|
The Isley Brothers are an American pop, R&B, funk and soul group who began their musical career in Cincinnati in the early 1950s. Brothers Ronald, O'Kelly, Rudolph and Vernon began recording in 1957, with a series of doo wop singles that failed to attract attention. Perhaps their most well-remembered song is "Shout", which came out of a performance of "Lonely Teardrops" in Washington DC in 1959. They randomly interjected the line "You know you make me want to shout" to tremendous audience acclaim. After signing with RCA Records (a scout was in the audience), they were told to construct the first single out of the line. The result was not financially successful at the time, but has become a beloved an oft-covered song by legions of other artists.
1962 saw the Isley Brothers release "Twist and Shout", a moderate hit of The Topnotes song later covered by The Beatles. In 1964, a then-unknown guitarist named Jimmy James began playing in their backing band, making his recording debut on "Testify". James eventually began his own career under the name Jimi Hendrix. After joining with Motown, the Isley Brothers recording "This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)", a hit in the UK in 1967.
After a spell living in the UK, the Isley Brothers returned to the US and released "It's Your Thing", a popular record nationwide. After adding a few more family members and friends to the group, the Isley Brothers began moving towards rock and roll, covering "Lay Lady Lay" (Bob Dylan), "Spill the Wine" (Eric Burdon & War) and "Love the One You're With" (Stephen Stills). In 1973, the Isley Brothers transformed themselves into a band, now including younger brothers Ernie, Marvin and Chris Jasper. They released the classic 3 + 3 album that year and released the hugely successful "That Lady, Pt. 1 & 2". The success of the Brothers Isley continued as the 1970s continued as they released hits like "Fight the Power", "Live it Up", "For the Love of You", "Footsteps in the Dark" and "The Pride".
In 1983, after the success of their Between the Sheets album featuring the hit of the same name (a top 5 R&B record that year), the 3 + 3 lineup broke up with the original Isleys' lineup returning in 1985 while the younger brothers formed the short-lived Isley-Jasper-Isley band. O'Kelly suddenly died in 1986 and after Rudolph retired to become a minister, Ronald decided to carry the torch of the Isley Brothers and their good name. Their success returned in the 1990s with Ernie and Marvin reuniting with their older brother Ronald, the band began to become known as The Isley Brothers featuring Ronald Isley. In 1996, after the introduction to Ronald's "Mr. Biggs" character, their 1996 album, Mission to Please hit gold status. Most recently, their last two albums, Eternal (2001 (featuring the top 20 single, "Contagious"), and Body Kiss (2003), became chart-topping platinum-certified albums. They plan on releasing a new album this year. The group were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992, and was also inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2003.
External link
|
Feeds |
Contact