The O'Jays' String of Chart-Top Hits Compiled on `Best of The O'Jays: 1976-1991' on the Right Stuff Through EMI Music Distribution.

WOODLAND HILLS, Calif.--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--Dec. 22, 1998--One of the most successful and prolific R&B vocal groups of all time, The O'Jays look upon their days with Philadelphia International and EMI/Manhattan as a career highpoint.

The O'Jays' hits from this particularly fertile era will be compiled on the biggest O'Jays hits collection to date, "The Best of The O'Jays: 1976-1991" on The Right Stuff label, distributed through EMI Music Distribution. The Digipak-packaged set will feature a 24-page booklet with extensive liner notes by two noted soul authorities, David Nathan and Tom Vickers.

The album contains five No. 1 hits from both the band's Philadelphia International and EMI years including "Message in Our Music" (1976), "Darlin' Darlin' Baby (Sweet Tender Love)" (1976), "Use Ta Be My Girl" (1978), "Lovin' You" (1987) and "Have You Had Your Love Today" (1989), as well as as these other Top 10 hits: "Work on Me," "Sing a Happy Song," "Forever Mine," "Girl Don't Let It Get You Down," "Serious Hold on Me," "Don't Let Me Down," "Emotionally Yours" and "Keep on Lovin' Me," as well as other hits and key album tracks -- 17 songs in all.

Author and journalist David Nathan wrote in one of the album's two sets of liner notes: "The O'Jays have soldiered on through all manner of musical fads and trends and their down-to-earth, honest-and-real approach assures them a permanent place among R&B lovers everywhere. This collection is further testimony that when it comes to soul, The O'Jays got it ... and then some."

Adds co-annotator Tom Vickers, "The records, contained in this collection, are a legacy to the power and the soul of the mighty, mighty O'Jays."

The O'Jays began in Canton, Ohio, in 1958, initially as the Triumphs, a doo-wop-based ensemble featuring Eddie Lavert, Walter Williams, William Powell, Bobby Massey and Bill Isles. In 1961, they recorded as the Mascots but were soon after re-named by Cleveland DJ Eddie O'Jay. Isles and Massey left the band in 1965, leaving them a trio.

The O'Jays recorded their first singles for Imperial Records (the masters now owned by EMI) from 1963 to 1967. When they switched to Bell Records (now Arista) in '67, "I'll Be Sweeter Tomorrow (Than I Was Today)" became their first No. 1 hit.

The Bell years were followed by a stint with Gamble & Huff's early Neptune label (distributed through Chess), and then a gold- and platinum-certified streak at Gamble & Huff produced hits on Philadelphia International ("Back Stabbers," "Love Train," "For the Love of Money" and "Give the People What They Want," among others.)

The O'Jays returned to the EMI family with the release of "Let Me Touch You" in 1987 and recorded three subsequent albums through 1993. "The Best of The O'Jays: 1976-1991" is the most definitive O'Jays collection to date, mining the glory days of Philadelphia International and EMI.

More than 40 years since they sang doo-wop on the Ohio street corners, The O'Jays remain a staple at black radio and continue to play to sell-out crowds of loyal fans. To create awareness for "The Best of The O'Jays: 1976-1991," The Right Stuff will support tour dates with radio and retail promotions.

Note to Editors: For media information, contact The Baker/Northrop Media Group: Cary Baker at 818/501-0056, [e-mail]; or Sheryl Northrop at 818/703-1520, [e-mail]. Full information on The Right Stuff and all Baker/Northrop projects is available at http://www.bakernorthrop.com