"Testify" is an uptempo

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

song by the American

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

group

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, ...

. Written by the Isleys and recorded in 1964, it followed several successful singles by the group and was the first single to appear on their own T-Neck record label. Music critic

Richie Unterberger Richie Unterberger (born January 19, 1962) is an American author and journalist whose focus is popular music and travel writing. Life and writing Unterberger attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he wrote for the university newspaper '' ...

describes "Testify" as "a delightful track, one that worked as a both an out-and-out raver and a novelty", praising it as "tremendously exciting uptempo soul music".

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

provided the guitar parts, which Unterberger identifies as one of the best examples of his pre-Experience recordings.

Lyrics and composition

The practice of "testifying" is used in churches in the American South to express belief in Christian faith and experiences. For their song, the Isleys parody the practice: During the song, others are called upon and testify briefly, including "Raymond, the genius, Ray", "James from Augusta, Georgia", "our friend Stevie", "another friend that lives in Detroit called Jackie", and "across the water ... them cats with long hair". The Isley Brothers respond, imitating the singing styles of

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...

Jackie Wilson Jack Leroy Wilson Jr. (June 9, 1934 – January 21, 1984) was an American singer and performer of the 1950s and 60s. He was a prominent figure in the transition of rhythm and blues into soul. Nicknamed "Mr. Excitement", he was considered a mas ...

and

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

Ronald Isley Ronald Isley (; born May 21, 1941) is an American recording artist, songwriter, record producer, and occasional actor. Isley is the lead singer and founding member of the family music group The Isley Brothers. Early life Born in 1941 to Sally ...

provides the lead vocals, with

Rudolph Isley Rudolph Bernard Isley (born April 1, 1939 in Cincinnati, Ohio) is an American singer-songwriter and is one of the founding members of The Isley Brothers. Life and career Born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, Rudy began singing in church at a youn ...

and

O'Kelly Isley Jr. O'Kelly "Kelly" Isley Jr. (December 25, 1937 – March 31, 1986) was an American singer and one of the founding members of the family group the Isley Brothers. Biography The eldest of the Isley Brothers, Kelly started singing with his brothe ...

supplying the background vocals. Due to its length of nearly six minutes, "Testify" was split into two parts for release as a single. Although it missed the record charts, it later gained wider exposure as one of the first recordings featuring guitarist

Hendrix involvement

The Isley Brothers were one of the first groups that Hendrix recorded and toured with after relocating to New York's Harlem neighborhood from Nashville, Tennessee. Hendrix biographer Harry Shapiro describes his guitar parts for the song as "churning, hard-hitting rhythm chords and fluid blues-inspired solo breaks". Unterberger notes Hendrix's "spindly, roving electric guitar" in the opening section, and about ten seconds of "really wild, unhinged R&B soloing" later in the track. In 2010, "Testify" was included on the Hendrix compilation '' West Coast Seattle Boy: The Jimi Hendrix Anthology'', along with several other of his pre-Experience recordings. American blues guitarist

Stevie Ray Vaughan Stephen Ray Vaughan (October 3, 1954 – August 27, 1990) was an American musician, best known as the guitarist and frontman of the blues rock trio Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble. Although his mainstream career spanned only seven years, ...

recorded the song for his 1983 debut album ''

Texas Flood ''Texas Flood'' is the debut studio album by the American blues rock band Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, released on June 13, 1983 by Epic Records. The album was named after a cover featured on the album, " Texas Flood", which was first ...

''. Music writer

Brad Tolinski Brad Tolinski (born 1958) was the editor-in-chief of ''Guitar World Magazine'' for 25 years (1989–2015). He also served as editorial director of NewBay Media's music division, which also includes ''Guitar Aficionado'' and ''Revolver'' magazines. H ...

calls it "More a tip of the hat than a cover ... one of Vaughan’s very best performances".

References

{{Authority control 1964 songs The Isley Brothers songs Songs written by Ronald Isley Songs written by O'Kelly Isley Jr. Songs written by Rudolph Isley 1964 singles Jimi Hendrix songs Stevie Ray Vaughan songs