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Ronald Isley | |
|---|---|
 Isley in 1996 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Mr. Biggs |
| Born | (1941-05-21)May 21, 1941 (age 84)[1][2] Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Works | |
| Years active | 1954–present |
| Labels | |
| Member of | The Isley Brothers |
Spouses | |
| Website | Official Webpage |
Ronald Isley (/ˈaɪzli/EYEZ-lee; born May 21, 1941)[3] is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Isley is the lead singer, a founding member, and last surviving original member of the family music groupThe Isley Brothers.
Born in 1941 to Sallye Bernice (née Bell) and O'Kelly Isley Sr, Isley was the third of six brothers (O'Kelly Isley Jr.,Rudolph Isley, Vernon Isley,Ernie Isley,Marvin Isley).[4] Ronald, like many of his siblings, began his career in the church. Isley began singing at the age of two, winning a $25war bond (approx. $429 in 2022) for singing at aspiritual contest at the Union Baptist Church. By the age of seven, Isley was singing on-stage at venues such as theRegal Theater in Chicago, alongsideDinah Washington and a few other notables.[who?]The youngest of the original four Isley Brothers was Vernon (b: 18 June 1943 - d: 24 Sept 1954); who at the age of 11 was struck and killed by a car while riding his bicycle.[5]
By his early teens, Isley was singing regularly with his brothers in church tours and also first appeared on TV onTed Mack'sAmateur Hour. In 1957, 16-year-old Isley and his two elder brothers O'Kelly and Rudy then 19 and 18 moved to New York to pursue a music career. While in New York, Isley and his brothers began recording doo-wop for local labels before landing a major deal withRCA Records in 1959, where the trio wrote and released their debut single "Shout". By the summer of 1959, the Isley family had moved from Cincinnati to a home inEnglewood, New Jersey.[6]
Ron has been the Isley Brothers' longest-standing member as well as the main lead vocalist, occasionally sharing with his older brothers. In 1969, Isley reformedT-Neck Records with his brothers in a need to produce themselves without the control of record labels, forming the label shortly after ending a brief tenure withMotown.[7] In 1973, the group's style and sound changed following the release of the3 + 3 album where brothersErnie Isley andMarvin Isley and in-lawChris Jasper joined the founding brothers' full-time. The younger brothers had been providing instrumental help for the brothers since the late 1960s. By the mid-1970s, Isley was living inTeaneck, New Jersey.[6]
After Kelly Isley's death in 1986 and Rudy Isley's departure to the ministry in 1989, Ronald has carried on with the Isley Brothers name either as a solo artist or with accompanying help from younger brothers, particularly Ernie. In 1990, Isley scored a top-ten duet withRod Stewart with a cover of his brothers' hit "This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)", and in 2003 Ronald recorded a solo album,Here I Am: Bacharach Meets Isley, withBurt Bacharach. In addition, Ron Isley became a sought-afterhook singer forR. Kelly,Warren G,2Pac andUGK.[citation needed] Isley released his first solo albumMr. I on November 30, 2010. The album includes the first single "No More". It debuted at number 50 on theBillboard 200, selling 22,243 copies. It was his first solo album to crack that chart.[8]
In 2010, Isley received a "Legend Award" at theSoul Train Music Awards.[9] In 2013, Ronald released his second solo albumThis Song Is For You sign labelseOne.[10] Ronald received a nominees Independent R&B/Soul Artist Performance, at theSoul Train Music Awards.[11] In 2014, Ronald made a cameo appearance in the music video for the Kendrick Lamar song "i".[12]
Including his work on songs recorded by the Isley Brothers and R. Kelly, Isley's singles appeared on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 charts in six straight decades, from the 1950s ("Shout") through the 2000s ("Contagious"). His 2015 appearance on Lamar's "How Much a Dollar Cost" peaked at number 9 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart, and his 2021 Isley Brothers track "Friends and Family" failed to hit the main Billboard chart (although it was a Top 50 hit on the R&B and Hip-Hop chart), but do serve to extend his appearances on Billboard charts to eight separate decades.
Ronald Isley was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 as a member of the Isley Brothers.
Isley married Margaret Tinsley in 1960, and in 1969 their daughter Tia Isley was born. In 1993, he married singerAngela Winbush.[13] They had no children during their marriage. The couple divorced in early 2002.[citation needed]
Isley suffered a mild stroke in London in 2004, which halted an Isley Brothers tour. In September 2005, he married background singer Kandy Johnson of the duoJS/Johnson Sisters.[14] Their son, Ronald Isley, Jr., was born in December 2006.[15][16][17] Isley resided inSt. Louis, but now resides inLos Angeles, with his current wife and son.[18]
In 2006, Isley was convicted oftax evasion charges. He was to owe theInternal Revenue Service over $3.1 million in back taxes[19] and sentenced to three years and one month in prison.[20] Isley's sentence was affirmed by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.[21][22] Isley was imprisoned at theFederal Correctional Institution atTerre Haute, Indiana, and was scheduled for release on April 13, 2010. He was moved to a half-way house (Dismas House) in St. Louis, following an early departure that October.[23]
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