After several snubs, Grammys honor Isley Brothers

The Isley Brothers

The Grammys have been a little stingy when it comes to the Isley Brothers.

The group, as legendary and influential as any, should have a closet full of Grammy Awards. But there’s only one, a single trophy won in 1969 for “It’s Your Thing.”

That’s right, the Isley Brothers missed out on Grammy Awards for “Shout,” “Twist & Shout,” “Between the Sheets,” “This Old Heart of Mine,” “Fight the Power,” “Summer Breeze” or “Harvest for the World,” not to mention any of the band’s albums.

Ernie, Ronald, Ronald Jr. and Chris Jasper
at the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award ceremony Jan. 25

“I don’t know what to call it,” says Ronald Isley from the sprawling basement of his Town and Country home shortly before he and his family flew to Los Angeles for the ceremonies. “Can you imagine not having a Grammy for ‘Between the Sheets,’ the biggest record by anybody?” The song has been heavily sampled by many other artists over the years, including the Notorious B.I.G and Gwen Stefani.

“I’ve been nominated so many times I stopped going, like ‘hey man I ain’t going to that junk,’” he says. “It didn’t mean that much to me at one time until people would say they had this many Grammys.”

This weekend, the Recording Academy looks to right the situation by giving the Isley Brothers the Lifetime Achievement Grammy in a special ceremony Saturday night in advance of Sunday night’s Grammys, which Isley will attend as well. Other lifetime achievement award recipients include the Beatles, Kraftwerk and Kris Kristofferson.

He will accept the award along with his brother, guitarist Ernie Isley, and keyboardist Chris Jasper. Brother Rudolph Isley will not attend.

Isley is going to the ceremonies with an entourage of 16, including his family and his friend Judge Greg Mathis.

September 17, 2011--
The Isley Brothers perform at Chaifetz Arena

Isley says he was certain he would win a Grammy when he teamed up with Burt Bacharach for their project, “Here I Am,” in 2003. He also thought his duet with Aretha Franklin of “You’ve Got a Friend” from his 2010 album “Mr. I,” was a candidate, though neither work yielded a Grammy.

Isley’s latest album, “This Song Is for You,” wasn’t nominated either.

While some artists downplay the Grammys, Isley says: “It means everything because it means something to the people, like ‘oh, you got the Lifetime Achievement Award.’ ”

To Isley, that award, in particular, is a big deal. “I talked to the president of the Grammys, and he explained how important it was. I know it will be important to our fans. It’s one of the biggest deals we’ve ever been involved with. Everyone is excited,” he says. “I’m looking forward to seeing some of the Beatles. They started their career a little after ours.”

Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr of the Beatles will perform during Sunday night’s ceremony, though the Isley Brothers will not.

“How come me and Paul are not up there doing ‘Twist & Shout’? When we did it in the Hamptons, it was the greatest thing the audience could have ever seen,” Isley says. “I would have been elated to do a song but for whatever reason they (the Grammy producers) didn’t ask. If Paul said ‘I think we should do a song with the Isley Brothers,’ it would have happened.”

Still, he’s grateful. “I don’t want to complain,” he says. “The Lord has been the best with us and I’m still doing it. We’ve been blessed. We accomplished the hopes and prayers our mother and father had from the beginning. They wanted us to last as long as the Mills Brothers. We’ve lasted as long as anything.”

By Kevin C. Johnson is the popular music critic and nightlife reporter