Isley Brothers: ‘There is such a thing as divine grace and we’ve been blessed to have it’

From the 1950s rhythm and blues boom to the shiny arenas of the present day, the Isley Brothers’ career straddles almost the whole of American popular music.

Their ability to adapt to prevailing trends has seen them in good stead, as they absorbed gospel, doo-wop, rock, soul, funk and disco into their sound; they have also been much sampled by hip-hop artists such as Ice Cube, 2Pac and The Notorious B.I.G.

Looking back over their illustrious history, guitarist Ernie Isley, who joined the group in 1971, reels off a few hits. “I remember being seven years old hearing [the band’s 1959 hit] Shout on the radio and seeing them on American Bandstand with Dick Clark and seeing how the audience reacted to the song.

“It was the same with Twist and Shout in ’62, and This Old Heart of Mine in ’66 on Motown, It’s Your Thing in ’69. We’re fortunate in that regard. According to Billboard magazine, the Isleys are the only artists, whether male or female, black or white, that has charted in the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and into the Millennium.”

The fact that they remained “relevant” is equally important, he believes. “There are artists who might have had the longevity but the way they sound now is the way they sounded when they first came on the scene. Our sound has changed.”

For Ernie and his elder brother Ronald, soon to turn 79, being around long enough to witness the Isleys’ influence permeate through everyone from The Beatles to Kendrick Lamar has been a source of satisfaction. “The fact that we are embraced not only by the audience but other artists, that they have us as a touchstone, a musical reference point, and we are included – Biggie Smalls just got included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and his song Big Poppa includes a sample of [the Isleys’] Between the Sheets – that’s the amazing thing.”

Ernie attributes their longevity to a number of factors. “To begin with, there is such a thing as divine grace and we’ve been blessed to have it. Then along with that, we love doing what we do. We’ve always been in pursuit of it, whatever it might be, whatever style it was.”

Adaptability has meant the band has been able to be “present” in the Motown era as well as the Black Power movement of the 1970s – with their hit Fight The Power.

“We listen to everybody and we’ve been willing to change and adapt to new people coming into the musical climate,” he says.

As a boy, Ernie took notes in guitar playing from Jimi Hendrix, who was a member of the Isley Brothers’ band in the early 1960s. “I was 11 years old at the time he was hired in March ’63. If you go back in your time machine to ’63 that’s before The Beatles came to the United States and [Hendrix] was the only guy in the band who was permitted in the house, he was never charged anything for his room and he was there for two and a half years. Every day that I would see him he would have a guitar with him, he was always playing. Not that he had to, he was the star of the band from the first rehearsal, he was that good.

“I never heard anybody play guitar like that and also being left-handed; he had that individual thing going and the combination of the gift that he had, the inspiration that he had, and the skill, but no one’s got a crystal ball.

“When The Beatles played on Ed Sullivan in February ’64, I was on the left side of the couch, my younger brother Marvin was on the right side and Jimi Hendrix was in the middle. I hadn’t yet turned 12. We didn’t know that there was somebody sitting in the middle who was going to be a guitar deity when the time came.

“Two or three days went by and my brother O’Kelly took the floor and said, ‘There’s this English group, The Beatles, they’re going to change everything... but I think we’re going to be all right because they do Shout and Twist and Shout.’

“Had Jimi been around when That Lady came out [in 1973] he probably would’ve given me something like a bear hug and said, ‘How did you learn to do that?’ He would totally understand, he would be laughing about it because that was the kid that was in the room when The Beatles came on The Ed Sullivan Show.”

Despite the fact that Ernie Isley is 68 and his brother Ronald is more than a decade older, they still relish performing live.

“That returns you to the original idea of being in a group in the first place, doing something in front of a live audience,” Ernie says, “so every time we have a chance to do that that’s a wonderful experience. We’re going to come to England and see all of the friends we have over there. We’re looking forward to it.”

The Isley Brothers are scheduled to play at First Direct Arena, Leeds on June 26. Check with venue for confirmation.

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