In their prime, when they were making such global hits as That Lady and Harvest for the World, the most physically imposing of the Isley Brothers – sharply bearded, stern of countenance, wearing embroidered capes and shirts with billowing collars, and carrying a jewelled walking cane that might have been the symbol of office of an elder of the group – was Rudolph Isley, who has died aged 84.
The Isleys had the distinction of enjoying hits across six consecutive decades, from Shout in 1959 to Contagious in 2001, after Rudolph had departed. Spanning the evolution in Black American popular music from doo-wop to hip-hop, their successes during his active years included genre-defining hits with This Old Heart of Mine (1966), a Motown classic, the funk favourite It’s Your Thing (1969), and the boudoir soul of Between the Sheets (1983).
