Keep On Doin'
Encyclopedia
"Keep On Doin'" is a 1970 funk
song by The Isley Brothers
, released on their T-Neck
imprint. Issued as the first release off their Get Into Something
album, the self-penned and produced single, like many of the group's releases in this time period after "It's Your Thing
", cemented their place in the pop music
world. The song is a boisterous in-your-face funk
anthem that confesses to the listening audience to "keep on doing what you're doing 'til you can't do what you're doing no more". The song charted at number seventy-five pop and was a top 20 R&B hit peaking at number seventeen there.
"Keep on Doin'" inspired James Brown
and his backing band The J.B.'s
to record a similar-sounding instrumental
titled "The Grunt
" that was loosely based on this song, particularly the horn bridge and lead singer Ronald Isley
's emotionally raw delivery.
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
song by The Isley Brothers
The Isley Brothers
The Isley Brothers are a highly influential, successful and long-running American music group consisting of different line-ups of six brothers, and a brother-in-law, Chris Jasper...
, released on their T-Neck
T-Neck Records
T-Neck Records was a record label founded by The Isley Brothers in 1964.It's notable for having the Isleys becoming the first R&B band to form a record label, a rarity in black music. During the label's early years, the Isleys issued the records "Testify" and "Move Over And Let Me Dance", which...
imprint. Issued as the first release off their Get Into Something
Get Into Something
Get Into Something is a 1970 album released by The Isley Brothers on their T-Neck imprint. The album includes six songs that appeared in the top 30 of the Billboard R&B chart between late 1969 and early 1971 : the title track, "Bless Your Heart", the horn and drum-driven "Keep On Doin'" Get Into...
album, the self-penned and produced single, like many of the group's releases in this time period after "It's Your Thing
It's Your Thing
"It's Your Thing" is an influential funk single by the Isley Brothers. Released in 1969, the funk anthem was an artistic response to Motown chief Berry Gordy's demanding hold on his artists after the Isleys left the label in late-1968....
", cemented their place in the pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
world. The song is a boisterous in-your-face funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
anthem that confesses to the listening audience to "keep on doing what you're doing 'til you can't do what you're doing no more". The song charted at number seventy-five pop and was a top 20 R&B hit peaking at number seventeen there.
"Keep on Doin'" inspired James Brown
James Brown
James Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...
and his backing band The J.B.'s
The J.B.'s
The J.B.'s were James Brown's band during the first half of the 1970s. On record the J.B.'s were sometimes billed under various alternate names such as The James Brown Soul Train, Maceo and the Macks, A.A.B.B., The First Family and The Last Word...
to record a similar-sounding instrumental
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
titled "The Grunt
The Grunt
"The Grunt" is a funk instrumental recorded in 1970 by James Brown's band The J.B.'s. It was released as a two-part single on King. Part 1 of the recording was included on The J.B.'s 1972 album Food for Thought. It was one of only two instrumental singles recorded by the original J.B.'s lineup with...
" that was loosely based on this song, particularly the horn bridge and lead singer Ronald Isley
Ronald Isley
Ronald Isley is an American singer and is known as the lead singer and founding member of the family music group The Isley Brothers.-Career:...
's emotionally raw delivery.
Credits
- Ronald IsleyRonald IsleyRonald Isley is an American singer and is known as the lead singer and founding member of the family music group The Isley Brothers.-Career:...
: lead vocals - O'Kelly Isley, Jr.O'Kelly Isley, Jr.O'Kelly Isley, Jr. , better known as Kelly Isley, was an American singer and one of the founding members of the legendary family group, The Isley Brothers.-Biography:...
and Rudolph IsleyRudolph IsleyRudolph Bernard Isley , better known as Rudy Isley, is an American singer-songwriter and is one of the founding members of the legendary family group, The Isley Brothers.-Biography:...
: background vocals - Ernie IsleyErnie IsleyErnest "Ernie" Isley is a member of the iconic American musical ensemble, The Isley Brothers.-Life and career:Ernie was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, where his older brothers formed The Isley Brothers, first as a gospel group, then as a secular-singing group. In 1960 his family moved to Englewood and...
: guitars, drums and percussion - Marvin IsleyMarvin IsleyMarvin Isley was the youngest member of the family music group the Isley Brothers and its bass guitarist....
: bass and percussion - Chris JasperChris JasperChris Jasper is a former member of both the Isley Brothers and Isley-Jasper-Isley. He is also a successful solo artist and record producer, recording a number of his own solo albums, and producing artists, for his New York based record label, Gold City Records...
: keyboards and percussion - Other instrumentation by assorted New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
musicians