The Isley Brothers: "Shout," "It's Your Thing," and "Testify"

I'm in Cincinnati for the weekend. My hosts are intent on providing me with an authentic Cinci experience, so our agenda includes both Graeter's ice cream and skyline chili, as well as drive-bys of Cinci landmarks like the Bengals stadium and the gorgeous Cincinnati Music Hall. I'm also pushing for a visit to the Creation Museum just across the border in Kentucky. I hear there are dinosaurs with saddles!

That...doesn't seem right.

But the Cincinnati cultural experience wouldn't be complete without the Isley Brothers, arguably the most famous musicians to come out of this mild-mannered, Midwestern town. (Apologies to both the Lachey brothers and Doris Day, who didn't make the cut.) The Isley Brothers featured a line-up of six different Isleys and an Isley-in-law. They started in gospel but switched to secular tunes in the mid-1950's, striking gold with their first hit, 1959's "Shout." Drunken toga parties haven't been the same since.

But they didn't stop there. Over the next 10 years the Isley Brothers released a bunch of songs that are still spun in R&B circles, including "Twist and Shout" (though the Beatles cover outsold the Isleys' original track). They didn't see huge success again until 1969, when they released "It's Your Thing" and won their only Grammy. They even performed the song at that year's ceremony:

After that, the Isley Brothers shuffled the line-up and their smashing success slowed to a dull roar, but they still managed to score at least one Hot 100 hit in each of six consecutive decades: the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. (Five of those decades saw a Top 40 hit.) They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.

And just because I love obscure music trivia, you might be interested to learn that a young Elton John played keyboards for the Isley Brothers' 1964 United Kingtom tour. And their 1966 single "Testify" features guitarist Jimmy James, later known as Jimi Hendrix. I wonder whether they introduced him to skyline chili...

Don't forget to watch the Grammys this Sunday at 8/7c on CBS. Live performances will feature Paul McCartney, Chris Brown, Rihanna, Coldplay, Mars, Foo Fighters, Taylor Swift, Jason Aldean, Kelly Clarkson, and Adele.

Jimi Hendrix: "Catfish Blues"

Making his weekly appearance, please welcome our new contributor, Juke Box Hero:

Brittany’s right, winter can be a good time for cozying up and cranking a few blue notes (though it doesn’t get that cold in the South – Muddy Waters was blue enough; who knows what he would’ve done if faced with Chicago winters and Cubs baseball). Still, the soulful singing and heavy rhythms of most blues tracks are fitting for a season that most people try to grind through, turning inward, rather than draw out with increased socializing (see: spring, summer, fall). And Mr. Hendrix knows a thing or two about grinding one out.

Though Jimi’s playing draws heavily from the blues, his more straightforward recordings in that genre have obviously been overshadowed by the trademark psychedelic rock. But the blues recordings that exist are no less remarkable. Over this past summer I happened upon the 1994 release Blues, a posthumous compilation of originals, covers, and previously unreleased material from Jimi. He pays homage to his blues idols, shows off his 12-string acumen, and juices these recordings with heady doses of shimmering, mind-blowing solos – delivering the blues as only ‘The Wild Man of Borneo’ can.

This "Catfish Blues" is no Hendrix original, but it is one grinding, guttural jam, the kind of hot, heavy blues that elicits leaden head bobbing and woeful sentiments from even the most well-off listeners. The embedded cut is apparently from the UK’s famous ‘Radio 1’ program(me) and has a slightly distant-sounding quality. Feeling slightly less connected with the recording only strengthens the piece’s against-the-world grit and, during Hendrix’s face-melting electric arias, utter other-worldliness. If only he was still living in this one.