Rudolph Isley, a founding member of the Isley Brothers who performed backing vocals on the band’s 1959 classic “Shout” and remained a mainstay of the group for decades, helping to reinvent its sound with the rise of funk and disco, died Oct. 11 at his home in Olympia Fields, Ill., at 84.
His brother and former bandmate Ronald announced the death in a statement, but no cause was given. Mr. Isley had lived in the Chicago suburb for the past decade.
Mr. Isley and three of his brothers — Ronald, Vernon and O’Kelly Isley Jr. — formed the group in the Cincinnati area in 1954 as a gospel-style quartet, with Vernon singing lead. A year later, Vernon was killed at 13 while riding his bike. The brothers briefly disbanded and then reunited as a trio, with Ronald singing lead backed by Mr. Isley and O’Kelly.
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The group, signed by RCA Victor, shifted to New York and wrote and recorded the joyful call-and-response song “Shout,” which rose to No. 47 on Billboard’s pop chart, became a staple of parties (it was memorably performed in a frat house basement for the 1978 film “Animal House”) and was recorded by dozens of artists, including the Beatles.
They found additional success with their 1962 cover of the Top Notes’ “Twist and Shout,” which became their first Top 20 hit.
Mr. Isley had a hand in writing and recording many of the group’s best-known songs, including “Who’s That Lady” (1964), which had a second life as a major hit for the band after it was translated from R&B into funk and renamed “That Lady” (1973). In 1969, the Isley Brothers had one of their biggest hits with “It’s Your Thing,” featuring the lines: “It’s your thing, do what you wanna do/I can’t tell you who to sock it to.” (Younger brother Ernie Isley made his professional recording debut on the song, playing bass.)
In 1964, the band needed a guitar player to record their new single “Testify.” They picked an up-and-coming musician who would later be known as Jimi Hendrix. “One of the Isley Brothers heard me playing in a club and said he had a job open,” Hendrix recalled.
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The group signed with Motown Records in 1965 and cut another hit single that year with “This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You),” but the brothers broke ties with the label in favor of their own record company, T-Neck, a reference to Teaneck, N.J., where some of them had homes.
Share this articleShareWhile Mr. Isley was mainly a backup singer, he shared lead vocals with his brothers Ronald and O’Kelly on songs including the 1979 dance hit “It’s a Disco Night (Rock Don’t Stop)” and “Livin’ In the Life” (1977). He was the sole lead vocalist on “You Still Feel the Need” (1976).
Mr. Isley left the band in 1989 to became a Christian minister. He occasionally joined his brothers with reunion gigs but was not on hand when the Isley Brothers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. He later was involved in a legal battle with his brother Ronald over rights to the Isley Brothers name. The suit claimed all founding members of the group were part of a “common-law partnership.”
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His death leaves Ronald and Ernie as the surviving brothers from the band.
Rudolph Bernard Isley was born in Cincinnati on April 1, 1939, and grew up in the city’s suburbs. His father served in the Navy and was once a performer on the vaudeville circuit in North Carolina; his mother was involved in the church choir and was an early vocal coach for her sons.
Survivors include Mr. Isley’s wife of 64 years, the former Elaine Jasper, and four children. Complete information on survivors was not immediately available.
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