the O’Jays

the O’Jays, American vocal group that rose to the forefront of the Philadelphia soul movement of the 1970s. The O’Jays’ origins date to the late 1950s, when childhood friends Eddie Levert (b. June 16, 1942, Canton, Ohio, U.S.) and Walter Williams (b. August 25, 1942, Canton) began performing gospel music together in their hometown of Canton. In 1959 the pair teamed with schoolmates William Powell (b. January 20, 1942, Canton—d. May 26, 1977, Canton), Bill...