O'Kelly Isley, Jr.

O'Kelly Isley, Jr. (December 25, 1937 Ô[][] March 31, 1986), better known as Kelly Isley, was an American singer and one of the founding members of the legendary family group, The Isley Brothers. Born the eldest of six boys to Sally and O'Kelly Isley, Sr. in Cincinnati, Ohio, Kelly, started singing in church at an early age. By the time he was in teens, he was singing regularly with his younger brothers Rudy Isley and Ron Isley. In 1957, following the death of fourth brother Vernon, the 19-year-old Kelly, and his two brothers Rudy, 18, and Ron, 16, moved from Cincinnati to New York finding deals with local labels cutting regional doo-wop singles. Their regional success eventually landed the group a deal with the established RCA label in 1959. By the summer of 1959, the Isley family had moved from Cincinnati to a home in Englewood, New Jersey. Following a concert tour where they had opened for R&B legend Jackie Wilson, Kelly and his brothers wrote "Shout". Mixing gospel with rhythm and blues, the song became an early signature hit for the trio. Three years later, the group's frenetic cover of "Twist & Shout" established the trio. After a brief run with Motown Records, the brothers reformed their own T-Neck Records label in 1969. Kelly served as an executive of the label along with Rudy while Ron was the label's president. The trio's next big hit was 1969's "It's Your Thing".