Singer Marvin Isley dead at 56
MARVIN ISLEY SUFFERED FROM DIABETES; DEAD AT 56. By Michael Ayers
CHICAGO – Marvin Isley, bassist for the legendary R&B/funk-infused group the Isley Brothers, died June 6 in Chicago at the age of 56, as Chicago Now first reported. While Isley was too young to join his three older brothers in the group in the ’60s, he and his guitarist brother Ernie, along with cousin Chris Jasper on keyboards, were ushered into the band in the early 1970s after it signed with Epic and started working on ‘3+3,’ the group’s first gold album.
Though the pre-Marvin days saw the Isleys chart with songs including ‘Twist and Shout,’ ‘This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)’ and ‘It’s Your Thing,’ Marvin’s bass playing helped usher in a fresher, funkier side of the group, with well-known staples such as ‘Fight the Power,’ ‘That Lady’ and ‘For the Love of You.’ Along with the rest of his Isleys, Marvin was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 and eventually retired from active playing in 1997, due to complications stemming from diabetes. Both his legs were eventually amputated due to his condition.
Marvin and Ernie Isley and Chris Jasper split from the Isley Brothers for a brief time, forming the Isley-Jasper-Isley trio and scoring a US No. 1 R&B hit with ‘Caravan of Love’ in 1985. The Isley Brothers’ and Marvin’s output didn’t see commercial success in the ’80s and ’90s, yet they made their mark on the world of hip-hop, with many of their songs sampled over the years by the likes of Ice Cube, N.W.A., Jim Jones and Lily Allen. Via L.A. Weekly, watch this clip of Isley performing with his band on ‘Soul Train’ in 1974.
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To watch the Isley Brothers’ “Secret Lover” video, click the play arrow.