Ernest Isley (born March 7, 1952) is an American musician, best known as a member of the

musical ensemble A musical ensemble, also known as a music group or musical group, is a group of people who perform instrumental and/or vocal music, with the ensemble typically known by a distinct name. Some music ensembles consist solely of instrumentalists, ...

The Isley Brothers The Isley Brothers ( ) are an American musical group originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, that began as a vocal trio consisting of brothers O'Kelly Isley Jr., Rudolph Isley and Ronald Isley in the 1950s. With a career spanning over seven decades, ...

, and also the splinter group

Isley-Jasper-Isley Isley-Jasper-Isley was a splinter group of the Isley Brothers formed in 1984 by brother-in-law Chris Jasper (keyboards), Ernie Isley (lead guitar), and Marvin Isley (bass), due to creative differences that arose among the group. Jasper, a ...

Biography

Ernie was born in Cincinnati, where his older brothers formed

, first as a gospel group, then as a secular singing group. In 1960, his family moved to Englewood/

Teaneck, New Jersey Teaneck () is a township in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a bedroom community in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the township's population was 39,776, reflecting an increase of 516 (+1.3%) f ...

. He attended

Dwight Morrow High School Dwight Morrow High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in Englewood, in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Englewood Public School District. The school also serves students from Engle ...

. He resides in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

. Ernie started playing drums at 12. His first live gig as a member of his brothers' band was as a drummer in 1966 at the age of 14. Ernie was influenced by

José Feliciano José Montserrate Feliciano García (born September 10, 1945) () is a Puerto Rican musician, singer and composer. He recorded many international hits, including his rendition of the Doors' "Light My Fire" and his self-penned Christmas song " ...

's version of "

Light My Fire "Light My Fire" is a song by the American rock band the Doors. It was recorded in August 1966 and released in January 1967 on their eponymous debut album. Released as an edited single on April 24, 1967, it spent three weeks at number one on ...

" and in 1968 got his first guitar. He is a self-taught musician. In 1968 he did his first professional recording, playing bass on the Isley Brothers' breakthrough funk smash "

It's Your Thing "It's Your Thing" is a funk single by The Isley Brothers. Released in 1969, the anthem was an artistic response to Motown chief Berry Gordy's demanding hold on his artists after the Isleys left the label in late 1968. The lyrics of the chorus, w ...

", released in 1969. He played electric guitar, acoustic guitar, and drums on the group's early 1970s albums '' Get Into Something'', '' Givin' It Back'', and '' Brother, Brother, Brother'', before fully joining the group in 1973, becoming a multi-instrumentalist playing acoustic guitar, electric guitar, drums and percussion. Ernie is a prolific songwriter, penning, among others, "

Fight the Power (Part 1 & 2) "Fight the Power" (sometimes titled as "Fight the Power (Part 1 and Part 2)") is a song recorded by the Isley Brothers, who released the song as the first single off their landmark album, '' The Heat Is On''. The song is notable for the usage ...

Harvest for the World ''Harvest for the World'' is the fourteenth studio album released by The Isley Brothers on their T-Neck imprint on May 29, 1976. The album was remastered and expanded for inclusion in the 2015 released CD box set ''The RCA Victor & T-Neck Alb ...

", "Voyage to Atlantis", "

(At Your Best) You Are Love "(At Your Best) You Are Love" is a song by the Isley Brothers, originally a radio hit in 1976. It was originally dedicated to their mother. Personnel *Ronald Isley: lead vocals, background vocals *O'Kelly Isley, Jr.: background vocals *Rudolph ...

", " Footsteps In the Dark", "Brown Eyed Girl" and co-writing "

That Lady ''That Lady'' is a 1955 British-Spanish historical romantic drama film directed by Terence Young and produced by Sy Bartlett and Ray Kinnoch. It stars Olivia de Havilland, Gilbert Roland, and Paul Scofield. The film is based on a 1946 histo ...

