The O'Jays

The O'Jays (they took their name from that of their manager, Eddie O'Jay) formed in 1958 in Canton, Ohio, as The Triumphs. The group members were all students at Canton's McKinley High School. They went through a few name changes before settling on The Mascots, under which they cut several records in 1961. One of them, "Miracles", became a regional hit in the Cleveland metro area. They changed their name again, to The O'Jays, in 1963. Under that name they recorded "Lonely Drifter", which made the national charts. They had a string of modest hits and made a few appearances on national teen music shows. It wasn't until 1972, however, that they had an unqualified, big-time hit record with "Back Stabbers", which sold a million copies. They kept recording even through a spate of personnel changes, and the group (this time with new members) charted again with their biggest hit, "Love Train", in 1973. They continued recording through the 1970s, but didn't have another big hit until 1978, wit