Cincinnati native Rudolph Isley, founding member of The Isley Brothers, dies at 84
Singer-songwriter Rudolph Isley, one of the founding members of the R&B group The Isley Brothers, has died. He was 84.
Isley's brother Ronald confirmed his death in a statement to USA TODAY Thursday. A cause of death was not disclosed. TMZ was the first to report the news.
"There are no words to express my feelings and the love I have for my brother," Ronald said. "Our family will miss him. But I know he's in a better place."
Comprised of brothers Rudolph, Marvin, O'Kelly, Ronald and Ernie Isley and rounded out with musician Chris Jasper, the Isleys formed in Cincinnati and at one time included five brothers.
Raised in Lincoln Heights and Blue Ash, brothers O'Kelly, Rudolph, Ronald and Vernon Isley started out singing in church. They began performing together in 1954 and appeared on the Ted Mack Amateur Hour, winning the competition. The group disbanded in 1955 after 13-year old Vernon was struck and killed by a car as he was riding his bike in his neighborhood.
In 1957, with their parents' blessing, the remaining brothers decided to regroup and move to New York, with brother Ronnie assuming lead vocals. They signed with RCA Records and in 1959 wrote and recorded their first hit, "Shout."
They scored their first Top 40 single with Scepter Records in 1962 with the song "Twist and Shout." In 1964, they left Scepter and formed T-Neck Records, with Jimi Hendrix playing lead guitar for the brothers' band on several singles. In 1969, the brothers signed a distribution deal with Buddah Records and found success with "It's Your Thing," which reached #2 on the Hot 100 singles chart.
The Isley Brothers are the only act to have singles reach the Billboard Hot 100 during the 1950s, 1960s, 1970, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s.
Rudolph Isley was one of the group's primary songwriters and co-wrote the Brothers' breakthrough "Shout," released in 1959. After being immortalized in the 1978 comedy "Animal House," the song has been used as a rallying cry at sporting events ever since.
The group went on to enjoy other hits with songs such as "Twist and Shout," "It's Your Thing," "That Lady" and "Fight The Power." When their song "Contagious" climbed the charts in 2001, it gave them the distinction of being the act with the longest chart span on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart at 42 years.
Isley left the band in the late '80s after their album "Spend the Night," released in October 1989, was recorded.
The Isley Brothers have been nominated for multiple Grammy awards and inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2014, the band also received a Lifetime Achievement award from the Recording Academy.
They were inducted into the Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame in 2021.
The band was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in June 2022. Representing the group at the ceremony were Elaine Isley Goodstone, Ernie Isley and Ronald Isley. During the induction, Ernie Isley reminded guests that their early hit “Shout” was recorded six decades ago and the reach of their music would go on for years, prompting the Beatles to cover them. The two men then joined up for a medley of hits that included “That Lady," “It’s Your Thing” and “Between the Sheets.”
The group has also experienced some friction amid its historic success.
In March, Isley sued brother Ronald for registering a federal trademark for The Isley Brothers name, claiming the band name is supposed to be jointly owned, according to Billboard.
Per Billboard, Isley requested joint ownership rights for the trademark and a share of any revenue Ronald had earned from it.
Contributing: Luann Gibbs of The Cincinnati Enquirer, Mark Kennedy and David Porter, The Associated Press
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rudolph Isley dead: Isley Brothers founding member dies at 84
