The O'Jays

The O'Jays

The O'Jays are an American R&B group from Canton, Ohio, formed in 1963 and originally consisting of Eddie Levert , Walter Williams , William Powell , Bobby Massey and Bill Isles. The O'Jays were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004, and The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005. The O'Jays had their first hit with "Lonely Drifter", in 1963. In spite of the record's success, the group was considering quitting the music industry until Gamble & Huff, a team of producers and songwriters, took an interest in the group. With Gamble & Huff, the O'Jays emerged at the forefront...
more

quick facts
Career began:1958
Members:Eddie Levert, Bill Isles, Lester Christian, Bobby Massey, Sammy Strain, Walter Williams, Eric Grant, Nathaniel Best, William Powell
Hometown:Canton
Also known as:O'Jays, O'Jays, The, The O' Jays

Members of The O'Jays

Eddie Levert
Eddie Levert
Age:69
Role:
Bill Isles
Bill Isles
Role:
Lester Christian
Lester Christian
Lived:1943-1971
Role:
Bobby Massey
Bobby Massey
Role:
Sammy Strain
Sammy Strain
Role:
Walter Williams
Walter Williams
Role:

Record label for The O'Jays

Volcano Records
Volcano Records
Parent company:Zomba Label Group

Volcano Entertainment is an American rock record label founded in 1996 best known for reissuing albums by Scotti Brothers Records and releasing albums by Tool, 311, Survivor and "Weird Al" Yankovic. It is currently a part of Epic Records, which is owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Volcano Records...
more

Philadelphia International Records
Philadelphia International Records

Philadelphia International Records is a record label founded by writer-producers, Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff in 1971. It was famous for showcasing the sub-genre of Philadelphia soul music and released a string of worldwide hits during the decade. The label was set up in connection with the music...
more

Minit Records
Minit Records

Minit Records was a record label originally based in New Orleans and founded by Joe Banashak. After making a distribution deal with Imperial Records, the label released its biggest hit, the #1 Mother-in Law by Ernie K-Doe. A number of Allen Toussaint productions were issued on Minit, including hits...
more

EMI America Records
EMI America Records

EMI America Records was started in 1978 by EMI as a second US label next to Capitol Records. It absorbed Liberty Records in 1984. In the late 1980s EMI America was consolidated with Manhattan Records to form EMI Manhattan Records, which later became known simply as EMI in 1990, then part of EMI...
more

Musical genres covered by The O'Jays

Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues

Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African-American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally...
more

Hometown of The O'Jays

Canton
Canton
Population:73,007

Canton is the county seat of Stark County in northeastern Ohio, approximately 24 miles south of Akron and 60 miles south of Cleveland. The City of Canton is the largest incorporated area in the Canton-Massillon Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the Canton-Massillon...
more

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Q:
    Which albums have been recorded by The O'Jays?
  • A:
    Music albums released include:
    - Message in the Music
    - Collectors' Items
    - My Favorite Person
    - Back Stabbers
    - The Ultimate O'Jays
    - Love Songs
    - The Essential O'Jays
  • Q:
    Which year were The O'Jays inducted into the music Hall of Fame?
  • A:
    The O'Jays was inducted in to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005.

Awards & Accolades

  • Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
    2005
The O'Jays
Top of Page © 2012 Juggle, LLC
All Rights Reserved
Encyclopedia & Reference Resource
Some of the content on this page was provided by other sites, including
Freebase Icon (The O'Jays) or others licensed under Creative Commons