The Isley Brothers

Biography & Overview

The Isley Brothers ( EYEZ-lee) are an American soul group originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, that began in 1954 as a vocal trio consisting of the brothers O'Kelly Isley Jr., Rudolph Isley and Ronald Isley. Together with a fourth brother, Vernon, the group performed gospel music until Vernon's death in 1954. 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" (1969) 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.