Soul survivors: veteran groups top charts for more than 40 years - music groups

Ebony, July, 1997 by Joy Bennett Kinnon

Like fine wine, the music of The Dells, The Four Tops, The Isley Brothers and The O'Jays has improved with age and is now in its full bodied prime, ready to be savored by a new generation of music connoisseurs.

With four decades of hits behind them, these groups still command sellout audiences today. The only difference is that today's crowds range from pre-schoolers to grandparents, each enjoying the music of his own day.

Their music was covered by White artists in the '50s and '60s and is sampled by rap artists in the '90s, but these groups are still showing the kids how it's done. Most groups of their era exist in name only, with little-known substitutes for the original members. Not so with these venerable groups. Three have most of the original members. Amazingly, 43 years later, The Four Tops has all of the original members.

What has kept them together in this microwave era of instant stardom, in a time when one-hit wonders are common and groups disband after their first hit CD?

While there are no easy answers, these four groups share some striking similarities. All are either family members or childhood friends. All started singing in the church. Three of the four groups still live in or near their small hometowns, and all share a passionate commitment to God, their work and to one another.

"The magic word is love," says Abdul (Duke) Fakir of The Four Tops. `We found out that four people are much stronger than one. We broke through many, many barriers because of that love for each other."

Breaking barriers through record sales has become commonplace to these hitmakers, who began cranking out million-selling records in the late 1950s and continue to be successful today.

The Isley Brothers made their professional debut in 1957, signing with several local labels after leaving their hometown of Cincinnati in 1956 for New York City.

The Isley Brothers' first hit was "Shout" in 1959. Ronald, Marvin and Ernie Isley's latest hit album is the 1996 release, "Mission to Please," which achieved gold status only eight weeks after its release, recently was certified platinum, and is still on the charts. It is the 28th album from the group, which has had six platinum albums and six gold albums.

The group's style has ranged from the gospel-flavored hit tune of the '50s, "Shout," to the dance tune from the '60s, "Twist and Shout," to a string of hits, some funky, like "It's Your Thing," and ending with the smoldering sensuality the group has become known for in the last two decades. The Isley Brothers are masters of lyrical seduction with hits such as "For the Love of You," "Make Me Say It Again, Girl," "Don't Say Goodnight" and "Between The Sheets."

"Our group is like the Old Testament and the New Testament of Rock and Roll or whatever you want to call it," says Ron Isley. He's not exaggerating. The Beatles were discovered doing Isley Brothers songs. The Beatles hit "Twist and Shout," was recorded by The Isley Brothers in 1962.

Staying current is old hat to these groups. The Dells, who made their professional debut in 1953, were the subject of a movie, The Five Heartbeats. The group's hit from that movie, "A Heart Is A House For Love," hit No. 1 and dominated the charts in 1991.

Movie director Robert Townsend initially set out to make a comedy about the Black vocal stand-up groups of the '50s and '60s, but after meeting with The Dells, he changed his script.

"Ain't nothing funny about this life," says Dells member Charles (Chuck) Barksdale. He and other Black entertainers remember when their exquisite harmonies and showmanship weren't enough, and they had to contend with segregation not only in public accommodations, but on the charts as well.

In 1956 The Dells recorded the original "Oh What A Night," which became the group's first million-seller. "They used to call that race music, and they refused to play it on the pop stations," says Barksdale.

That song became a million-seller again for the group in 1969. The group's song, "Stay in My Corner," was the first million-selling single that was six minutes and 10 seconds long, and "Give Your Baby A Standing Ovation," another well-known Dells tune, went gold in 1973. So far, the group has released 19 albums and 44 singles including three gold albums, seven gold singles, plus 25 charted top 40 hits.

The Dells--Marvin Junior, Johnnie Carter, Charles Barksdale, Michael McGill and Verne Allison--all hail from Harvey, Ill., and have a street (Dells Way) named for them in their hometown. In addition, they recently received citations from the Illinois Senate and House of Representatives.

The Dells are also the recipients of The Rhythm & Blues Foundation's "Pioneer Hall of Fame Award," the 24th Annual NAACP Image Award and the Soul of American Music Award, along with many lifetime achievement awards.

"Back then we had youth on our side," says McGill. "We have been through an awful lot in our tumultuous career. It was a real struggle."

In the late '50s, the group's members made a paltry $14 apiece a week. But money was not the motivation in those days. The groups just wanted to work. "We weren't making a lot of money," says Fakir of The Four Tops, "but we were making enough to hang in there. They were learning years, and we had fun."