The Isley Brothers | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | The Isley Brothers featuring Ronald Isley AKA "Mr. Biggs" The Isleys |
| Origin | Cincinnati,Ohio, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Works | The Isley Brothers discography |
| Years active | 1954–present (hiatuses 1990–1991, 2007–2010) |
| Labels | |
| Members | |
| Past members | |
| Website | officialisleybrothers |
The Isley Brothers (/ˈaɪzli/EYEZ-lee) are an American soul group originally fromCincinnati,Ohio, that began as a vocal trio consisting of the brothersO'Kelly Isley Jr.,Rudolph Isley andRonald Isley in the 1950s.[1][2][3][4][5]
Together with a fourth brother, Vernon, the group performed gospel music until Vernon's death a few years after its formation. After moving toNew York City in the late 1950s, the group had their first successes during these early years, and rose to prominence in 1959 with their fourth single, "Shout", written by the three brothers, which became their first single to chart on theBillboard Hot 100, and sold over a million copies. In the 1960s, the group recorded songs for a variety oflabels, including the top 20 single "Twist and Shout" and the Motown single "This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)", before recording and releasing theGrammy Award-winning hit "It's Your Thing" (1969) on their own label,T-Neck Records.
The inclusion of younger brothersErnie Isley (lead guitar, drums) andMarvin Isley (bass guitar), and Rudolph's brother-in-lawChris Jasper (keyboards, synthesizers), in 1973 turned the original vocal trio into a complete band and led to the group's reaching the height of their success. For the next full decade, they recorded a string of top-selling albums including3 + 3,Between the Sheets, andThe Heat Is On, with the latter peaking at number one on theBillboard 200 chart. The six-member band splintered in 1983, with Ernie, Marvin, and Chris Jasper forming the short-lived spinoff groupIsley-Jasper-Isley. The oldest member, O'Kelly, died in 1986. Afterwards Rudolph and Ronald released a pair of albums as a duo before Rudolph retired to a life in the Christian ministry in 1989. After multiple lineup changes, the remaining duo of Ronald and Ernie achieved mainstream success with the albumsMission to Please (1996),Eternal (2001) andBody Kiss (2003).Eternal spawned the top 20 hit "Contagious". As of 2025[update], the Isley Brothers continue to perform under the lineup of Ronald and Ernie.
The Isley Brothers have sold over 18 million units in the United States alone.[6] With their first major hit charting in 1959 ("Shout"), and their last one in 2001 ("Contagious"), they are among the few groups ever to have hit the Billboard Hot 100 with new music in six different decades and the only act in musical history to have achieved this accomplishment in consecutive decades, doing so from the 1950s until the 2000s.[7] The group's long R&B chart span landed them aGuinness World Record.[8] Sixteen of their albums charted in the Top 40 and thirteen of those albums have beencertified gold, platinum or multi-platinum by the RIAA. The brothers have been honored by several musical institutions, includingthe Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which inducted them in 1992.[9] Five years later, they were added toHollywood's Rockwalk, and in 2003 they were inducted to theVocal Group Hall of Fame.[10] They received theGrammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014.[11]
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The Isley Brothers originally came from Cincinnati, Ohio, and were raised in the city'sLincoln Heights suburb, settling in the satellite town ofBlue Ash when they were teenagers. Their father, O'Kelly Isley Sr., a formerUnited States Navysailor andvaudeville performer fromDurham, North Carolina, and their mother Sallye, from Georgia, guided the elder four Isley boys in their singing in church. The brothers began performing together in 1954, patterning themselves after groups such asBilly Ward and His Dominoes andThe Dixie Hummingbirds.[12] Eventually, they landed a spot onTed Mack'sAmateur Hour, where they won the competition (their prize was a watch).[12] With Vernon singing lead vocals, the quartet soon began touring all over theeastern US, performing in a variety of churches. When Vernon was thirteen, he was killed by a car that struck him as he was riding his bike in his neighborhood. Devastated, the remaining trio disbanded.[12]
