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The Isley Brothers

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

The Isley Brothers are an American soul group from Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1954 four young brothers began as a gospel group: O'Kelly, Rudolph, Ronald and Vernon. Vernon was killed in an accident that year and the rest stopped for a while. Later Ronald, Rudolph and O'Kelly formed a trio again. In the late 1950s they moved to New York, where they broke through in 1959 with Shout, written by the brothers themselves. The record blended gospel singing with doo-wop harmonies.

Music and breakthrough

In the 1960s they recorded for various labels. Twist and Shout reached the top twenty and This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You) was released on Motown. In 1969, on their own label T-Neck Records, they made It's Your Thing, which won a Grammy. In 1973 the younger brothers Ernie and Marvin and brother-in-law Chris Jasper joined, turning the trio into a full band. The years that followed were the commercial peak, with albums such as 3+3, The Heat Is On and Between the Sheets. The Heat Is On reached number one on the Billboard 200.

Influence

With new work the group managed to reach the Billboard Hot 100 in six different decades, from the 1950s to the 2000s, which no other group has done. In 1992 they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and in 2014 they received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Through their long career, from gospel to funk, the Isley Brothers let us hear the development of American black music over more than fifty years.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Shout and notice the singing. Can you hear the gospel in the way the song is sung?

Discography

Studio albums

See also

Categories: Artists