O’JAYS
The O’Jays were inducted into the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame back in 2005. The group made its mark in music on the famed Philadelphia Intl. label, the label that redefined the sound of soul and R&B in the 70’s.
Their sound defines the sound of 70’s Soul. Their music takes you back to a time, it stamps the era with feeling, emotion and memories of a better time in music; a time when songwriters wrote real songs with real words, musicians, singers, arrangers and studios saw the most talented of the talented come together to weave a fabric of music that no longer seems to exist today.
When you take all that into consideration, that’s what The Beat is all about, that’s what these Hump Day concerts are all about. We put these weekly tributes together to give you a sense of history, a sense of what the music used to be about. These events take you back to enjoy what it was like to not only hear amazing creativity but to witness it visually, live, in its natural habitat where creative people of all colors from very different places to produce an experience that leaves you feeling a high that only music can bring.
Today we invite you back to enjoy a fantastic concert from The O’Jays that was an episode of Darryl Hall’s “Live From Darryl’s House”. This amazing episode not only shows you what real musicians are capable of doing LIVE, it shows you the bond, the spirit, the love, admiration and respect people in the field really have for [not only each other] the great body of work they have put together by truly gifted people who all came from very humble beginnings. As the late Colonel Abrams sang… “Music Is The Answer”
Check out the concert below and more.
MORE ABOUT THE O’JAYS
The O’Jays are touring history, a connection to an era and a sound that formed the soundtrack for the lives of several generations. The O’Jays are still hitting the road with the same electrifying energy they’ve had for over 50 years.
Walter Williams and Eddie Levert first met when they were the ages of 6 and 7 respectively. As teenagers in Canton, Ohio, they formed a band originally consisting of Eddie Levert, Walter Williams, William Powell, Bobby Massey and Bill Isles. In 1963, the band took the name “The O’Jays” in tribute to Cleveland radio disc jockey Eddie O’Jay. Several members have changed, but the core, original lead singers Eddie Levert and Walter Williams, continue to front the group.
In 1972, Gamble & Huff, a team of producers and songwriters with whom the O’Jays had been working for several years, signed the group to their Philadelphia International label. With this magic formula, often called The Sound of Philadelphia, The O’Jays scored the first number 1 and million-seller, “Backstabbers.” Subsequently, they succeeded with various chart-topping pop and R&B singles including “Love Train”, “Put Your Hands Together”, “For The Love of Money”, “I Love Music”, “Darlin’ Darlin’ Baby (Sweet, Tender, Love)”, “Livin’ For The Weekend” and“Use Ta Be My Girl.” This success propelled The O’Jays to be the first black vocal group to perform in arenas throughout America during the 70s and 80s.
There’s so much history about the amazing O’Jays that it’s better if we just link you to their website where you can not only learn more about all the stuff you may have never known about them but, you also show your love and respect for them by clicking the links to visit their website and Facebook page below.
As a side note, years ago, there was a great show called ‘Cold Case’ in the early-mid 2000s. The show was about cold cases in Philadelphia that a group of detectives would go back to solve after someone or something brought the case back into the light after years and years of being ‘cold’.
In an episode called “SOUL” from 2009, Wesley John stars as an up n’ coming artist/producer who had a vision, an idea of doing music in a completely different way, almost like a Norman Whitfield (if you know him, you know how he changed the game in music back in the day). There’s a lot more to the episode but, what got me was that scene when they’re in the studio, how John’s character orchestrated the musicians during the session. He walks into the studio, brings in the sheet music (a lost art today) and he’s calling out the instruments to come in, part by part to create his song “Backstabbers”. The scene was so similar to the environment I grew up in and it really took me back to a time I was privileged to watch amazing talents create something that was on such a different level.
Check out that part from the episode and more music from The O’Jays including interviews, documentaries and live performances below.
