Music >> Artists >> R&B/Soul
Formed:
1954 in Cincinnati, OH

Genre:
R&B/Soul

Years Active:
'50s, '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s, '00s, '10s






The Isley Brothers

Biography

First formed in the early '50s, the Isley Brothers enjoyed one of the longest, most influential, and most diverse careers in the pantheon of popular music — over the course of nearly a half century of performing, the group's distinguished history spanned not only two generations of Isley siblings but also massive cultural shifts which heralded their music's transformation from gritty R&B to Motown soul to blistering funk. The first generation of Isley siblings was born and raised in Cincinnati, OH, where they were encouraged to begin a singing career by their father, himself a professional vocalist, and their mother, a church pianist who provided musical accompaniment at their early performances. Initially a gospel quartet, the group was comprised of Ronald, Rudolph, O'Kelly, and Vernon Isley; after Vernon's 1955 death in a bicycling accident, tenor Ronald was tapped as the remaining trio's lead vocalist. In 1957, the brothers went to New York City to record a string of failed doo wop singles; while performing a spirited reading of the song "Lonely Teardrops" in Washington, D.C., two years later, they interjected the line "You know you make me want to shout," which inspired frenzied audience feedback. An RCA executive in the audience saw the concert, and when he signed the Isleys soon after, he instructed that their first single be constructed around their crowd-pleasing catch phrase; while the call-and-response classic "Shout" failed to reach the pop Top 40 on its initial release, it eventually became a frequently covered classic.. First formed in the early '50s, the Isley Brothers enjoyed one of the longest, most influential, and most diverse careers in the pantheon of popular music — over the course of nearly a half century of performing, the group's distinguished history spanned not only two generations of Isley siblings but also massive cultural shifts which heralded their music's transformation from gritty R&B to Motown soul to blistering funk. The first generation of Isley siblings was born and raised in Cincinnati, OH, where they were encouraged to begin a singing career by their father, himself a professional vocalist, and their mother, a church pianist who provided musical accompaniment at their early performances. Initially a gospel quartet, the group was comprised of Ronald, Rudolph, O'Kelly, and Vernon Isley; after Vernon's 1955 death in a bicycling accident, tenor Ronald was tapped as the remaining trio's lead vocalist. In 1957, the brothers went to New York City to record a string of failed doo wop singles; while performing a spirited reading of the song "Lonely Teardrops" in Washington, D.C., two years later, they interjected the line "You know you make me want to shout," which inspired frenzied audience feedback. An RCA executive in the audience saw the concert, and when he signed the Isleys soon after, he instructed that their first single be constructed around their crowd-pleasing catch phrase; while the call-and-response classic "Shout" failed to reach the pop Top 40 on its initial release, it eventually became a frequently covered classic.

Still, success eluded the Isleys, and only after they left RCA in 1962 did they again have another hit, this time with their seminal cover of the Top Notes' "Twist and Shout." Like so many of the brothers' early R&B records, "Twist and Shout" earned greater commercial success when later rendered by a white group — in this case, the Beatles; other acts who notched hits by closely following the Isleys' blueprint were the Yardbirds ("Respectable," also covered by the Outsiders), the Human Beinz ("Nobody but Me"), and Lulu ("Shout"). During a 1964 tour, they recruited a young guitarist named Jimmy James to play in their backing band; James — who later shot to fame under his given name, Jimi Hendrix — made his first recordings with the Isleys, including the single "Testify," issued on the brothers' own T-Neck label. They signed to the Motown subsidiary Tamla in 1965, where they joined forces with the famed Holland-Dozier-Holland writing and production team. Their first single, the shimmering "This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)," was their finest moment yet, and barely missed the pop Top Ten.

"This Old Heart of Mine" was their only hit on Motown, however, and when the song hit number three in Britain in 1967, the Isleys relocated to England in order to sustain their flagging career; after years of writing their own material, they felt straitjacketed by the Motown assembly-line production formula, and by the time they returned stateside in 1969, they had exited Tamla to resuscitate the T-Neck label. Their next release, the muscular and funky "It's Your Thing," hit number two on the U.S. charts in 1969, and became their most successful record. That year, the Isleys also welcomed a number of new members as younger brothers Ernie and Marvin, brother-in-law Chris Jasper, and family friend Everett Collins became the trio's new backing unit. Spearheaded by Ernie's hard-edged guitar leads, the group began incorporating more and more rock material into its repertoire as the 1970s dawned, and scored hits with covers of Stephen Stills' "Love the One You're With," Eric Burdon & War's "Spill the Wine," and Bob Dylan's "Lay Lady Lay."

In 1973, the Isleys scored a massive hit with their rock-funk fusion cover of their own earlier single "Who's That Lady," retitled "That Lady, Pt. 1"; the album 3 + 3 also proved highly successful, as did 1975's The Heat Is On, which spawned the smash "Fight the Power, Pt. 1." As the decade wore on, the group again altered its sound to fit into the booming disco market; while their success on pop radio ran dry, they frequently topped the R&B charts with singles like 1977's "The Pride," 1978's "Take Me to the Next Phase, Pt. 1," 1979's "I Wanna Be With You, Pt. 1," and 1980's "Don't Say Goodnight." While the Isleys' popularity continued into the 1980s, Ernie and Marvin, along with Chris Jasper, defected in 1984 to form their own group, Isley Jasper Isley; a year later, they topped the R&B charts with "Caravan of Love." On March 31, 1986, O'Kelly died of a heart attack; Rudolph soon left to join the ministry, but the group reunited in 1990.

