R&B legends the O'Jays still riding "Love Train"

By Gail Mitchell

LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - "Give the People What They Want" is just one of the O'Jays' many signature hits.

But its message also doubles as the secret behind the trio's 50-year career. In that time, the O'Jays have sung their way to legendary status thanks to such hits as "Back Stabbers," "Love Train," "For the Love of Money," and "Used Ta Be My Girl."

Anchored by Eddie Levert's raw, fervent vocals and Walter Williams' suave, oasis-cool tones, the O'Jays have kept folks sweating on the dancefloor and in the bedroom. And while the death in 1977 of original member William Powell left an irreplaceable void, the group has continued to uplift the soul with talented assistance from singers Sammy Strain, Nathaniel Best and current member Eric Nolan Grant.

Still a live draw, the group spends about half the year on the road, according to co-manager Rosalind Ray. "Walt and Eddie's stamina at 60-plus years is better than most young people's."

Levert, 65, and Williams, 64, credit their success to three main factors: their God-given voices, their fortuitous pairing with songwriter/producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, and the tutelage of Motown choreographer Charles "Cholly" Atkins.

Giving each other space has also helped, says Williams (who lives in Cleveland, while Levert lives in Las Vegas).

"We have a long friendship but it's not like we like each other every day. Sometimes it's like World War III because we don't agree on everything and neither one of us is afraid to express that. It's not totally about me and Eddie knows it's not totally about him. That's probably the glue that's kept us together all these years: giving each other the right to be who you are."

SCHOOL DAYS

In the beginning, five McKinley High friends decided to form a vocal group in 1958 in Canton, Ohio: Levert, Williams, Powell, Bobby Massey and Bill Isles.

"In those days, the school hallways and the men's room walls were marble," recalls Williams, who first met Levert when he was 6 and Levert was 7. "Those walls gave off a kind of echo and our harmonies sounded real good. We used to flirt with the girls and sing instead of study. That's where it all started."

Then known as the Triumphs, the quintet sang on local radio and also in the church choir where Williams' father was the choir director.

The son of a local Greek grocer heard the guys harmonizing one day as they were passing by the store and later arranged for the group to go to Cincinnati where King Records' Sid Nathan gave the high school juniors contracts and renamed them the Mascots.

They were invited to do a sock hop in Cleveland where they met DJ Eddie O'Jay. He later took the group to Detroit where it signed with Dayco Records. The Dayco single "How Does It Feel," did well locally. It was during this period that the group, referred to now as "O'Jay's boys," was rechristened the O'Jays.

After moving to Los Angeles, the O'Jays earned their first national R&B hit (No. 28) with "Lipstick Traces (On a Cigarette)" in 1965. The following year, they reached No. 12 on the R&B chart with "Stand In for Love," and scored their first top 10 hit in 1967 with "I'll Be Sweeter Tomorrow (Than I Was Today)." By this time, Isles had left the group.

Returning to Cleveland, the O'Jays got busy honing their craft on the chitlin' circuit. Among the patrons who caught several of the O'Jays' performances was a young songwriter/producer named Kenny Gamble.