April 15, 1962: The Isley Brothers Release "Twist and Shout"

April 15, 1962: The Isley Brothers Release "Twist and Shout." It becomes not just one of their biggest hits, but one of the most famous songs in rock and roll.

O'Kelly Isley Jr. was born on Christmas Day, December 25, 1937; Rudolph Bernard Isley  on April 1, 1939; and Ronald Isley, on May 21, 1941. Known as Kelly, Rudy and Ronald, respectively, all were born in Cincinnati. A 4th brother, Vernon Isley, sang with them as boys, but was hit by a car and killed at age 13.

In 1957, with their parents' blessing -- O'Kelly Sr. had been a vaudeville performer -- Kelly, Rudy and Ronald moved to New York, and signed with music producer George Goldner, who had already "discovered" Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers and Little Anthony & The Imperials.

In 1959, having signed with RCA Victor Records, the Brothers wrote "Shout" and recorded it, produced by RCA producers Hugo & Luigi. Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore were both sons of Italian immigrants who had been in the music business.

"Shout" only reached Number 47 nationally, mainly due to the song's 4-minute, 25-second length that required it be split over both sides of the record -- the 2nd side of the record starting at, "Now, wa-a-ait a minute! I feel al-l-l-l-l right!" But it sold over 1 million copies. Scottish singer Lulu had a Top 10 hit on the British charts with it in 1964, and the song was also featured in the 1978 film Animal House.

The Isleys continued to struggle, until releasing "Twist and Shout." It reached Number 17 on Billboard magazine's Hot 100, and Number 2 on its Rhythm & Blues Chart. Authorship was credited to Phil Medley and Bert Russell. Phil was no relation to Bill Medley of The Righteous Brothers, although, in each case, the musical term "Medley" was his real name.

"Bert Russell" was not a real name. It was a pen name for Bertrand Russell Berns, born on November 8, 1929 in The Bronx. Bert Berns may have had a more profound effect upon human culture than his namesake, the British writer Bertrand Russell.

Under various names, including his own, he wrote "Twist and Shout," "A Little Bit of Soap" by the Jarmels, "Tell Him" by the Exciters," "I Want Candy" by the Strangeloves, "Hang On Sloopy" by the McCoys (originally released as "My Girl Sloopy" by the Vibrations), "Twenty Five Miles" by Edwin Starr, and "Piece of My Heart," by Erma Franklin, Aretha's sister, although it became a hit for Big Brother and the Holding Company, whose lead singer was Janis Joplin.

Unfortunately, like fellow Bronx native Bobby Darin, he suffered rheumatic fever as a child, which left him with a bad heart. He died on December 30, 1967, before "Piece of My Heart" became a hit. That song's title became the title of a Broadway musical built around his songs, premiering in 2014. He was elected as a songwriter to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The session of "Twist and Shout," with Ronald singing lead, was produced by Phil Spector, whose musical genius led him to produce several other songs that were among the best of that era -- and whose paranoia turned him into a monster who verbally abused pretty much everyone he came into contact with, and led to the physical abuse of a singer he discovered and married, Veronica Bennett, lead singer of The Ronettes. Better known as Ronnie Spector, her getaway from him was nearly as dramatic as the similar story of Ike and Tina Turner.

All four of The Beatles were big fans of American R&B music, and they had been playing "Twist and Shout" in their concerts since the record hit Britain. They recorded it as the last song in the day-long session for their 1st album, on February 11, 1963. By that point, John Lennon was so hoarse, he could barely get the words out, making this Irish Scouser sound almost as "gospel" as the black Cincinnatian Ronald Isley.

The Beatles hit Number 2 with it in America, with their own "She Loves You" keeping it out of the Number 1 spot. They used a shortened version of the song to open the concerts on their American tours in 1964, 1965 and 1966. In 1986, their version was featured in 2 American films, Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Back to School, leading to a re-release in which it hit Number 23.

In 1964, Jimi Hendrix served as the lead guitarist for the Isley Brothers' backing band, the I.B. Specials, but soon left. In 1965, the Isleys signed with Motown Records. In 1966, they had their biggest hit yet, with "This Old Heart of Mine," written by the Motown team of Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland. This was emblematic of the evolution of the doo-wop branch of rock and roll into soul music.

In 1968, unhappy with Motown boss Berry Gordy Jr. being a control freak, they moved to Teaneck, Bergen County, New Jersey, to be in the New York market. They signed with Buddah Records, who allowed them to record on the T-Neck Records label. In 1969, they recorded "It's Your Thing," which hit Number 2. It would be their biggest hit, kept out of the top spot by "Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine In" by The 5th Dimension.

Also in 1969, the Isleys headlined a music festival that was the 1st concert ever to be held at Yankee Stadium. The other acts were also signed to T-Neck, and the album Live at Yankee Stadium gave them all exposure.