Although the individual members continued with solo work and side projects, and also experienced misfortune along the way, the Isley Brothers forged on in one form or another throughout the '90s and into the 21st century. In 1996, now consisting of Ronald, Marvin, and Ernie, they released the album Mission to Please; however, Marvin developed diabetes and left the band the following year — the disease later necessitated the amputation of both his legs. Ronald and Ernie hooked up for the release of 2001's Eternal, a brand-new selection of R&B cuts featuring collaborative efforts with Jill Scott, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, and Raphael Saadiq. On that particular release, Ronald also introduced the alter ego Mr. Biggs. Body Kiss was released in 2003, followed by Baby Makin' Music in 2006, the year after Ronald was convicted of tax evasion charges. Experiencing his own set of serious health issues, Ronald was sentenced to prison and served the latter portion of his sentence at a halfway house in St. Louis, MO before being released in April 2010. On June 6 of that year, Marvin died of complications from diabetes at the age of 56.

Top Albums

The Ultimate Isley Brothers, The Isley Brothers
1. The Ultimate..
Love Songs, The Isley Brothers
2. Love Songs
Beautiful Ballads: The Isley Brothers,  Vol. 2, The Isley Brothers
3. Beautiful Ba..
Body Kiss, The Isley Brothers
4. Body Kiss
Eternal, The Isley Brothers
5. Eternal
Mission to Please, The Isley Brothers
6. Mission to P..
The Essential Isley Brothers, The Isley Brothers
7. The Essentia..
Go for Your Guns, The Isley Brothers
8. Go for Your ..
Greatest Hits, Vo. 1, The Isley Brothers
9. Greatest Hit..
Beautiful Ballads, The Isley Brothers
10. Beautiful Ba..
I'll Be Home for Christmas (feat. Ronald Isley), The Isley Brothers
11. I'll Be Home..
Givin' it Back, The Isley Brothers
12. Givin' it Ba..
3 + 3, The Isley Brothers
13. 3 + 3
Platinum R&B Party
14. Platinum R&a..
The Heat Is On, The Isley Brothers
15. The Heat Is ..
Harvest for the World, The Isley Brothers
16. Harvest for ..
The Isley Brothers - Taken to the Next Phase (Reconstructions), The Isley Brothers
17. The Isley Br..
Brother, Brother, Brother, The Isley Brothers
18. Brother, Bro..
Bedroom Classics, Vol. 3 (Remastered), The Isley Brothers
19. Bedroom Clas..
The Heat Is On, The Isley Brothers
20. The Heat Is ..

Top Songs

NameAlbumTimePrice
1.
Shout (Remastered)Shout (Remastered) - Single4:28$0.99
2.
ContagiousEternal5:46$1.29
3.
For the Love of You (Pt. 1 & 2)Beautiful Ballads: The Isle..5:37$1.29
4.
Between the SheetsLove Songs5:38$1.29
5.
This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for ..20th Century Masters - The ..2:55$1.29
6.
It's Your ThingUltimate Isley Brothers2:46$1.29
7.
Who's That LadyAnchorman: The Legend of Ro..6:02$1.29
8.
That Lady, Pts. 1 & 2Essential Isley Brothers5:34$1.29
9.
Footsteps In the Dark, Pts. 1 & ..Essential Isley Brothers5:04$1.29
10.
BustedBody Kiss3:58$1.29
11.
Isley Christmas MedleyI'll Be Home for Christ..5:50$1.29
12.
Fight the Power, Pts. 1 & 2Essential Isley Brothers5:18$0.99
13.
For the Love of You (Part 1 & 2)Ultimate Isley Brothers5:36$1.29
14.
Caravan of LoveUltimate Isley Brothers5:41$0.99
15.
What Can I Buy YouI'll Be Home for Christ..4:25$1.29
16.
Groove With YouBeautiful Ballads: The Isle..4:49$1.29
17.
Voyage to AtlantisGo for Your Guns4:33$1.29
18.
Choosey LoverBetween the Sheets4:42$0.99
19.
What Would You Do?Body Kiss3:47$1.29
20.
Here We Go Again (Pt. 1 & 2)Beautiful Ballads: The Isle..7:36$0.99
21.
Footsteps In the Dark (Part 1 & ..Go for Your Guns5:06$1.29
22.
Make Me Say It Again Girl, Pts. 1 &a..Essential Isley Brothers7:33$0.99
23.
Fight the Power (Pts. 1 & 2)Heat Is On5:18$0.99
24.
Summer BreezeUltimate Isley Brothers6:11$1.29
25.
White ChristmasI'll Be Home for Christ..3:32$1.29

Top Music Videos

Contagious, The Isley Brothers
1. Contagious
Busted, The Isley Brothers & JS
2. Busted
Said Enough, The Isley Brothers & Jill Scott
3. Said Enough
What Would You Do?, The Isley Brothers
4. What Would Yo...
Let's Lay Together, The Isley Brothers
5. Let's Lay Tog...
Secret Lover, The Isley Brothers
6. Secret Lover
Summer Breeze (Live), The Isley Brothers
7. Summer Breeze...
Shout (Live), The Isley Brothers
8. Shout (Live)


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