Eventually persuaded to regroup, with Ronnie assuming the lead vocal position, the brothers decided to record popular music and left Cincinnati for New York in 1957 with their parents' blessings.[13] The group got in touch with Richard Barrett, who soon had them in contact with a variety of New York record producers. They eventually had their first recorded songs produced byGeorge Goldner, including "Angels Cried" and "The Cow Jumped Over the Moon" for the Teenage, Cindy, and Mark X imprints.[14] The songs were only regional hits, however. By 1959, the group had landed a recording deal withRCA Victor. Later that year, the group recorded their first composition together, "Shout", mixing their brand of gospel vocals and doo-wop harmonies, a song derived from aWashington, D.C., club performance in which the brothers had coveredJackie Wilson's "Lonely Teardrops".[14] The original version of the song peaked at number 47 on theBillboard Hot 100 and never reached the R&B chart. Nevertheless, it sold over one million copies and was awarded agold disc by theRIAA.[15]
Follow-up recordings on RCA Victor failed to chart and the brothers were dropped by the label in 1961 and were later signed byScepter Records. In 1962, the Isley Brothers scored their first top-40 hit with theBert Berns song "Twist and Shout", which reached number 17 on the Hot 100 and number 2 on the R&B chart, staying on the charts for 19 weeks.[16] The song had been produced by Berns for the brothers to teach then-struggling producerPhil Spector how to produce a hit.[17][18]
Moving their entire operations toNew Jersey,[19] the brothers continued to struggle with recordings, and formedT-Neck Records in 1964.[20]
In February[21] or March 1964, at the recommendation of a former associate ofJoe Tex, Ronnie Isley granted guitaristJimi Hendrix (who would later become famous as a solo artist) an audition that led to an offer to become the guitarist with the Isley Brothers' backing band, the I.B. Specials, which he readily accepted.[22] In March, Hendrix recorded the two-part single "Testify" with the Isley Brothers. Released in June, it failed to chart.[23] Hendrix toured with the Isleys during much of 1964, but near the end of October, after growing tired of playing the same set every night, he left the band.[24][nb 1] (Soon afterward, Hendrix joinedLittle Richard's touring band,the Upsetters.[26]
In late July 1965 (or August 1965), Hendrix then briefly rejoined the Isley Brothers, recording a second single with them, "Move Over and Let Me Dance" backed with "Have You Ever Been Disappointed";[27] the single was recorded for and released by T-Neck and distributed byAtlantic Records. Later that year, Hendrix joined a New York-based R&B band,Curtis Knight and the Squires, after meeting Knight in the lobby of a hotel where both men were staying,[28] before eventually launching a successful solo career.
After both songs failed to chart and Hendrix left the Isleys for good in 1965, the brothers signed withMotown Records. Early the following year, the group released their second Top-40 hit single, "This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)". While the Isley Brothers' recordings with Motown were more successful than their earlier works, they struggled to score a follow-up Top-40 hit with the label. They left Motown in 1968.[citation needed]
Resurrecting their T-Neck label that year, the brothers signed a distribution deal withBuddah Records and issued "It's Your Thing" in February 1969. The song, which featured the first appearance of Ernie Isley on bass, became their biggest success to date, reaching number 2 on the Hot 100 and number 1 on the R&B chart. The song's parent album,It's Our Thing, reached number 22 on thePop LP chart, and "It's Your Thing" became the group's second million-seller and won them a Grammy Award. The release of "It's Your Thing" brought record label conflicts between the Isleys and Motown, as Motown argued that the group had recorded the song while still under their Motown contract. A 1975 court decision found in the Isleys' favor.[29]
In June 1969, the brothers independently recorded their concert atYankee Stadium which featured an array of artists. The live albumLive at Yankee Stadium was released later that year. They also filmed the concert which was released as a documentary titledIt's Your Thing in theaters in August 1970.[30]
By 1971, the younger Isley brothers Ernie and Marvin and their brother-in-law Chris Jasper started to add to the band's music, first performing on the Isleys'Givin' It Back. The album featured reinterpretations of rock songs mixing them with funk and gospel elements. The new members played an even bigger role in the 1972 album,Brother, Brother, Brother. Both albums yielded Top 40 hits, including "Love the One You're With" and "Pop That Thang". By the end of their Buddah tenure in 1973, the brothers had signed a distribution deal withEpic Records and made Ernie, Marvin, and Chris official members.[31] In 1973, the Isleys released3 + 3, which included the Top 10 hit single "That Lady" and a UK Top 10 cover of "Summer Breeze". Incorporating hard rock and folk-rock as well as funk and soulful balladry, the album became their breakthrough hit, eventually selling over two million copies.
