Please forgive us for taking seven years to highlight the Isley Brothers, but after a celebration of funk, we wanted to focus on a group that has touched so many eras of R&B.
That’s the thing: the Isley Brothers were never just a funk group. They’ve been at it so long that “Shout” was their breakout hit, they hit their stride during the 1970s, and they were still making hits at the start of the new millennium. Whether it’s soul, the quiet storm, or contemporary R&B, the Isleys have mastered it all. Their music has been a constant for over 60 years, the soundtrack to proms, weddings, and Burger King commercials. We’ll run through it all: from their origin in the Midwest, to the Isley-Jasper-Isley days, to Ronald Isley’s solo work.
Join us at Songbyrd on November 9 from 12 to 2pm. As always, tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. And come prepared for tangents about the group’s influence on hip-hop and why Ernie Isley deserves more credit for being one of the best guitarists we’ve ever heard.