Rudolph Isley, founding member of The Isley Brothers, dies at 84

Singer-songwriter Rudolph Isley, one of the founding members of the R&B group The Isley Brothers, died on Wednesday at the age of 84.

Born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, Rudolph and his siblings O’Kelly, Ronald and Vernon came together in 1954 to form the Isley Brothers. The group disbanded in 1955 after 13-year-old Vernon was struck and killed by a car as he was riding his bike in his neighborhood. In 1957, the remaining brothers decided to regroup and move to New York, with Ronald assuming lead vocals. The group would go on to sign with major label RCA Records for their 1959 debut album.

Rudolph was one of the group’s primary songwriters and co-wrote the brothers’ breakthrough 1959 hit “Shout.” The Isley Brothers also perform such raw rhythm and blues classics as “Twist and Shout”, “That Lady” and “It’s Your Thing.”

The group added brothers Marvin and Ernie and brother-in-law Jasper to the lineup in 1973 and  went on to enjoy other hits such as “Fight The Power.”

Rudolph left the band in the late ’80s and went on to pursue a career in Christian ministry. 

The Isley Brothers were nominated for multiple Grammy awards and won the prize for best R&B vocal performance by a duo or group in 1970 for “It’s Your Thing.” The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 and in 2014, the band received a Lifetime Achievement award from the Recording Academy. The band was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in June 2022.

With Rudolph’s death, the only surviving Isley Brothers are Ronald and Ernie.