Editing The Isley Brothers (section)

===Origins and initial recordings===
The Isley Brothers originally came from Cincinnati, Ohio, and were raised in the city's [[Lincoln Heights, Ohio|Lincoln Heights]] suburb, settling in the satellite town of [[Blue Ash, Ohio|Blue Ash]] when they were teenagers. Their father, O'Kelly Isley Sr., a former [[United States Navy]] [[sailor]] and [[vaudeville]] performer from [[Durham, North Carolina]], and their mother Sallye, from Georgia, guided the elder four Isley boys in their singing in church. The brothers began performing together in 1954, patterning themselves after groups such as [[Billy Ward and His Dominoes]] and [[The Dixie Hummingbirds]].{{sfn|Gulla|2008|p=193}} Eventually, they landed a spot on [[Ted Mack (radio-TV host)|Ted Mack]]'s ''Amateur Hour'', where they won the competition (their prize was a watch).{{sfn|Gulla|2008|p=193}} With Vernon singing lead vocals, the quartet soon began touring all over the [[East Coast of the United States|eastern US]], performing in a variety of churches. When Vernon was thirteen, he was killed by a car that struck him as he was riding his bike in his neighborhood. Devastated, the remaining trio disbanded.{{sfn|Gulla|2008|p=193}}

Eventually persuaded to regroup, with Ronnie assuming the lead vocal position, the brothers decided to record popular music and left Cincinnati for New York in 1957 with their parents' blessings.{{sfn|Gulla|2008|p=193–194}} The group got in touch with Richard Barrett, who soon had them in contact with a variety of New York record producers. They eventually had their first recorded songs produced by [[George Goldner]], including "Angels Cried" and "The Cow Jumped Over the Moon" for the Teenage, Cindy, and Mark X imprints.{{sfn|Gulla|2008|p=194}} The songs were only regional hits, however. By 1959, the group had landed a recording deal with [[RCA Victor]]. Later that year, the group recorded their first composition together, "[[Shout (The Isley Brothers song)|Shout]]", mixing their brand of gospel vocals and doo-wop harmonies, a song derived from a [[Washington, D.C.]], club performance in which the brothers had covered [[Jackie Wilson]]'s "[[Lonely Teardrops]]".{{sfn|Gulla|2008|p=194}} The original version of the song peaked at number 47 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and never reached the R&B chart. Nevertheless, it sold over one million copies and was awarded a [[music recording sales certification|gold disc]] by the [[Recording Industry Association of America|RIAA]].<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs">{{cite book
| first= Joseph
| last= Murrells
| year= 1978
| title= The Book of Golden Discs
| edition= 2nd
| publisher= Barrie and Jenkins Ltd
| location= London
| page= [https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/115 115]
| isbn= 0-214-20512-6
| url-access= registration
| url= https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/115
}}</ref> 

Follow-up recordings on RCA Victor failed to chart and the brothers were dropped by the label in 1961 and were later signed by [[Scepter Records]]. In 1962, the Isley Brothers scored their first top 40 hit with the [[Bert Berns]] song "[[Twist and Shout]]", which reached number 17 on the Hot 100 and number 2 on the R&B chart, staying on the charts for 19 weeks.{{sfn|Gulla|2008|p=195}} The song had been produced by Berns for the brothers to teach then-struggling producer [[Phil Spector]] how to produce a hit.<ref>[http://www.bsnpubs.com/atlantic/atlanticstory.html David Edwards and Mike Callahan, ''The Atlantic Records Story''], February 1990, Bsnpubs.com</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bertberns.com/bio.html|title=Bert Berns: Songwriter, Producer and Label Chief|website=Bertberns.com}}</ref>

Moving their entire operations to [[New Jersey]],<ref name=Isley>Wilner, Paul. [https://www.nytimes.com/1977/03/13/archives/westchester-weekly-isley-brothers-a-family-affair.html "Isley Brothers: A Family Affair"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', March 13, 1977. Accessed September 18, 2011. "WHEN Sallye Isley moved her brood of children from Cincinnati to Englewood in the summer of 1959, she was participating in a show-business phenomenon.... While their older brothers toured America, the younger Isley boys enrolled successively in Englewood Junior High and Dwight Morrow High School.... Right now, the brothers reside near enough to each other to keep in close touch. Ronald lives in Teaneck, Kelly Jr. in Alpine, Rudolph in Haworth and Ernie in Englewood."</ref> the brothers continued to struggle with recordings, and formed [[T-Neck Records]] in 1964.{{sfn|Gulla|2008|p=196}} 

In February{{sfn|Hendrix|McDermott|2007|p=13}} or March 1964, at the recommendation of a former associate of [[Joe Tex]], Ronnie Isley granted guitarist [[Jimi Hendrix]] (who would later become famous as a solo artist) an audition that led to an offer to become the guitarist with the Isley Brothers' backing band, the I.B. Specials, which he readily accepted.{{sfn|McDermott|2009|p=10}}  In March, Hendrix recorded the two-part single "[[Testify (Isley Brothers song)|Testify]]" with the Isley Brothers. Released in June, it failed to chart.{{sfn|McDermott|2009|pp=10–11}}  Hendrix toured with the Isleys during much of 1964, but near the end of October, after growing tired of playing the same set every night, he left the band.<ref>{{harvnb|Heatley|2009|p=53}}; {{harvnb|Shadwick|2003|p=54}}.</ref>{{refn|group=nb|According to authors Steve Roby and Brad Schreiber, Hendrix was fired from the Isleys in August 1964.{{sfn|Roby|Schreiber|2010|p=85}}}} (Soon afterward, Hendrix joined [[Little Richard]]'s touring band, [[The Upsetters (American band)|the Upsetters]].{{sfn|McDermott|2009|p=13}}

In late July 1965 (or August 1965), Hendrix then briefly rejoined the Isley Brothers, recording a second single with them, "Move Over and Let Me Dance" backed with "Have You Ever Been Disappointed";<ref>{{harvnb|Shapiro|Glebbeek|1995|p=571}}; {{harvnb|Shadwick|2003|pp=60–61}}.</ref> the single was recorded for and released by T-Neck and distributed by [[Atlantic Records]]. Later that year, Hendrix joined a New York-based R&B band, [[Curtis Knight]] and the Squires, after meeting Knight in the lobby of a hotel where both men were staying,{{sfn|Shapiro|Glebbeek|1995|p=95}} before eventually launching a successful solo career.

After both songs failed to chart and Hendrix left the Isleys for good in 1965, the brothers signed with [[Motown Records]]. Early the following year, the group released their second Top 40 hit single, "[[This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)]]". While the Isley Brothers' recordings with Motown were more successful than their earlier works, they struggled to score a follow-up Top 40 hit with the label. They left Motown in 1968.{{cn|date=February 2024}}