Isley Brothers

The Isley Brothers are an American soul musical group originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, that began as a vocal trio consisting of brothers O'Kelly Isley Jr., Rudolph Isley (d. 11 Oct 2023) and Ronald Isley in the 1950s. With a career spanning over eight decades, the group has enjoyed one of the "longest, most influential, and most diverse careers in the pantheon of popular music".
Together with a fourth brother, Vernon, the group performed gospel music until Vernon's death a few years after its formation. After moving to New 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 the Billboard Hot 100, and sold over a million copies. In the 1960s, the group recorded songs for a variety of labels, 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 the Grammy Award-winning hit "It's Your Thing" on their own label, T-Neck Records.
The inclusion of younger brothers Ernie Isley (lead guitar, drums) and Marvin Isley (bass guitar), and Rudolph's brother-in-law Chris 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 including 3 + 3, Between the Sheets, and The Heat Is On, with the latter peaking at number one on the Billboard 200 chart. The six-member band splintered in 1983, with Ernie, Marvin, and Chris Jasper forming the short-lived spinoff group Isley-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 albums Mission to Please (1996), Eternal (2001) and Body Kiss (2003). Eternal spawned the top 20 hit "Contagious". As of 2022, the Isley Brothers continue to perform under the lineup of Ronald and Ernie.
== Links to Peel ==
Peel praised their 'Highways Of My Life' single, as well as the album it came from, in the Singles Reviews column in Sounds, published on 15th December 1973. The following year, he also reviewed their single 'Live It Up' in the same paper, on 3rd August 1974, describing it as "9.8 on the Is It Better Than A Jab In The Arse With A Sharp Stick metre. Exceedingly right on, if you ask me". By the late 70s, however, when reviewing their track, 'Groove With You, on Round Table, broadcast on 30 June 1978 (Round Table), he commented that the tune was not a great listen. Despite this, Peel continued playing some of the group's classic songs on his shows.
Originally recorded by the Top Notes, "Twist and Shout" was first a hit in a reworked version by the Isley Brothers, before further covers by the Beatles and other artists played by Peel, including the Mo-Dettes.
== Shows Played ==
;thumb|220x220px1975
*07 June 1975: The Heat Is On (album - The Heat Is On) 
*09 June 1975: Hope You Find Better Love (album - The Heat Is On)
;1980
*09 September 1980: Respectable
;1982
*03 May 1982: Shout
;1983
*02 March 1983: Got To Have You Back (7") Tamla Motown 
;1985
*JG Tape 10 Peel August September 1985: Surf And Shout
;1987
*14 October 1987: Shout Part 1 / Shout Part 2 (LP - Shout!) RCA Victor
;2000
*30 November 2000: Shout - Part 1/2 (7") RCA
;2003
*18 September 2003: 'Take Some Time Out For Love' (LP - Under The Influence: Ian Brown) (White Label)
== Covered ==
(The list below was compiled only from the Cover Versions page of this site. Please add more information if known.)
Artist | Track | First Known Play
*Depraved: Shout 08 April 1987
*Les Calamités: Teach Me How To Shimmy Peel 010 (BFBS)
*Shaved Pigs: Slam ('Shout') 05 October 1987
*Undertones: Got To Have You Back 02 March 1983
== External Links ==
*Wikipedia
*Discogs
*Official Website
Category:Artists
Category:Covered