80s favorite O’Bryan made the most of his connections to Don Cornelius, getting constant rotation on Soul Train with his uptempo jams and even recording a hit version of the Soul Train theme. Early singles like “The Gigolo” and “I’m Freaky” showed his mastery of Prince-styled funk but what secured his popularity were the exquisite ballads “You and I” and “Lady I Love You.”

His last major hits were “Lovelite” in 1984 and the aforementioned “Soul Train’s A Comin’.” He then disappeared from the scene for many years, only to return with 2007’s F1RST, a collection of slow jams.