walking upstream…
The O'Jays
sourcesWikipedia · Soul Survivors Magazine
The O'Jays formed in 1958 in Canton, Ohio, when Canton McKinley High School classmates Eddie Levert, Walter Williams, William Powell, Bobby Massey, and Bill Isles started singing together, cycling through names like The Mascots and The Triumphs before settling in 1963 on a tribute to Cleveland disc jockey Eddie O'Jay. A decade of journeyman R&B singles gave little hint of what followed: pared to the trio of Levert, Williams, and Powell and paired with Philadelphia International's Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, they became the defining voice of Philly soul, its lush strings and social conscience wrapped around Levert's raw, gospel-scraped lead. 'Back Stabbers' (1972) and the chart-topping 'Love Train' (1973) made them era-defining hitmakers, and they carried that message-conscious strain of soul through the decade with 'For the Love of Money' and 'I Love Music.'
the sound in question
1973
Love TrainThe O'Jays
walk the tributaries ↓
Isley Brothers1970s · R&B / Soul / Funk
Eddie Levert has said watching the Isley Brothers work Detroit's Woodward Theatre stage was 'very instrumental in our forming of the O'Jays,' pointing specifically to 'their gospel sound and background in the way that Ron Isley sang.' That's the church showing through the show business: a lead voice that testifies and strains rather than simply carries the melody, backed by a group that answers him like a congregation.
listen: upstream & here
1959
Shout, Pts. 1 & 2Isley Brothers
1972
Back StabbersThe O'Jays
listen forPut 'Shout' beside 'Back Stabbers' — both ride a lead vocal that keeps breaking from melody into raw, gospel-house hollering while the group punches back in tight call-and-response, turning a pop single into something closer to a testimony service.
Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers1950s · Doo-wop / Rock and roll
As teenagers in Canton, Levert and Walter Williams were reportedly moved to form a singing group of their own after seeing Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers perform — proof that a handful of neighborhood kids could turn tight harmony into a national hit. The structural DNA of that doo-wop template, a boyish lead cushioned by close group harmony, is baked into the O'Jays' pre-Gamble-and-Huff singles.
listen: upstream & here
1956
Why Do Fools Fall in LoveFrankie Lymon and the Teenagers
1967
I'll Be Sweeter Tomorrow (Than I Was Today)The O'Jays
listen forCompare 'Why Do Fools Fall in Love' with the O'Jays' 1967 side 'I'll Be Sweeter Tomorrow (Than I Was Today)' — both hang a plaintive, high lead over softly blended backing harmonies stacked in classic doo-wop thirds, the arrangement built to cradle the voice rather than compete with it.
Jackie Wilson1950s–60s · R&B / Soul / Doo-wop
Levert has credited Jackie Wilson, alongside James Brown and Gladys Knight, with teaching him to 'sharpen up your performance skills' — a model of showmanship built on acrobatic vocal leaps, held notes pushed past comfort, and a willingness to let a phrase crack under its own emotion. That vocal daring became a hallmark of Levert's own lead work once the O'Jays reached Philadelphia International.
listen: upstream & here
1958
Lonely TeardropsJackie Wilson
1973
For the Love of MoneyThe O'Jays
listen forSet 'Lonely Teardrops' against 'For the Love of Money' — both let the lead voice lunge for notes at the edge of its range and ad-lib moans and cries around the melody, treating vocal risk-taking as the emotional payoff of the song.