O'Kelly Isley, Jr.
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O'Kelly Isley, Jr. (b. December 25, 1937, Cincinnati, Ohio – d. March 31, 1986, Englewood, New Jersey) was one of the founding members of the legendary family group, The Isley Brothers. Since the group's early years, he contributed heavily to the group's development co-writing some of the Isleys' stand-out hits including "Shout!" (he's the one behind Ronald singing ad-libs with him hollering out "good sound!"), It's Your Thing, Lay-Away, That Lady, Pt. 1 & 2, Fight the Power, Pt. 1 & 2 (to which he incorporated a lead alongside Ronald and Rudolph) and Between The Sheets.
O'Kelly remained a dedicated member to the group from its 1954 inception until he suddenly passed away, aged 48, on March 31, 1986, from a heart attack that related to a bout with cancer. O'Kelly's younger brothers Rudolph and Ronald dedicated their 1987 album, Smooth Sailing, to him.
