THE ISLEY BROTHERS

Formed: 1954, Cincinnati, Ohio

Members: Ronald Isley, vocals (born Cincinnati, Ohio, 21 May 1941); Rudolph Isley, vocals (born Cincinnati, Ohio, 1 April 1939). Former members: O'Kelly Isley, vocals (born Cincinnati, Ohio, 25 December 1937; died Alpine, New Jersey, 31 March 1986); Vernon Isley, vocals (born Cincinnati, Ohio; died Cincinnati, Ohio, 1954); Ernie Isley, guitar (born Cincinnati, Ohio, 7 March 1952); Marvin Isley, bass (born Cincinnati, Ohio, 18 August 1953); Chris Jasper, keyboards (born Cincinnati, Ohio, 30 December 1951).

Genre: R&B

Best-selling album since 1990: Eternal (2001)

Hit songs since 1990: "Let's Lay Together"

For their powers of endurance alone the Isley Brothers qualify as one of the most important acts in African-American music. But their achievement is about far more than mere longevity. A significant group in at least three different versions, the Isleys's momentous tale spans the history of post-Presley popular music. The Isley Brothers have been a powerful and influential presence for half a century: They began as a gospel quartet in the mid-1950s, trimmed to a soul trio in the 1960s, expanded to a full-fledged funk band in the early 1970s, and continued their work in the 1980s and 1990s in various incarnations connected to the family unit. Along the way, they have suffered some keenly felt tragedies—two of the original brothers have died—that have lent a further dimension of intensity to the group's style.

Formed in the brothers' home city of Cincinnati, Ohio, as the rock and roll revolution was beginning to filter through the American airwaves, they initially sang gospel and developed a call-and-response style typical of evangelical worship, with Ronald's imposing tenor supported by his brothers' backing work. Hailing from a musical family—their father was a professional vocalist and their mother a church pianist—they had the right springboard from which to progress. They suffered a serious setback, however, in 1955, when the singer Vernon was killed in a cycling accident.

First Hits, Then Motown

Two years later, the remaining trio decided to move to New York City and recorded a number of failed doowop singles. But in 1959 they composed and released "Shout" and, although it failed to reach the Top 40, the song became a much-covered, much-recorded classic. The 1964 version by the Scottish singer Lulu was a major U.K. hit. In 1962 the brothers did score a hit with "Twist and Shout," and their arrangement was reproduced not long after by the Beatles. Numerous white acts, including the Yardbirds and the Human Beinz, struck gold with Isley R&B selections.

In 1964, frustrated with their inability to break into the big time, the Isley Brothers took an unprecedented step among black performers: They formed their own record company, T-Neck. The first release, "Testify," was ahead of its time, showcasing the instrumental talents of a young guitarist called Jimmy James, later known as Jimi Hendrix.

A move to the Motown label followed, resulting in a string of hit songs during the mid- to late 1960s. Teamed with the songwriting team of Holland/Dozier/Holland, the Isleys released "This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)" and enjoyed further successes with "Behind a Painted Smile" and "I Guess I'll Always Love You" in the United Kingdom.

After Motown

In 1969 "It's Your Thing" gave the Isleys a huge U.S. hit and reactivated the T-Neck label. They also said goodbye to the mohair suits that had typified their soulful Motown period and began to assume a more casual, funky wardrobe. Adding three younger relatives—their brothers Ernie on guitar and Marvin on bass and their cousin Chris Jasper on keyboards—they extended the group and the vision, adding layers of bass-driven rhythm and soaring lead guitar work that was reminiscent of instrumental elements that Hendrix had added years before.

After the release of their albums 3+3 (1973), Live It Up (1974), The Heat Is On (1975), and Harvest for the World (1976), the group had produced a body of work as potent as any R&B act of the period, including James Brown, Sly Stone, and Stevie Wonder. Songs like "That Lady," "Highways of My Life," "Fight the Power," and "Harvest for the World" blended the distinctive vocal interplay of Ronald, Rudolph, and O'Kelly with the contemporary funk attack of the new musical ensemble. The group made regular appearances on the U.S. and U.K. charts during the decade and gained a reputation as an outstanding live combo.

For more than ten years, the resurrected Isleys plowed this profitable furrow, but in 1984 the more recent recruits, Ernie and Marvin Isley and Chris Jasper, departed to form Isley/Jasper/Isley. The older Isleys seemed set to return to their former vocal format, but in 1986 the death of O'Kelly of a heart attack struck a shattering blow to those plans. Nonetheless, Smooth Sailin' (1986), a tribute to their departed brother, saw Ronald and Rudolph still in impressive form. A key figure in the Isley circle now was the singer/songwriter Angela Winbush, soon to be Ronald's wife. She contributed heavily to the first post-O'Kelly album and then wrote and produced the 1989 release Spend the Night.

In the 1990s the Isleys continued to make their creative mark in a variety of ways. In 1990 Roland guested on Rod Stewart's remake of "This Old Heart of Mine." In 1992 Tracks of My Life saw Ronald team up with Marvin and Ernie; they remained together on Live! (1993). The same lineup then released Mission to Please in 1996, with a string of leading black producers: Angela Wimbush, R. Kelly, Babyface, and Keith Sweat. The album yielded the hit song "Let's Lay Together."

"Let's Lay Together" was included in the soundtrack of the Wayans Brothers' movie Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood. Other movie soundtrack work by the Isleys includes a contribution to Friday (1995), with the song "Tryin' to See Another Day." Ice Cube had earlier drawn on the Isley catalog, sampling "Footsteps in the Dark" from the brothers' 1977 album Go for Your Guns for his 1993 hit "It Was a Good Day."

In 2001 Ronald and Ernie joined forces on Eternal, featuring songs with artists such as R. Kelly and Jill Scott, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, and Raphael Saadiq. On the album Ronald introduces his alter ego, Mr. Biggs; Ernie shows his undiminished instrumental abilities on the track "Ernie's Jam." Furthermore, Ronald has made guest appearances with leading R&B performers such as Foxy Brown, Ja Rule, and Keith Sweat.

The Isley Brothers, in all their diverse incarnations, have been an enduring and important presence not only on the R&B scene but also among white rock bands as significant as the Beatles and black rock performers such as Jimi Hendrix and Prince. By the time they found their own funk voice, they had become leading lights in a ground-breaking genre, forging a coherent relationship between funk and rock styles at a time when black and white musical expressions rarely crossed over.

SELECTIVE DISCOGRAPHY:

Shout (Collectables, 1959); Twist and Shout (Sundazed, 1962); This Old Heart of Mine (Motown, 1966); In the Beginning (T-Neck, 1970); 3+3 (T-Neck, 1973); Live It Up (T-Neck, 1974); The Heat Is On (T-Neck, 1975); Harvest for the World (T-Neck, 1976); Go for Your Guns (T-Neck, 1977); Forever Gold (T-Neck, 1977); Timeless (T-Neck, 1979); Smooth Sailin' (Warner, 1986); Spend the Night (Warner, 1989); Tracks of My Life (Warner, 1992); Live! (Elektra, 1993); Mission to Please (T-Neck/Island, 1996); Eternal (Dreamworks, 2001).

simon warner