The Isley Brothers have done it all – they were the pre-Motown, pre-Beatles vocal trio that recorded the first versions of Shout and Twist and Shout. They were the R&B band that introduced Jimmy James (but you know him better as Jimi Hendrix) and the funk band that finally hit the pop Top 5 with It’s Your Thing and Fight the Power.
Rudolph Isley, Ronald Isley, Marvin Isley, Ernie Isley, Chris Jasper, Neil Portnow. Source: Getty Images
They even crossed over into soul-flavored remakes of rock hits like Summer Breeze. And ever since their last R&B hit in 1989, the Isley Brothers have been hanging on in the “oldies but goodies” category. But if there’s anything that’s made the group legends, it’s the fact that they turned another group into the biggest band of all time. The Isley Brothers have been credited for bringing the Beatles out of Liverpool and to America.