O'Jays

When I was in junior high school I was just about the only white kid there. This was right after segregation was enforced by the courts and most white parents--even the poor ones--figured a way to send their kids to private schools of one type or another. My parents weren't racist assholes and I was kept in public schools. So, all of my pals were black kids and they turned me onto a world of music I might not have otherwise encountered. First and foremost and of lingering attraction to me is the music created by The O'Jays. Their popularity started when I still attended Central in Macon GA and I continued to listen to their music after we moved to the 100% white community of Ellijay GA where my parents owned 120 acres of land tucked way the hell back in the middle of the forested mountains. A far cry from Macon, for sure. But the music I learned to love in Macon followed me up there.

For whatever reason, "Love Train" remains my all-time favorite pop tune. (And "Back Stabbers" ain't far behind.)

My favorite.

The O'Jays, circa my youth.