the isley brothers

August 7 has been a great day for album releases! Let’s revisit the soloists, duos and groups who have helped make today a fertile day in hip-hop history with debuts, comebacks and earthly farewells.

In honor of the 'The RCA Victor & T-Neck Album Masters (1959-1983),' a beautifully compiled 23-disc box that gathers 21 of the group's earliest bestselling LPs while tacking on a healthy array of previously unreleased bonus material, the Isley Brothers' Ernie Isley and Chris Jasper look back on classic Isley projects.

On June 16, 1962, the Isley Brothers released "Twist and Shout," which quickly climbed the charts and become a party standard for other R&B and rock and roll groups to include in their sets.

It's been said that today's true R&B singers are the last of a dying breed. Longtime fans of the genre lament that it's not what it once was, having been diluted by dance and hip-hop influences as of late. Nonetheless, great R&B has flooded 2012, by the likes of newer artists like Miguel, Frank Ocean, Elle Varner and Emeli Sande. Fresh ...

Marvin Isley, namesake bassist for the soul-funk pioneers the Isley Brothers, died in Chicago on June 6. He was 56. In the Sixties, Marvin followed in the musical footsteps of his older brothers, first starting a band with his brother Ernie and cousin Chris Jasper...

The new Ghostface Killah album, 'The Wizard of Poetry,' is upon us, and it's about time to start getting pumped. Billed as a collection of mature, relationship-themed R&B duets, Tony Starks tackles his classic soul beats with hooks from some of today's hottest vocalists (John Legend, Lloyd and Raheem DeVaughn to name a few). In ...