Editing The OJays (section)

== Early Years ==

The group that became The O'Jays formed in Canton, Ohio, in 1958 as The Triumphs, later changing their name to honor Cleveland disc jockey Eddie O'Jay who supported their early career. Original members included Eddie Levert, Walter Williams, William Powell, Bobby Massey, and Bill Isles, with the lineup evolving over subsequent years. Through the 1960s, they recorded for various labels with modest success, developing their vocal harmonies and stage presence while searching for the production partnership that would bring breakthrough success.<ref name="brown">{{cite book |last=Brown |first=Anthony |title=The Sound of Philadelphia |year=2015 |publisher=Temple University Press |location=Philadelphia}}</ref>

The O'Jays encountered Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff in the late 1960s, beginning a relationship that would transform their career. After preliminary recordings, the group signed with Philadelphia International Records when the label launched in 1971, committing to the vision that Gamble and Huff were developing. The partnership proved transformative—the producers' sophisticated arrangements and the group's powerful vocal abilities created recordings that neither could have achieved alone.<ref name="jackson"/>