The Isley Brothers laughed, smiled and fought back tears as they were inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Ronald Isley and Ernie Isley unveiled their star at the Los Angeles landmark on Wednesday, Jan. 28. Ronald got emotional when he thanked fans for supporting the group for nearly seven decades.
“I want to thank all of our fans, each and every one of you,” he said. “We’ve been doing this for 67 years, and God bless you all.”
Initially made up of four siblings, the Isley Brothers started out as a gospel quartet in Cincinnati, Ohio in the 1950s. After 13-year-old Vernon Isley was struck by a vehicle and killed, the remaining brothers — O’Kelly, Rudolph, and Ronald moved to New York City in 1957 in hopes of making it big. O’Kelly died in 1986, and Rudolph retired in 1989.
Ronald was overcome with emotion on Wednesday, when he mentioned his family members who had passed away.
“I’m glad and I know right now — the brothers, my mother and father…” he said as his voice trailed off. “I want to say, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. And to my family out there, my grandkids, my son, my daughter, my wife, mother-in-law, thank you, thank you, thank you.”
Ernie smiled and tried to take it all in. “I really don’t have the words for it,” he said.
“I guess I would like to thank the Lord for extending to the Isley Brothers and the Isley family his divine grace that helped us stay together and helped us with the inspiration of the music,” he added.
The two were joined at the ceremony by iconic producer and songwriter Terry Lewis and Sony Music Publishing Chairman and CEO Jon Platt, who praised the siblings.
The group was awarded the 2,834th star, which is located at 7051 Hollywood Blvd.
The Isley Brothers rose to national prominence in 1959 with the single “Shout.” In the 1960s, the group scored top 20 hits with the iconic song “Twist and Shout” (1961), the Motown release “This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)” (1966) and the Grammy Award-winning hit “It’s Your Thing” (1969) on their own label T-Neck Records.
Ernie Isley, Marvin Isley, and Rudolph’s brother-in-law Chris Jasper (keyboards, synthesizers) joined the trio in the 1970s.
Ernie, Marvin and Chris Jasper formed the spinoff group Isley-Jasper-Isley in 1983, although they did not achieve the same level of success.
In addition to their own hits, the Isley Brothers have collaborated on chart-topping singles with R&B singer Kelly Price, guitarist Carlos Santana, R. Kelly, Snoop Dogg, Beyoncé, and others.
The group was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1992, and into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2022. They took home one competitive Grammy Award in 1970 and received the 2014 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
You can watch the video from the star ceremony here.
Discover more from Urban Hollywood 411
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
