Ernest Isley
| Ernie Isley | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Ernest Isley |
| Born |
March 7, 1952 Cincinnati, Ohio, United States |
| Genres | R&B, funk, funk rock, rock |
| Occupation(s) | Songwriter, drummer, bassist, guitarist, percussionist, vocalist |
| Instruments | Guitar, drums, bass |
| Years active | 1969–present |
| Associated acts | The Isley Brothers, Isley-Jasper-Isley, Ernie Isley |
Ernest "Ernie" Isley (born March 7, 1952) is a member of the American musical ensemble The Isley Brothers.
Ernie was born in Cincinnati, where his older brothers formed The Isley Brothers, first as a gospel group, then as a secular singing group. In 1960 his family moved to Englewood/Teaneck, New Jersey. He resides in St. Louis, Missouri.
Jimi Hendrix lived in the Isley home and played guitar for The Isley Brothers for two years, 1963-65. 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 Jimi Hendrix style of guitar playing and José Feliciano's version of "Light My Fire" and in 1968 got his first guitar. He is a self-taught musician and watched Jimi playing hid electric guitar in the backroom of the Isley home. In 1968 he did his first professional recording, playing bass on the Isleys' breakthrough funk smash "It's Your Thing", 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 Isley Brothers in 1973, becoming a multi-instrumentalist playing acoustic guitar, electric guitar, drums and percussion.
Ernie is a prolific songwriter, penning "Fight the Power (Part 1 & 2)", Harvest for the World", "Voyage to Atlantis", "(At Your Best) You Are Love", "Footsteps In the Dark", "Brown Eyed Girl" and co-writing "That Lady", "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". In 1984, Ernie, Marvin and Chris formed the group Isley-Jasper-Isley, releasing their number one album Caravan of Love.
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