WALTER WILLIAM ( O 'JAYS)
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Walter Williams, Sr. (born. August 25, 1943), is an American singer, and is the baritone/bass multi-range vocalist of the R&B /pop/vocal group, The O’Jays. The story of Walter Williams, Sr.’s musical career is best told by telling the story of The O’Jays. For more than 50 years, Mr. Williams has been the co-lead with Mr. Eddie Levert on the vast array of hits that The O’Jays have produced. His resume includes 18 hit albums and 52 hit singles, with 4 albums and 12 singles charting at number one.
Walter Williams, Sr. began his musical career at McKinley High School in his native town of Canton, OH. In 1958, Walter teamed up with his best friend Eddie Levert and began singing gospel on a Canton Ohio radio station. Walter and Eddie were soon joined by three high school buddies, William Powell, Bobby Massey and Bill Isles and formed the group the “Triumphs”. The Triumphs performed locally in Canton opening for various acts, playing sock hops and the like. Their big break came when The Triumphs traveled to Cincinnati to canvas King Records. King Records President Sid Nathan, immediately impressed, changed their name to The Mascots and signed them to his label. The Mascots’ popularity grew as their songs could be heard with increased frequency on Cleveland radio stations. In 1969, The O’Jays signed with Philadelphia International Records where they released hit after hit and were propelled to stardom. The O'Jays later signed with EMI-Manhattan Records and Levert and Williams began co-writing and producing their own tracks. Their EMI debut album, “Let Me Touch You”, went to number three R&B and boasted "Lovin' You," the number one R&B hit from the summer 1987.
After many years of continued success, Mr. Williams has begun to pursue other artistic endeavors aside from his musical ventures. He has embarked on an acting career and will begin writing a book in the near future. In 2003, Mr Williams connected with Beyonce Knowles when he appeared in the movie “The Fighting Temptations”. He and Beyonce went on to record the duet “He Still Loves Me” as part of the movie’s soundtrack. In 2004 The O’Jays recorded their latest album “Imagination” under the Music World label. In 2005, Mr. Williams was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland as well as the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in Sharon, PA. "For the Love Of Money" became the theme song to Donald Trump’s hit reality TV show “The Apprentice”, which Walter and The O’Jays then performed live on the show’s season finale. In 2006, the O'Jays performed at the ESPY awards, hosted by Lance Armstrong and in 2009, The O’Jays were awarded BET’s “Lifetime Achievement Award”.