Eldest member O'Kelly died in 1986 and Rudolph and Ronald released a pair of albums as a duo before Rudolph retired for life in the Christian ministry in 1989. The six-member lineup of the band splintered in 1983, with Ernie, Marvin, and Chris Jasper forming the short-lived spinoff group Isley-Jasper-Isley. For the next full decade, the siblings recorded top-selling albums including The Heat Is On and Between the Sheets. 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 self-contained musical band. Initially influenced by gospel and doo-wop music, the group began experimenting with different musical styles incorporating elements of rock and funk music as well as pop balladry. Afterwards the group recorded modestly successful works 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 issuing the Grammy Award-winning hit, ' It's Your Thing' on their own label, T-Neck Records. Initially a modest charted single, the song eventually sold over a million copies. After moving to the New York City area in the late 1950s, the group had modest chart successes during their early years, first coming to prominence in 1959 with their fourth SINGLE, ' Shout', written by the three brothers.

Īlongside a fourth brother, Vernon, the group originally performed gospel music until VERNON'S death a few years after its original formation. The group has been cited as having enjoyed one of the 'longest, most influential, and most diverse CAREERS in the pantheon of popular music'. The Isley Brothers ( / ˈ aɪ z l iː/) are an American musical group originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, originally a vocal trio consisting of brothers O'Kelly Isley, Jr., Rudolph Isley and Ronald Isley.

Isley brothers songs sampled