Here's some news, long delayed, that should make fans of the Isley Brothers want to … Shout!
On June 24, a street in Teaneck will be renamed for the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers, who have roots in Teaneck and Englewood.
At 2 p.m. that day,a section ofVan Arsdale Place, from Teaneck RoadtoRensselaerRoad, will be rechristened The Isley Brothers Way. RonIsley, who once lived on Van Arsdale, and his brother Ernie are both expected to be there for the ceremony.
"It's a great big wow for this to happen," Ernie Isley said. "It's really humbling, and really wonderful."
The seven Isleys — Ronald, Ernie, Rudolph,Vernon (deceased), O'Kelly (deceased), Marvin(deceased) and Chris Jasper— have a storied music career spanning five decades that includes hits like "Shout!" "Twist and Shout""It's Your Thing" and "Contagious"; two Grammys, including a lifetime achievement award;four top-10 Billboard singles, and 16 albums on the top-40.
They also have a long association with this area.
In 1964, they named their own label, T-Neck Records, after the town where Ronwas living at the time. Rudolph, too, was a Teaneck resident. Ernie, Marvin, Chris and O'Kelly represented the Englewood branch of the firm (Vernon died before the brothers left their original home in Cincinnati).
"Van Arsdale was about maybe a 15-minute walk from Liberty Road, where we grew up," Ernie Isley said. "I remember going to see Ron, and that's where he was."
Music:
Teaneck news:Township honors man whose legacy 'runs deep through the veins' of the community
The pop culture impact of the Isleys goes far beyond their own records. The Beatles had a hit with their "Twist andShout." Jimi Hendrix — then Jimmy Hendrix — got his professional start backing the Isleys, and also lived with Ernie in Englewood from 1963 to 1965. "Shout!" (though not performed by the Isleys) was the song that Bluto, Otter and the rest of the Deltas toga-partied to in the 1978 hit "Animal House."
'It speaks to Teaneck's diversity'
As a matter of fact, it was that scene, in that movie, that sparked the street-naming project.
"I was watching TV and the movie 'Animal House' was on," said Teaneck resident Ira Buckman. "I've seen 'Animal House' an umpteen number of times. The highlight is the toga party scene —and the highlight of the toga party scene is when the band plays 'Shout!' Two thoughts occurred to me. I knew 'Shout! was by the Isley Brothers. And I knew the Isley Brothers were from Teaneck. Wouldn't it be nice to name a street in their honor?"
Some people might consider him an unlikelyR&B fan, Buckman said; he's an Orthodox Jew. But that's the point — the Isley Brothers represent a joy, an energy, that transcends culture.
"The fact that the idea happened to come to me might be seen as an interesting oddity," he said. "I think it speaks to Teaneck's diversity."
In August2019, Buckman presented the idea to the Township Council. It was quite a presentation.
"I always feel that the best way to make a point is the most effective way possible," he said. "Instead of just telling the council members about the Isley Brothers, about how great they are, I went to YouTube on my phone, got the video for 'Shout!' and I just put my phone up to the microphone. And I was able to demonstrate the joy of the music.Usually town council meetings are pretty boring, bland. This was electrifying. I got a lot of compliments doing it."
The council got back to him, saying the proposal had been approved. But that left the question:Which street should be named for the Isleys? "I did not even know at the time which street they lived on," Buckman said.
So he created a Facebook group, soliciting information. That's how he heard from several residents of Van Arsdale — in particular, two neighbors of Ron's from back in the day,Connie Robertson and Kim McClowStewart.
"I grew up with Ron Isley," said Stewart, who now lives in Georgia. "He had four children, and in my household my parents had two children. I went to his house almost every day, and my parents would entertain his family. We used to swim in his pool every summer. Mr. Isley taught my younger sister how to swim."
That was in the 1960s, but Stewart is still close to the Isleys. She contacted them and found they were excited about the idea of renaming the street. So was she.
"It's an exciting thing. I embraced it immediately,"Stewart said. And well deserved, too, from a civic standpoint. The Isleys, because of their T-Neck label, helped put the town on the map. "Whenever I mention Teaneck,wherever I go, I say'Teaneck' and people say, 'That's the Isley Brothers' town,'" Stewart said.
Great minds think alike
Things were just getting off the ground when COVID hit.
The project, like so many, went into suspended animation for more than a year. Then Teaneck Planning Board member Darryl Greene —independently — turned his thoughts to the Isleys. They had just done a livestreaming Easter concert, with Earth Wind & Fire, that had gotten700,000 viewers on the webcast series Verzuz. The Isley Brothers were trending.
"Being an Isley Brothers fan, I think the younger generation needs to learn more about their R&B history," he said.
He approached Deputy Mayors Mark Schwartz andElie Katz, and CouncilwomanKaren Lew Orgen, about the possibility of dedicating an Isley Brothers Street. "Mark and Elie said, 'Hey, listen, we had a resident bring this up,' " Greene said. That's when he learned about Ira Buckman holding his iPhone up to the mic.
It was Greene, a former A&R man who has many connections in the music industry,who called the Isleys'management and worked out a date when the two key Isleys — Ron and Ernie — would both be in the area. He went further. "Iadded this proclamation, that June 24, and every June 24 thereafter, will be known as Isley Brothers Day," he said.
It took more than one Isleyto make the Isley Brothers happen. So, too,it took more than one Isley fanto make their street happen.
"For me," Greene said, "it was just a real joy to come in and help this thing, to make it come to fruition."
Jim Beckerman is an entertainment and culture reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access tohis insightfulreports about how you spend your leisure time,please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
Email:beckerman@northjersey.com
Twitter:@jimbeckerman1
