The Isley Brothers

Formed

1954, Cincinnati (brothers raised in Lincoln Heights and Blue Ash) (Hamilton County) source

Also known as

Isley Brothers, The Isleys

Known as

Music, Entertainment, African American History

The Isley Brothers began in 1954 when four sons of O'Kelly Isley Sr., a former Navy sailor and vaudeville singer, and his wife Sallye, a church pianist, started singing gospel together in the Cincinnati area, where the family lived in the West End, Lincoln Heights and Blue Ash. After the youngest of the four, Vernon, was killed by a car while riding his bicycle that year, the surviving trio of O'Kelly Jr., Rudolph and Ronald regrouped and in 1957 left for New York, where their own song 'Shout' (1959) sold a million copies and 'Twist and Shout' (1962) became their first top-20 hit. They founded T-Neck Records in 1964, briefly employed Jimi Hendrix as their guitarist, recorded for Motown, and won a Grammy with 'It's Your Thing' (1969). In 1973 younger brothers Ernie and Marvin and brother-in-law Chris Jasper joined, and the six-piece band had a decade of hit albums including 3 + 3 and The Heat Is On. The group, carried since the 1990s by Ronald and Ernie, entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 and is among the founding inductees of Cincinnati's Black Music Walk of Fame.

• Cincinnati (West End and South Fairmount) (1950s-1960)
  the brothers' birthplace and the family's home before and after Lincoln Heights; the family moved to New Jersey in 1960 Hamilton County · source
• Lincoln Heights (1950s)
  suburb where the brothers were raised Hamilton County · source
• Blue Ash (1950s)
  the family settled here when the brothers were teenagers Hamilton County · source
• Cincinnati (311 E. 13th Street, Pendleton) (2018)
  ArtWorks mural 'It's Your Thing' honouring the group Hamilton County · source
• Cleveland (Rock and Roll Hall of Fame) (1992; 2019)
  inducted in 1992; in 2019 Ronald and Ernie Isley spoke there for the 60th anniversary of 'Shout', with group artifacts on display Cuyahoga County · source
• Cincinnati (Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame, The Banks) (2021; 2023)
  inducted in the walk's inaugural class in 2021; the finished walk opened in July 2023 Hamilton County · source

1. 1954 Brothers O'Kelly Jr., Rudolph, Ronald and Vernon Isley began singing gospel together in the Cincinnati area, toured churches with Ronald singing lead, and won Ted Mack's Amateur Hour. source
2. 1954 Vernon Isley was struck and killed by a car while riding his bicycle in his neighbourhood; the remaining trio stopped performing. source
3. 1957 With their parents' blessing, O'Kelly, Rudolph and Ronald left Cincinnati for New York to record popular music. source
4. 1959 Recorded their own composition 'Shout' for RCA Victor; it reached only No. 47 on the Hot 100 but sold over a million copies. source
5. 1960 The Isley family moved from Cincinnati to New Jersey. source
6. 1962 'Twist and Shout', produced by Bert Berns after the group signed with Scepter Records, reached No. 17 on the Hot 100 and No. 2 R&B. source
7. 1964 Formed their own label, T-Neck Records, and hired Jimi Hendrix as guitarist in their backing band; he recorded 'Testify' with them and toured with them most of the year. source
8. 1966 'This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)', recorded for Motown, became their second top-40 single. source
9. 1969 'It's Your Thing', on the revived T-Neck label with Ernie Isley on bass, reached No. 2 pop and No. 1 R&B and won a Grammy. source
10. 1973 Ernie and Marvin Isley and Chris Jasper became official members, and the album 3 + 3, with 'That Lady', sold over two million copies. source
11. 1975 The Heat Is On, with 'Fight the Power', became their first No. 1 album on the pop chart. source
12. 1983 After Between the Sheets, Ernie, Marvin and Chris Jasper left to form Isley-Jasper-Isley. source
13. 1986 O'Kelly Isley Jr. died in March. source
14. 1992 Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Little Richard. source
15. 2001 'Contagious' made the group the first act to reach the Hot 100 in six consecutive decades, from the 1950s to the 2000s. source
16. 2014 Received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award; the tribute traced the Isley sound to the early 1950s in Cincinnati. source
17. 2018 ArtWorks completed the 'It's Your Thing' mural at 311 E. 13th Street in Cincinnati's Pendleton neighbourhood, part of its Cincinnati Legends series. source
18. 2019 Ronald and Ernie Isley appeared at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland for the 60th anniversary of 'Shout'. source
19. 2021 Inducted in the inaugural class of the Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame, which opened in finished form at The Banks in July 2023. source
20. 2023 Rudolph Isley, one of the three founders, died. source

• Born: Cincinnati, Hamilton County Cincinnati · Hamilton County
• Connected: Cincinnati, Hamilton County Cincinnati · Hamilton County
• Connected: Lincoln Heights, Hamilton County Lincoln Heights · Hamilton County
• Connected: Blue Ash, Hamilton County Blue Ash · Hamilton County
• Connected: Cincinnati, Hamilton County Cincinnati · Hamilton County
• Connected: Cleveland, Cuyahoga County Cleveland · Cuyahoga County
• Connected: Cincinnati, Hamilton County Cincinnati · Hamilton County

• Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 1992 induction page and essay by Harry Weinger 1992, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
• Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award tribute to the Isley Brothers, by Kem 2014, Recording Academy

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Isley_Brothers
• https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q178134
• https://rockhall.com/inductees/isley-brothers/
• https://www.grammy.com/news/lifetime-achievement-award-the-isley-brothers/
• https://www.citybeat.com/arts/new-mural-celebrating-legacy-of-cincinnatis-isley-brothers-is-completed-12156996/
• https://www.citybeat.com/music/cincinnati-native-music-icons-ron-and-ernie-isley-of-the-isley-brothers-to-speak-at-the-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-12169720/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_and_Roll_Hall_of_Fame
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Heights,_Ohio
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Ash,_Ohio
• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Isley_Brothers.png
• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ron_and_Ernie_Isley.jpg
• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Isley_Brothers,_Chris_Jasper%27s_Moog_Liberation_(keytar)_-_Rock_and_Roll_Hall_of_Fame_(2014-12-30_12.36.05_by_Sam_Howzit).jpg
• https://www.wvxu.org/music/2023-07-22/photos-cincinnati-black-music-walk-of-fame
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_J._Brady_Music_Center

Every link goes to the original source. Profile researched 2026-10-15.

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