Even if you weren’t around when the band got their start in the late 1950s, you’ve definitely experienced the music of The Isley Brothers. With a sound that combines R&B, rock, funk and soul, their music has been been heavily sampled and covered by the likes of Ice Cube, The Beatles and Whitney Houston.
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But while you surely know their music, you may not know that the Cincinnati, Ohio-born siblings who were known for producing sexy love ballads actually started singing gospel music as teens. Despite label changes, family tragedies and a lawsuit between two of the original members, founding member Ronald and younger brother Ernie Isley still entertain fans with the songs that first made them famous in the 1960s.
To this day, The Isley Brothers are the only act in history to hit the Billboard Hot 100 in six consecutive decades: The 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. Here is their story.
The Band’s Beginning
The Isley Brothers’ story begins in the mid-1950s, when then-teen brothers, O’Kelly Jr, Ronald, Vernon, and Rudolph Isley started singing as a gospel quartet.
Triumph After Tragedy
Tragedy struck the family in 1955, when Vernon Isley passed away at age 13 when he was struck by a car while riding his bike. The group broke up for a while as they mourned Vernon’s death. But in 1957, their parents convinced the surviving Isley Brothers to leave their Cincinnati home and move to New York City to pursue their career in the music industry.
Making a Deal
Once in New York, it didn’t take long before the group caught the attention of major record labels. In 1959, The Isley Brothers inked a deal with RCA Records.
“Shout”
That same year, the group had their first hit with “Shout.” The song peaked at number 47 on the pop charts that year, but it has been covered by artists, including The Beatles and Marvin Gaye and was featured on the soundtrack to the film “National Lampoon’s Animal House.”
The Jimi Hendrix Connection
While looking for a guitarist for their band, The Isley Brothers discovered a young Jimi Hendrix, who they hired on the spot after being blown away by his version of their song, “Twist and Shout.” The brothers remember Hendrix for his stage presence and his ability to pick things up quickly.
“When we did our first gig, it just changed the whole band,” Ronald Isley told CBS Sunday Morning in an interview. “He stood out in front of them, and people went crazy over him.”
Ernie Isley
After Jimi Hendrix left to pursue a solo career in the mid-1960s, and The Isley Brothers signed with Motown Records in 1965.
In the early 1970s, younger brothers Marvin and Ernie Isley joined the group, along with Isley brother-in-law Chris Jasper. Ernie, who is known as an amazing guitarist, is also responsible for co-writing some of the groups biggest hits, including “Footsteps In the Dark,” “That Lady,” “Between the Sheets” and “Fight the Power (Part 1 & 2).” He was inducted in the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2022.
“Footsteps in the Dark”
In the 1990s, hip-hop breathed new life into some classic Isley Brothers records, exposing a new generation of fans to songs like their 1977 track “Footsteps in the Dark.”
Ice Cube fans will recognize the melody, which he sampled in his 1992 song “It Was a Good Day.”
“Between the Sheets”
“Between the Sheets,” is another classic Isley Brothers ballad that hip-hop fans will undoubtedly recognize. It was sampled by The Notorious B.I.G. for his mega hip-hop hit, “Big Poppa.”
“At Your Best”
Arguably one of the best Isley Brother’s covers was Aaliyah’s 1994 version of “At Your Best (You Are Love).” The song spent 20 weeks on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
In 1992, the group was among the class inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In their acceptance speech, the group dedicated the honor to their late brother O’Kelly Jr., who passed away in 1986 at age 48 due to complications resulting from a heart attack.
Lifetime Achievement Award
In 2014, The Isley Brothers were honored by the Recording Academy with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
In a tribute to the group, R&B artist Kem wrote:
“When in their presence, I get the sense that for them it has been, and will always be, about the music. In fact, Ron once told me, ‘We didn’t really know it was going to turn into all this. We were just making music the best way we knew how.’”
What’s in a Name?
Rudolph Isley left the group in 1989 to become a minister. But in early 2023, he filed a lawsuit against his brother Ronald, accusing him of exclusively trademarking the group’s name without consulting the other founding members. According to PEOPLE, Rudolph maintained that he and Ronald each had 50 percent share of ownership in the group and asked to be paid half of what the group has earned since Ronald registered the trademark. Sadly, Rudolph passed away in August 2023 at age 84.
Tiny Desk (at Home)
In 2021, Ron and Ernie Isley performed a set of some of their most popular songs at their home studio in St. Louis, Missouri for a Tiny Desk (home) concert for NPR. The show has received nearly five million views on YouTube and thousands of comments from long-time fans who were happy to see the band doing their thing.
“Imagine being this good at music for this long. AMAZING!” wrote someone in the comments.
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