Following the death of Vernon in a road accident, the brothers decided to try their hand at doo-wop and moved to New York to find a recording deal.

After the inclusion of younger brothers Ernie and Marvin and brother-in-law Chris Jasper, Kelly, Rudy and Ron didn't write as much as they did in the past but in an agreement shared parts of the composition credits as they owned the songs' publishing.

The Isley Brothers also gave a homeless Jimi Hendrix his first major steady gig when he joined their backing band on tour.

On March 31, 1986, O'Kelly suddenly died of a heart attack at the age of 48 in his Alpine, New Jersey home leaving behind two sons, Frank and Doug.

The Isley Brothers' follow-up record following Kelly's death, Smooth Sailin', was dedicated to him and featured their tribute song, "Send A Message".