", " Between the Sheets" and " Take Me To The Next Phase". His guitar riffs are recognizable on " Summer Breeze", "That Lady", "Voyage To Atlantis" and "

Choosey Lover "Choosey Lover" is a 1983 soul song by The Isley Brothers (Originally titled "Juicy Lover"). Released on their T-Neck imprint, the song was their second consecutive top ten R&B hit after their seminal " Between the Sheets" hit No. 3 on that chart ...

". In 1984, Ernie, Marvin and Chris formed the group Isley-Jasper-Isley, releasing three albums. In 1990, Ernie released his first solo album, ''

High Wire Tightrope walking, also called funambulism, is the skill of walking along a thin wire or rope. It has a long tradition in various countries and is commonly associated with the circus. Other skills similar to tightrope walking include slack rope ...

''. In the same year he recorded a cover version of

The Cars The Cars were an American rock band formed in Boston in 1976. Emerging from the new wave scene in the late 1970s, they consisted of Ric Ocasek (rhythm guitar), Benjamin Orr (bass guitar), Elliot Easton (lead guitar), Greg Hawkes ( keyboards) ...

' "Let's Go" for the compilation album '' Rubáiyát''. In 1991, he rejoined Ronald and Marvin on tour and in the studio. In 1996 they released their platinum CD '' Mission to Please'', and in 2001 "

Eternal Eternal(s) or The Eternal may refer to: * Eternity, an infinite amount of time, or a timeless state * Immortality or eternal life * God, the supreme being, creator deity, and principal object of faith in monotheism Comics, film and television * ...

", the lyrics to the title track is co-written by Ernie. The Isley Brothers were inducted into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. In 2014 the Isley Brothers received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2010 and 2011 he participated on the ''Experience Hendrix Tour''. He is a musician on the

Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreog ...

album ''

Discipline Discipline refers to rule following behavior, to regulate, order, control and authority. It may also refer to punishment. Discipline is used to create habits, routines, and automatic mechanisms such as blind obedience. It may be inflicted on ot ...

'', on the tracks "Never Letchu Go" and "The 1". He performed on the majority of the 2012

Joss Stone Joscelyn Eve Stoker (born 11 April 1987), known professionally as Joss Stone, is an English singer, songwriter and actress. She rose to prominence in late 2003 with her multi-platinum debut album, '' The Soul Sessions'', which made the 2004 Mer ...

CD '' The Soul Sessions Vol. 2''. Ernie and Ronald continue to work together on tour and in the studio. Ernie and Ronald teamed up with

Carlos Santana Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán (; born July 20, 1947) is an American guitarist who rose to fame in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band Santana, which pioneered a fusion of Rock and roll and Latin American jazz. Its sound feature ...

, releasing the 13 track ''The Power of Peace'' in 2017. In 2020, Ernie was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame as a member of the Isley Brothers, and is currently touring domestically and internationally with Ronald on ''The Isley Brothers 60th Anniversary Tour''.

Fender Custom Shop The Fender Custom Shop is a division of Fender Musical Instruments Corporation, housed within their headquarters complex in Corona, Riverside County, California. The Fender Custom Shop produces special-order guitars for customers through a Custo ...

has built for him three custom Zeal Stratocasters, using his personal design. Ernie is active as a musical mentor in schools and community music programs. He has been a returning guest lecturer at

Berklee School of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level course ...

in Boston. He is married and has one daughter, Alexandra Isley ( Alex Isley) who is also an R&B artist. He was awarded an honorary doctorate of music by the

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level course ...

on May 7, 2016.

References

External links

Ernie Isley Interview - NAMM Oral History Library (2014)The Isley Brothers' Ernie Isley (2020)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Isley, Ernie 1952 births Living people African-American guitarists African-American rock musicians American rock drummers Soul drummers American funk drummers American male drummers American funk guitarists American rock guitarists American soul guitarists American male guitarists Lead guitarists American Pentecostals Members of the Church of God in Christ The Isley Brothers members Musicians from Cincinnati Dwight Morrow High School alumni People from Englewood, New Jersey Musicians from St. Louis Songwriters from Ohio Guitarists from Missouri Guitarists from Ohio 20th-century American drummers 20th-century American guitarists African-American songwriters