Isley Brothers, The

The Isley Brothers are one of the most enduring and influential acts in American music, building a prodigious body of innovative, infectious work that's broadened rhythm and blues' creative boundaries while keeping the combo at the forefront for more than a century. For many listeners, though, there's no beating the Isleys' raw, raucous early work, which combined gospel fervor and roadhouse grit to create rousing, transcendent music.

The Isley Brothers' 1962 hit "Twist & Shout" marked a crucial breakthrough for the legendary trio. Recorded with producer/songwriter Bert Berns for Scepter Records' Wand subsidiary, the song became a major pop/R&B crossover hit. It also became a cultural anthem whose influence extended across the Atlantic and caught the ear of the Beatles, whose version of the song also became a transatlantic smash.