The following year, the albumLive It Up also reached platinum. In 1975, the brothers made one of their most successful recordings,The Heat Is On, which featured the hits "Fight the Power" and "For the Love of You", and became their first album to reach number 1 on the Pop LP chart, going double-platinum at two million copies sold. The brothers would have more hit albums, includingHarvest for the World (1976),Go for Your Guns (1977), andShowdown (1978), all of which went platinum, and yielded several Top 40 pop and R&B singles and popular radio cuts. By 1979, with the release ofWinner Takes All, the brothers had incorporated disco andquiet storm music into their work. The Isley Brothers' final album under their six-member lineup,Between the Sheets (1983), sold more than two million copies.
By then, financial struggles, creative difficulties, and other issues affected the group. Shortly after the success ofBetween the Sheets, Ernie, Marvin, and Chris left the Isley Brothers and formedIsley-Jasper-Isley. They later recorded the hit "Caravan of Love".
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In 1985, the original Isleys trio of O'Kelly, Rudy, and Ronnie signed withWarner Bros. Records and recorded and released the albumMasterpiece. Shortly a year after its release, Kelly Isley died from a heart attack while battling cancer, in March 1986.[32][33] The remaining duo of Ron and Rudy released theAngela Winbush-produced albums,Smooth Sailin' in 1987 andSpend the Night in 1989. Shortly after the latter release, Rudy retired from the music industry and followed life in theministry.
Ron put the group on a brief hiatus in 1990 while he recorded solo material. In 1991, Ron revived the group; Ernie Isley and brother Marvin returned to the fold. that year they released the album,Tracks of Life. Five years later, Ron Isley gained popularity as video villain Frank Biggs (or Mr. Biggs) in the music video forR. Kelly's hit "Down Low (Nobody Has to Know)", which included the Isley Brothers as featured artists. The success of the song and its video helped the brothers' 1996 albumMission to Please reach platinum status.
That same year, Marvin Isley's career ended after a bout with diabetes forced him to have both of his legs amputated. Ron and Ernie have carried on as a duo from then on. In 2001, the duo released their best-selling album in years with theEternal album, which sold over two million copies and featured the top 20 hit single "Contagious", making the Isley Brothers the only act to reach the Hot 100 (in fact, that chart's top 50) during the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. Two years later, the brothers'Body Kiss album peaked at number-one on theBillboard 200 album chart, becoming their second to reach the position and the first to do so sinceThe Heat Is On. Their next two released albums included 2006'sBaby Makin' Music and the 2007 holiday albumI'll Be Home for Christmas.
In 2007, the Isleys' career was interrupted by Ron Isley's three-year prison sentence for tax evasion.[34] He was released in 2010. In June of that year, youngest brother Marvin Isley died in Chicago after his longtime bout with diabetes.[35][36] During the group's hiatus, Ernie toured as part of theExperience Hendrix concert festival, while Ron Isley released his first solo album,Mr. I, in 2010. A year later, Ron and Ernie reunited and have since performed on the road.
