The Isley Brothers

The Isley Brothers

The Isley Brothers are an American group from Cincinnati, Ohio, active from 1954 to the present. They begin as a vocal trio made up of brothers O’Kelly Isley Jr., Rudolph Isley and Ronald Isley, later joined by their brother Vernon Isley. In their earliest years they perform gospel music. After Vernon’s death in 1955, the remaining brothers move to New York City in the late 1950s and start recording secular material.

Early success and 1960s recordings

The group first reaches major success in 1959 with “Shout,” their fourth single. Written by the three brothers, it becomes their first song to enter the Billboard Hot 100 and sells more than one million copies. During the 1960s they record for several labels and issue songs including “Twist and Shout” and the Motown single “This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You).”

T-Neck era and band expansion

In 1969 they release “It’s Your Thing” on their own label, T-Neck Records, and the song wins a Grammy Award. In 1973 the group expands from a vocal trio into a band with the addition of younger brothers Ernie Isley on guitar and drums, Marvin Isley on bass, and Chris Jasper on keyboards and synthesizers. This lineup marks a period of strong commercial success.

Albums, chart success and later lineups

During the 1970s and early 1980s the group releases a series of successful albums, including 3 + 3, The Heat Is On and Between the Sheets. The Heat Is On reaches number one on the Billboard 200. The six-member line-up ends in 1983 when Ernie Isley, Marvin Isley and Chris Jasper form Isley-Jasper-Isley. O’Kelly Isley Jr. dies in 1986. Rudolph and Ronald Isley then record two albums as a duo, and Rudolph retires from the music industry in 1989 to pursue Christian ministry.

After several line-up changes, Ronald Isley and Ernie Isley continue the group. They achieve further success with Mission to Please, Eternal and Body Kiss. Eternal includes the hit single “Contagious.”

Legacy and recognition

The Isley Brothers have sold more than 18 million units in the United States. They are among the few acts to reach the Billboard Hot 100 with new recordings in six different decades, and the only act to do so in consecutive decades from the 1950s through the 2000s. Their long run of success on the R&B charts earns a Guinness World Record. Sixteen of their albums reach the Top 40, and thirteen are certified gold, platinum or multi-platinum by the RIAA.

The group is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992, added to Hollywood’s Rockwalk in 1997, inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2003, and receives the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014.

Style and labels

The Isley Brothers work across soul, funk, funk rock, progressive soul, R&B, rock and smooth soul. Their labels include T-Neck, T-Neck Records, Inc. and Three Boys Music Inc.

Studio albums

Shout! (1959), Twist & Shout (1962), Twisting and Shouting (1963), This Old Heart of Mine (1966), Soul on the Rocks (1967), It’s Our Thing (1969), The Brothers: Isley (1969), Get into Something (1970), Givin’ It Back (1971), Brother, Brother, Brother (1972), 3 + 3 (1973), Live It Up (1974), The Heat Is On (1975), Harvest for the World (1976), Go for Your Guns (1977), Showdown (1978), Winner Takes All (1979), Go All the Way (1980), Grand Slam (1981), Inside You (1981), The Real Deal (1982), Between the Sheets (1983), Masterpiece (1985), Smooth Sailin’ (1987), Spend the Night (1989), Tracks of Life (1992), Mission to Please (1996), Eternal (2001), Body Kiss (2003), Baby Makin’ Music (2006), Power of Peace (2017) and Make Me Say It Again, Girl (2022).