, “Pretty Words” and “Oh, How You Hurt me”. He also sang on “Down at the Corner” in 1962. Walter Williams says that Frankie was a guitarist/songwriter in the early O’Jays. He was with us when we ventured out from Cleveland. He also traveled to Los Angeles. However, he fell in love with a Cleveland woman that he missed so much that after a brief period, he returned to Cleveland. Frankie Little was identified in 2021 as the person whose human remains were found at Twinsburg, Ohio in 1982.
The group charted minor hits throughout the 1960s such as “Lipstick Traces”, which they performed on ABC’s television program Shivaree), and “Stand In for Love”, along with “Stand Tall”, the “Let It All Out” singles. They did however release dozens of singles over the decade. However, “Lipstick Traces”, which reached number 19 in Canada, didn’t make it to the US Top 40. The O’Jays were a bit more prominent on the R&B charts, although their only top 10 R&B single was “I’ll Be Sweeter tomorrow” from 1968.
The group was considering quitting the music business in 1972, despite their successes as a touring band and on the R&B charts. Original members Bill Isles, Bobby Massey, and Walter Williams left the group, making it a trio. Walter Williams, Eddie Levert and William Powell remained together as they recorded. Gamble & Huff signed the O’Jays to their Philadelphia International label. This was a team that included songwriters and producers with whom the O’Jays have been working for many years. The O’Jays immediately released “Back Stabbers”, their first million-selling album. The album also produced many more hits, including “992 Arguments”, Sunshine, Time to Get Down, and “Love Train”, which was the #1 pop hit.
The O’Jays released hit singles throughout the 1970s. These included “Put Your Hands Together”(Pop number 10), for the love of money (Pop number 9), and “Give the People what They Want”. “Let Me Make Love To You” (Pop numbers 5), “Livin’ For the Weekend”, “Message in Our Music”, as well as “Darlin’ Darlin’ Babe (Sweet Tender Love). William Powell, an original member, died from cancer at the age of 35 in 1977.
The O’Jays added Sammy Strain (of Little Anthony, the Imperials), and continued to record, although with limited success. The group’s final hit was “Use ta Be My Girl” in 1978. However, they continued to place songs on the R&B charts into the 1980s. The O’Jays’ success wasn’t limited to the United States. They also had nine hits in the United Kingdom, including four songs that reached the top 20 of the UK Singles Chart. Let Me Touch You, their 1987 album, was a major breakthrough. It featured the number one R&B hit, “Lovin’ You”. The O’Jays did not achieve pop success again, despite charting on R&B charts throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Sammy Strain, who was born December 13, 1960, left the group to rejoin the Imperials in 1992. Nathaniel Best, born December 13, 1960, was the replacement for Strain. The group recorded very little in the 1990s but they were still a huge live draw. The group’s latest album, Imagination was released in 2004.
The trio starred together in 2003’s film The Fighting Temptations. It starred Cuba Gooding Jr., Beyonce Knowles, and others. They played three amazing barbers who joined the local church choir as part of the film’s protagonists, Darrin (Gooding), and Lilly (Knowles), respectively, who were the choir director, and lead singer.
The O’Jays were elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005. Inducted were the original members Eddie Levert and Walter Williams, Bobby Massey, William Powell and Walter Williams. Sammy Strain, original member Bill Isles, was also inducted into the group. This was a controversial decision. (Strain is the only artist in pop music history to be inducted twice into the RRHOF: in 2005 with the O’Jays, and in 2009 with Little Anthony and the Imperials. Lance Armstrong hosted the 2006 ESPY Awards, where the O’Jays performed. “For the love of money” was the theme song of the reality TV series The Apprentice. The group performed it once live on the show.
Radio-Canada reported on February 23rd 2007 that Jim Prentice, Canadian Industry Minister, had used “For the love of money” without permission. This was a mistake since Prentice is responsible in Canada for the application of Copyright Act. Radio-Canada reported that Prentice was contacted by both Warner/Chappell Music and O’Jays lawyers.
The O’Jays received the 2009 BET Award Show’s 2009 Life Time Achievement Award. Trey Songz and Johnny Gill performed a medley featuring the group’s songs. Don Cornelius presented the award. After a brief reminiscence, the group performed renditions of their hits and joked with the audience before accepting their award.
The group performed in Washington, D.C. at Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart’s Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear on October 30, 2010. On August 17, 2013, the O’Jays inducted themselves into the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame. The O’Jays have also been two-time Grammy Hall of Fame inductees for “Love Train” (inducted 2006), and “For the Love of Money”, (inducted 2016.
The O’Jays were one of hundreds of artists whose material was lost in the 2008 Universal Fire.
Bill Isles, born William Carvan Isles II, McAdenville North Carolina, died March 25, 2019, at the ripe old age of 78.
Original Members Of The O’Jays 2021-07-16
Eddie Levert (born June 16, 1942)
Walter Lee Williams (born August 25, 1973)
William Powell (1901-20-222 – May 26, 1977).
Bobby Massey (born 1942).
Bill Isles (January 4, 1941-March 25, 2019,).
