Ronald Isley    (21 May 1941)

Rock and roll, funk, soul, piercing falsettos and soft tenors in ballads, Ronald Isley is one of the original belters and vocalists of the rock era!

Ronald Isley, an American pop, rock, soul, and R&B singer and the lead vocalist and founder of the legendary Isley Brothers, has "helmed the influential family group for close to a half century, a period spanning not only two generations of siblings but also massive cultural shifts that heralded their music's transformation from gritty R&B to Motown soul to blistering funk."

After signing with RCA in 1959, the Isley Brothers released "Shout!" which sold a million copies and has since become a legendary rock and roll staple. The group's next big hit was "Twist & Shout" (1962) and in 1968 they released "the hugely-successful funk anthem, "It's Your Thing", which won the group their only Grammy." They had a hit with "This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)" in 1966 which barely missed the pop Top Ten then but reached #10 when Ronald teamed up with Rod Steward to do a cover of the hit; it also "#1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.."

Ronald Isley sings rock & roll as well as funk and soul. In fact, he "is considered one of the original belters and vocalists of the rock era. After years singing in gritty gospel-infused vocals, Ronald introduced R&B audiences to his piercing falsetto and softer tenor in ballads which led to what critics hailed as some of the greatest love songs of all time."

"His vocals have helped the Isleys become the longest-running charted group in music history. Few

bands or artists could get away with having a hit in 1959 and still make hits in the new millennium as Isley has..."

Genre: Pop, Rock, R&B, Soul, disco

Sources:  (1)  (2)

Burt Bacharach    (12 May 1928)

One of the most important composers of the 20th century!

Burt Bacharach is "an award-winning American pianist and composer. He is best known for his many pop hits from 1962-70, with lyrics written by Hal David, many of which were recorded by Dionne Warwick."

"As of 2006, Bacharach had written a total of 70 Top 40 hits in the U.S., and 52 Top 40 hits in the UK."

 

"Bacharach's music is characterized by unusual chord progessions, striking syncopated rhythmic patterns, irregular phrasing, frequent modulation, and odd and changing meters. It tends toward a greater climactic effect than most popular music, especially greater than most popular music of the period in which he is most associated. Bacharach is more than just a songwriter, having himself arranged, conducted, and co-produced much of his recorded output. An example of his use of distinctive use of changing meter is found in "Promises, Promises" (from his score for the musical of the same name). In this song, he incorporates a very complex time signature sequence of |3/8|÷|4/8|3/8|÷|4/8|."

The team of  Bacharach and David with  Dionne Warwick's produced 15 Top 40 singles from 1962 to 1968 (including the Top Tens "Anyone Who Had a Heart," "Walk on By," "Message to Michael," "I Say a Little Prayer," "Valley of the Dolls," and "Do You Know the Way to San Jose?"). In England,  Frankie Vaughan, Cilla Black, Sandie Shaw, the Walker Brothers, and Herb Alpert all hit number one with Bacharach/David compositions.  During that time, they also contributed to movie scores  for What's New Pussycat?, Alfie, Casino Royale, and  Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) which won Oscars for Best Original Score and Best Theme Song for "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" (plus two non-musical Academy Awards).  The team also won a Grammy Award for the musical Promises, Promises in the late '60s."

On his own,  Bacharach: hit the charts in 1969 with "I'll Never Fall in Love Again;" reached #4 on the U.K. charts in 1965 with "Trains and Boats and Planes;" had a #1 hit with the Carpenters "(They Long to Be) Close to You" (1970); won an Oscar with "Arthur's Theme" (with the team of Christopher Cross, Carole Bayer Sager); had a top 20 hit with Roberta Flack's "Making Love" and Neil Diamond's s "Heartlight"; then had #1 hits with  "That's What Friends Are For" and "On My Own" (Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald); and continued to produce hits on stage and in recordings with other artists.

Genre: Pop

Sources:  (1)  (2)