Today the great singer, songwriter, and producer Ronald Isley celebrates his 83rd birthday. He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio and like many singers, started singing in the church choir. After he appeared on a TV amateur hour show, he and his brothers decided to move to New York to continue their musical careers.
The Isley Brothers had some success recording some doo-wop songs, but in 1959 they signed with RCA records and released their smash hit “Shout!” They would eventually sign with Motown records, but always felt as though they never got the attention or promotion that other groups on the label received, so the split from Motown and returned to their own label – T-Neck Records, which they started in 1964. This allowed them a lot more control over what they recorded.
In one interview, Ronald Isley says he wrote this song while dropping his daughter off at school one day. He didn’t want to forget the lyrics so he hummed it in his head and rushed straight to his mother’s house to write it out. He sang it for his eldest brother O’Kelly, who thought it to be a hit, so they set up studio time to record it. They were right – it was a hit. It shot straight up to number 2 on the charts (prevented by The Age of Aquarius from hitting number 1).
The song’s success led to some really nasty legal battles. Berry Gordy of Motown Records filed a lawsuit claiming The Isleys were still under contract when they recorded It’s Your Thing. The court case went on for 18 years before a federal judge ruled that The Isley Brothers had recorded it after the Motown contract had lapsed. I have to wonder if Gordy pursued the lawsuit for so long because of the salt that the Isleys rubbed in his open wound. You see, in February of 1970 the Isley Brothers became the first former Motown act to win a Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group.
To me, this song remains one of the “funkiest” songs in history! There are so many great things happening instrumentally in the song, and Ronald’s vocal is fantastic!
Happy Birthday, Mr. Isley!
It’s Your Thing
It’s your thing, do what you wanna do
I can’t tell you, who to sock it to
It’s your thing, do what you wanna do
I can’t tell you, who to sock it to
If you want me to love you, maybe I will
Believe me woman, it ain’t no big deal
You need love now, just as bad as I do
Make’s me no difference now, who you give your thing to
It’s your thing, do what you wanna do
I can’t tell you, who to sock it to
It’s your thing, do what you wanna do
I can’t tell you, who to sock it to
It’s your thing, do what you wanna do
I can’t tell you, who to sock it to
It’s your thing, do what you wanna do
I can’t tell you, who to sock it to
I’m not trying to run your life, I know you wanna do what’s right
Give your love now, to whoever you choose
How can you lose, with the stuff you use now
It’s your thing, do what you wanna do
I can’t tell you, who to sock it to
It’s your thing, do what you wanna do
Don’t let me tell you, who to sock it to
It’s your thing, I do what I wanna do
I can’t tell you, who to sock it to
Various Ramblings of a Nostalgic Italian 