It?s now been four decades since the O?Jays burst onto the scene with the smoothest of styles and some of the most memorable songs to grace the classic Motown catalog.
Indeed, their renditions of “Love Train,” “Used Ta Be My Girl” and other classic hits inspired dozens of later musical greats. But unlike some of the groups that hit the big time in the 1960s, the O?Jays continue to turn out great albums and performances.
“The secret is truly loving the people you perform with,” co-founder and co-lead singer Walter Williams Sr. said. “Eddie and I met when I was 6 years old and he was 7 ? what keeps us together is the love of the business and actually loving the people we grew up with.”
Not that success case easily.
Williams, co-founder/singer Eddie Levert and the other members worked for more than a decade before their break came.They released their first album, “Backstabbers,” in 1972 to critical acclaim. A string of critically and commercially popular albums followed, but the O?Jays always achieved extra acclaim for their seemingly flawless performances.
“I believe people come to these shows to relax and get away from their problems and have a good time,” Williams said.
The group, now a trio, went into rehearsals two years ago for this latest tour. Hits, such as “Love Train” and “For the Love of Money,” will be alternated with lesser-known songs. And despite the recent accidental death of musician Gerald Levert, Eddie?s son and producer of the O?Jay?s 1997 album “Love You to Tears,” the tour continues as planned.
“I’ve been around the guys for 11 years now, and I think that it has a lot to do with friendship and family,” Eric Nolan Grant told Jet magazine of the group’s longevity and high-quality performances. “These guys are like brothers … And they have embraced me as family.”
Williams acknowledges that but also credits the audiences for keeping the music fresh.
“What Stevie Wonder once told me is that you can sign a song and be in perfect pitch, but if you don’t sing it with spirit, it just lays there,” Walters said. “The audience, the way they respond, the electricity ? that’s what inspires me.”
And keeps the Love Train rolling.
IF YOU GO
The O?Jays with DJ Donny Burlin
» Venue: Rams Head Live, 20 Market Place, Power Plant Live, Baltimore
» Time: 8 p.m. doors, 9:30 p.m. show Friday
» Tickets: $55 to $175
» More info: ramsheadlive.com; 410-244-1131
