Ronald Isley suffers minor stroke...

[rasputin]

Of concern to Burt fans... 8/4/04


LOS ANGELES - Soul veteran Ronald Isley, the lead singer with the
Isley Brothers, has suffered a minor stroke, but hopes to resume
performing as soon as possible, a spokeswoman for his record label
said on Thursday.

Isley, 63, felt unwell while walking along a street in London last
Friday, checked into a local hospital for a few days, and has since
returned to his home in St. Louis, Mo., said the spokeswoman at Def
Soul Classics.

She said his speech did not appear to be affected, and he had assured
the label that he would be fine and wanted to get back on the road
quickly.

Ronald Isley founded the Isley Brothers with older siblings Rudolph
and O'Kelly in the 1950s, and the group made it big in the ensuing
decades with such soul classics as "Twist and Shout" and "This Old
Heart of Mine."

The band's most recent album, "Body Kiss," topped the U.S. pop charts
last year, and Ronald Isley subsequently collaborated with composer
Burt Bacharach (news) on an album featuring reworked versions of
Bacharach-David nuggets like "Alfie" and "Close to You."[/b]