In 1971, younger brothers Ernie Isley (born March 7, 1952 in Cincinnati) and Marvin Isley (born August 18, 1953 in Cincinnati), and brother-in-law Chris Jasper (born December 30, 1951 in Cincinnati), were added to the band, which became part of the shift from soul to funk, following such acts as James Brown, Sly & the Family Stone, and George Clinton's "P-Funk Empire." In 1972, they had a hit with a cover of Stephen Stills' "Love the One You're With." In 1973, they had hits with "That Lady" and a cover of Seals & Crofts' "Summer Breeze."

In 1975, they had a hit with "Fight the Power," a title later used for a different song by rap group Public Enemy. That was their last major hit, although they still sold plenty of albums. In 1984, the younger Isleys left, and formed a new band, Isley-Jasper-Isley. In 1989, Ronald joined with Rod Stewart for a cover of "This Old Heart of Mine," which became a Top 20 hit.

George Goldner died in 1970. Kelly Isley and Hugo Peretti died in 1986. Phil Medley died in 1997. Marvin Isley died in 2010. Luigi Creatore died in 2015. Phil Spector, convicted of murder, died in prison in 2021. As of April 15, 2022, Rudy, Ronald and Ernie Isley, and Chris Jasper, are still alive. Ronald and Ernie lead the current band with the Isley Brothers name. (UPDATE: Rudy died in 2023, Chris in 2025.)

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April 15, 1962 was a Sunday. These baseball games were played:

* The New York Mets lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates, 7-2 at the Polo Grounds. It was the 4th regular-season game in franchise history. They were now 0-4. They would reach 0-9. Félix Mantilla and Jim Marshall hit home runs for them. Smoky Burgess hit a 3-run homer for the Pirates. Roberto Clemente went 1-for-4 with an RBI.

* A doubleheader was split at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. The Baltimore Orioles won the 1st game, 5-1. The Boston Red Sox won the 2nd game, 5-4. Over the 2 games, Brooks Robinson went 1-for-8, and Carl Yastrzemski went 2-for-6 with 2 walks and 2 RBIs.

* The Los Angeles Angels beat the Minnesota Twins, 6-3 at Metropolitan Stadium in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington, Minnesota. Harmon Killebrew when 0-for-3 with a walk.

* The Chicago White Sox beat the Kansas City Athletics, 8-3 at Kansas City Municipal Stadium.

* The Milwaukee Braves beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 6-3 at the brand-new Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Hank Aaron went 3-for-4 with 2 RBIs, including his 274th career home run. Joe Torre went 2-for-5 with 2 RBIs. Bob Hendley outpitched Sandy Koufax. Three years later, Hendley started for the Cubs against the Dodgers. Hendley allowed 1 hit, Koufax none in a perfect game.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the San Francisco Giants, 4-3 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Bob Purkey outpitched Juan Marichal. Frank Robinson went 1-for-2 with an RBI, plus a sacrifice fly, and was hit with a pitch. Willie Mays went 3-for-5.

* The New York Yankees and the Detroit Tigers were rained out at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. The game was made up as part of a doubleheader on June 23. The Yankees won the opener, 8-4. Ralph Terry was the winning pitcher, advancing to 8-7 on the season. He went 23-12 that season. Yogi Berra hit a home run. Mickey Mantle singled, then had to leave the game with an injury. Roger Maris went 0-for-3 with a walk and an RBI.

The Tigers won the nightcap, 5-4. Paul Foytack outpitched Rollie Sheldon. The Tigers' biggest star in that era, Al Kaline, did not appear in either game. Mantle returned, and hit a home run. Clete Boyer also homered. Oddly, the Tigers outhomered the Yankees 3-0 in the 1st game, but lost; while the Yankees outhomered the Tigers 2-0 in the 2nd game, but lost.

* The Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals had their game at Wrigley Field in Chicago called off due to cold. That game was made up as part of a doubleheader on June 27. The Cards swept, 4-0 and 8-0. In the 1st game, Larry Jackson pitched a 4-hit shutout. In the 2nd game, Ray Sadecki pitched a 5-hit shutout, and Carl Sawatski hit 2 home runs. Over the 2 games, Stan Musial went 3-for-6 with a walk. Ernie Banks did not play in either game.

* The Washington Senators and the Cleveland Indians were rained out of a doubleheader at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. Both games were made up on August 13. The Senators swept, 11-2 and 3-2.

* And the expansion Houston Colt .45s and the Philadelphia Phillies were rained out of a doubleheader at Connie Mack Stadium in Philadelphia. Unusually, these games were not made up on a single off-day. One was made up on June 11, and the Phils won, 6-1. The other was made up on June 26, and the Phils won, 2-0. Jack Hamilton, 5 years before throwing the pitch that would curtail Tony Conigliaro's career, pitched a 2-hit shutout. That game did become the 1st game of a doubleheader, with the Phils winning the 2nd game, 6-4. The Colts became the Houston Astros in 1965.

Football was out of season. The NBA Finals were between Games 5 and 6. The Boston Celtics would beat the Los Angeles Lakers in 7 games.

Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals was played at Chicago Stadium. The Chicago Black Hawks, the defending Champions, beat the Toronto Maple Leafs, 3-0. But the Leafs went on to win the series in 6 games, starting a new dynasty.