BayFest

By Kevin Lee Associate Editor

O’Jays bring a dream to life

By Kevin Lee

Associate editor

For vocalist Eric Grant, every day is a dream.

“I still find it hard to believe I’m with the O’Jays,” Grant said. “I’ve been listening to them all my life.”

As a native of Cleveland, he had little choice.

“Well, they’re from Cleveland so everyone knows them,” Grant said. While the O’Jays were on the leading edge of what became known as the Philadelphia Sound in the early 1970s but it was in the Midwest they were born.

The band got its start in 1958 when five high school classmates-Eddie Levert, Sr., Walter Williams, Sr., William Powell, Bobby Massey and Bill Isles-in Canton, Ohio formed a band called the Triumphs. They changed monikers and had a 1961 hit in Cleveland. Their final name was adopted in 1963 as an homage to radio DJ Eddie O’Jay.

They had moderate success throughout the ‘60s with some regional and national hits. Isles left the O’Jays in 1965. Massey departed to focus on music production in 1971.

The remaining O’Jays considered exiting the business but legendary producers and songwriters Kenneth Gamble and Len Huff took an interest in them.

The band became poster children for a new R&B sound identified with the City of Brotherly Love. Characterized by lush instrumental arrangements of strings and horns while maintaining funk and jazz influences, the Philly Sound laid the groundwork for a new direction in adult R&B.

Another famous product of the Philly Sound, The Stylistics will also grace the BayFest 2008 Miller Lite Stage earlier Saturday evening.

In 1972, the O’Jays had their first national blockbuster smash with “Back Stabbers.” What followed was a storied career marked by ten Number One Hits adding songs like “For the Love of Money,” “Love Train” and “Use Ta Be My Girl” to the cultural songbook. They created ten gold and nine platinum albums and were nominated for four Grammy Awards.

In 2005, the O’Jays were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, located fittingly in their hometown of Cleveland.

Growing up in that town, it was hard for Grant to escape their presence.

“They were our heroes,” Grant said. “We all looked up to them and patterned ourselves after them.”

Grant’s road to join the musical idols was blazed early in life.

“I’ve known I wanted to be a singer ever since I was about three or four years old,” Grant said. “I was listening to James Brown, Michael Jackson and the Jackson Five, The Temptations. In seventh grade I saw a talent show and all the girls went crazy over some guys. I knew that was for me.”

Grant set about paying dues. He joined a group entitled the Deltones who gave him touring experience and branched out from there.

“I sang with Dennis Edwards (of the Temptations) for a while,” Grant said, “then went to Detroit, did a kind of Peaches & Herb thing for a little bit.”

Before long, Grant heard the O’Jays were looking for a replacement for singer Nathan Best. Levert and Williams reached out to Grant.

“You know I should have been more nervous in my audition for the O’Jays,” Grant said, “but I knew Eddie and Walter before that.”

His first recorded appearance with the band was 1995’s “Love You to Tears” and he said he melded well with Levert and Williams.

“We were in rehearsal for about three months getting ready for a tour,” Grant recalled. “We nailed everything in rehearsal and it’s been good since.”

His bandmates seem satisfied.

“He was really a shoe-in,” Eddie Levert said. “He fits perfectly and we’ve been able to keep our performances at a level we’re used to.”

Grant’s trip to 2008 BayFest won’t be his first to the Azalea City.

When I was with the Deltones, we toured all over the place, used to hit Mobile all the time,” Grant said. “We’d come down there and stay for a while. I remember the people treated us like gold, cooking for us every day, just being really nice. They were nice to us everywhere we went, really genuine. It made me want to move down there.”

But he wouldn’t trade his current situation for anything.

“I love our music,” Grant said. “My favorite stuff is probably ‘Just Let Me make Love to You,’ ‘Wildflower,’ Keep On Loving Me.’ My Favorite though has got to be ‘For the Love of Money.’ Just the way it starts, that’s still just such a hot groove today.”

“It’s just hard to believe,” Grant said. “Eddie used to get on to me about referring to the O’Jays in third person. After 13 years of being in the group I’m still a fan.”

Kevin Lee is Lagniappe associate editor. Contact him at klee@lagniappemobile.com.

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