The O'Jays

In spite of the fact that this legendary trio hasn't scored a hit in the 30 years since "Used to Be My Girl" charted back in 1978, the O'Jays still have a huge following among soul-music aficionados around the world. They're in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for...

By Ernest Barteldes

September 18, 2008

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In spite of the fact that this legendary trio hasn't scored a hit in the 30 years since "Used to Be My Girl" charted back in 1978, the O'Jays still have a huge following among soul-music aficionados around the world. They're in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for a reason: They were indisputably one of the best groups of the '70s. And they've still got plenty of relevance today. For instance, their tune "For the Love of Money" is the theme of the reality-TV show The Apprentice (an ironic choice, as the tune is a cautionary tale about what people will do for cash), and recently the song "Love Train" blared from the P.A. system in Denver as Barack Obama made history as the first African-American presidential nominee for a major party. After the release of their seminal album Backstabbers (which contained the number-one single of the same name and "Love Train"), they remained on the stardom road until the age of disco finally lost steam in the early '80s. The O'Jays have continued to record and perform despite lineup changes (founders Eddie Levert and Walter Williams are still in the group), and they can always be counted on to appear in the '70s soul revival circuit.

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