The Isley Brothers have been a household name for over seventy years. O’Kelly, Rudolph, Ronald, and Vernon started out in the mid-1950s as a gospel quartet, but Vernon’s untimely death brought that to an end. The three remaining brothers moved to New York to try their hand at rock ‘n’ roll. With success – in 1959, they scored an iconic hit with Shout!. Since then, they have influenced many artists, from Jimi Hendrix – who played with their band in the early 1960s – to The Beatles and Ice Cube. Starting in the 1960s, they shifted towards soul and had hits on their own T-Neck label, including It’s Your Thing and That Lady. The lineup changed; among others, younger brother Ernie joined the group. In 1994, The Isley Brothers celebrated their 40th anniversary at North Sea Jazz. And now they’re back, with Ronald and Ernie Isley as the remaining core of the family band.
