The brothers O’Kelly “Kelly” Isley Jr., Rudolph Isley, and Ronald Isley formed the American musical group The Isley Brothers (/azli/ EYEZ-lee) in the 1950s. With a career spanning more than seven decades, the group has enjoyed one of the “longest, most influential, and most diverse careers in the pantheon of popular music.”
The Isley Brothers are one of the few bands to have charted on the Billboard Hot 100 with new songs in six separate decades, with their last significant hit, “Contagious,” coming in 2001. They have sold over 18 million units in the United States alone. Thirteen of their albums have received gold, platinum, or multi-platinum certification from the RIAA. Sixteen of their albums have charted in the Top 40.
Several musical organizations have recognized the brothers, including the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, which inducted them in 1992. They were included on Hollywood’s Rockwalk five years after that, and they were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2003. In 2014, they were presented with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