In 1993, the Isley Brothers song "Footsteps in the Dark" was sampled by hip-hop artistIce Cube for the hit single "It Was a Good Day".[37]
In 1994, the Isley Brothers song "Between the Sheets" was sampled byThe Notorious B.I.G. for his hit single "Big Poppa". That same year, R&B singerAaliyah included a cover version of "(At Your Best) You Are Love" on her debut album,Age Ain't Nothing but a Number.[38][39] "Luxurious", the fifth single from No Doubt frontwomanGwen Stefani's 2004 multi-platinum solo debutLove. Angel. Music. Baby. also benefited from a prominent sample of "Between the Sheets".
After the break-up ofIsley-Jasper-Isley in 1987, Chris Jasper continued as a solo artist, multi-instrumentalist, and producer, forming his own independent record label, Gold City Records. He has since released 14 solo albums, including 4 gospel albums. He released the number one R&B hit "Superbad" in 1988, a song which emphasized the importance of education, a theme Jasper continues to emphasize in many of the songs he has written since his days with the Isleys. In January 2013, Jasper releasedInspired: By Love, By Life, By the Spirit, a compilation of love songs as well as socially conscious and spiritual tracks. In May 2014, Jasper releasedThe One, reminiscent of the soulful R&B and funk music he wrote for the Isleys. In 2016, Jasper releasedShare With Me, which included a cover of the Billy Preston hit, "You Are So Beautiful" and a track called "America", a tribute to the nation and a call to come together. In April 2018, Jasper pre-released a double-A single "The Love That You Give/It's a Miracle" from his 15th solo albumDance With You, scheduled for a July 2018 release.
Jasper, who earned aJuris Doctor in 2004, has continued to write, record, and perform all the music on his solo albums and produce artists for his Gold City label, including Liz Hogue, Out Front, and Brothaz By Choice. The most recent addition to the Gold City label is Jasper's son, Michael Jasper, a songwriter, recording artist and screenplay writer, who earned his law degree in 2018. In 1989, Chris Jasper wrote, produced and performed on "Make It Last" forChaka Khan'sCK album. In 2015, in conjunction with Sony Music, Jasper released theEssential Chris Jasper which encompasses all of the tracks that Jasper sang lead on during his Isley-Jasper-Isley years and solo career at CBS/Sony Music. In 2015, he received the German Record Critics Lifetime Achievement Award ("Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik"). In 2016, Jasper was awarded the National R&B Society Lifetime Achievement Award.[40][41][42]
In 2017, the Isley Brothers (Ernie and Ronnie) collaborated with guitaristSantana (led by its namesake and founderCarlos Santana) and releasedPower of Peace,[31] released on July 28 by Sony Music's Legacy Recordings. In 2019, Ron and Ernie Isley received the National R&B Music Society's[43] Lifetime Achievement Award and Proclamations[40] from the City of Atlantic City, while on stage in Atlantic City, NJ. In 2021 the brothers participated in aVerzuz with fellow R&B bandEarth, Wind & Fire hosted bySteve Harvey, to celebrate both bands contributions to R&B & Pop music and African American culture.
On September 30, 2022, the Isley Brothers released a new album, titledMake Me Say It Again, Girl, duetting withBeyoncé on the title track.
Influenced by gospel and doo-wop music, the group experimented with different musical styles over the course of their career, starting out inrock and roll[44][45] before shifting their sound tosoul music, thenfunk andfunk rock. The group has also performedrhythm and blues[46] andpopballads.
The Isley Brothers were inductedthe Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.[9] In 1997, they were inducted intoHollywood's Rockwalk, and in 2003 they were inducted to theVocal Group Hall of Fame.[10]
The Isley Brothers have won twoGrammy Awards, including theGrammy Lifetime Achievement Award.[11] Two of their songs are inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.[47]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | "It's Your Thing" | Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group | Won |
| 2002 | "Contagious" | Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal | Nominated |
| 2004 | "Busted" | Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal | Nominated |
| 2004 | Body Kiss | Best R&B Album | Nominated |
| 2014 | Isley Brothers | Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award | Won |
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | "Shout" | Hall of Fame (Single) | Inducted |
| 2010 | "Twist and Shout" | Hall of Fame (Single) | Inducted |
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| National | |
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| Other | |
