Rudolph Isley, one of the founding members of the seminal soul and funk band the Isley Brothers, died on Wednesday at his home in Olympia Fields, Illinois. He was 84; no official cause of death was given, although TMZ, which first reported his death, said a heart attack was suspected.
“There are no words to express my feelings and the love I have for my brother,” Rudolph’s brother and Isley Brothers co-founder Ronald said in a statement to Variety. (The brothers, with Rudolph on the left, are pictured above).
The group’s relatively low profile belies their status as pioneers of rock and roll: Their hits over several decades include such oft-covered hits as “Shout! (co-written by Rudolph), “Twist and Shout”, “It’s Your Thing”, “That Lady” and many others. Rudolph also famously co-wrote “Testify”, a 1964 track featuring an up-and-coming young guitarist called Jimi Hendrix. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 – by Little Richard, no less – and into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2022.
Rudolph sued Ronald – the longtime lead singer of the still-active group, along with guitarist Ernie – earlier this year over lost profits and Ronald’s tight grip on the group’s trademark, which seemed to reflect its longtime status as “The Quiet Isley”. Despite that title, Rudolph was the Isley’s smoothest singer and their sharpest dresser (he was originally responsible for the band’s 1970s era of furs, canes and wide-brimmed hats). Rudolph also shared lead vocals with Ronald and Kelly on “Fight the Power” and “Livin’ in the Life”, and took the lead on later Isley cuts such as “You Still Feel the Need” and “It’s a Disco Night (Rock Don’t Stop)”.
Born in Cincinnati on 1 April 1939, Rudolph formed the Isley Brothers in 1954 as a gospel quartet with O’Kelly, Ronnie and Vernon. Although Vernon died in a bicycle accident in 1955, the group continued as a trio, moving to New York in 1957 and signing with RCA Records two years later. Following the release of their first smash single “Shout”, the extended family moved from Cincinnati to the New Jersey suburbs of Englewood and Teaneck – the latter forming the base of the family businesses, including their iconic T-Neck label, which was founded in 1966.
Staying with the Isley Brothers through the recording and release of 1989’s ‘Spend the Night’, Rudolph left the band to get away from the music industry while still mourning the death of Kelly Isley three years earlier. Rudolph became a Christian minister and occasionally joined the Isley Brothers in song and on stage, although he did not participate in their induction into the Rock and Roll or Songwriters Halls of Fame.
