By any measurement, the O’Jays must be considered one of the most important Soul Music groups of the past 30 years. Originally a regionally popular group in Cleveland (and in fact named after local deejay Eddie O’Jay), the group was together for a decade before getting a major break by teaming with young songwriter/producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. Their first album on Gamble & Huff’s Philadelphia International Records, Backstabbers, was a masterpiece, highlighted by McFadden & Whitehead’s master composition, “Backstabbers.” The haunting song with the great intro (later sampled by Angie Stone on “I Wish I Didn’t Miss You”) became a monster hit, and was followed by the even bigger “Love Train.” The Backstabbers album was a smash, and began a string of critically acclaimed and commercially popular albums.
During the period of Philadelphia International’s 70s dominance of the airwaves, it was clear that the O’Jays were the foundation of house. The contrasting sounds of the gruff, electrifying voice of Eddie Levert and the mellifluous tones of Walter Williams gave the group the ability to masterfully handle the funkiest cuts Gamble & Huff could throw at them and yet also handle ballads beautifully. They generally received the best songs and the most creative Gamble & Huff arrangements, with far more hits than misses. Songs like “For The Love of Money,” “Livin’ For the Weekend,” and the classic “Use Ta Be My Girl” all appeared to be a year or two ahead of what everyone else was doing, and made each new O’Jays release an event. And, as the vehicle for G&H’s social statements, the group released some of the most intelligent, relevant album cuts of the decade. Their mid-70s albums, especially Ship Ahoy, are worth seeking out.
As the 70s ended, the Gamble & Huff sound became more familiar -- even formulaic -- but the O’Jays’ albums continued to include fine material and always wonderful vocal performances. Generally forgotten early 80s releases such as When Will I See You Again and Love and More included some of the group’s best ballads, but found a more limited audience acceptance. With their crossover days were behind them, the group then began focusing on writing more of their own material and continued to adjust to changes in the sound of popular black music, ultimately leaving the Gamble & Huff fold. They continued to score sporadic hits, such as the rap-introed “Have You Had Your Love Today” and the gospel-like cover of Bob Dylan's “Emotionally Yours.” During that period Eddie Levert also made a terrific album with son Gerald, who was then a rising solo star and leader of the popular group Levert.
The group has continued to record, most recently releasing For the Love…, a surprisingly strong 2001 disc that featured the hit “Let’s Ride.” In 2004 they signed a multi-disc recording contract with Matthew Knowles' (Beyonce's father) Sanctuary Urban Records. Gamble and Huff also unearthed some old O'Jays recordings from the 70s and released them, against the group's wishes, in early 2004 under the title Together We Are One. More recently, in July the O'Jays headlined an outdoor concert for 30,000 fans at the Democratic National Convention, backed by the Boston Pops.
