Everyday Creation
This show has to do with different kinds of creation: human, divine, and a third kind that connects the two. Our human creativity is easy to talk about because clearly we're prolific creators. We make music, we write, we cook; we establish businesses, we design gardens, we invent things. The list goes on and on. Another kind of creation is divine. We feel its presence when, for example, we contemplate birth, death, our life purpose, or have a quiet realization that there's something bigger than us. The third kind is perhaps a little more difficult to grasp and yet, with a little practice, it's easy to put into action. This is the personal power each of us has to direct our thoughts, words and actions every day toward what we want in our life and world, rather than what we don't want.
This sounds heavier than it is. For me, this show is an acknowledgment that while we're all here to learn and grow and do our best, there's still plenty of opportunity to relax, laugh, love, and enjoy this playground we call life. So my hope is that you'll get some enjoyment and illumination out of these episodes. Here you'll find interviews with delightfully creative individuals; short stories about some who have passed away; and essays about personal power.
I'm Kate Jones, host and creator of Everyday Creation. Thank you for following my show.
Everyday Creation
Tribute to Rudolph Isley, featuring Sheldon Zoldan
Rudolph Isley, one of the original Isley Brothers and the flamboyant dresser of the three, was an integral member of the band although he wasn't the lead singer or songwriter.
This episode is one of 44 tributes to significant figures in the music industry who passed away in 2023.
Rudolph received a co-writing credit for "It's Your Thing," the first hit the Isley Brothers wrote and produced. It went to number two on the Billboard Hot 100.
In the chapters, you'll see a picture of the brothers in 1969, with Rudolph on the left, Ronald in the middle, and O'Kelly Isley Jr. The photo, which is from a trade ad for "It's Your Thing," is attributed to T-Neck Records and available on Wikimedia Commons. To hear the song, go here.
Also in the chapters, you can go right to the tribute by skipping my intro; feel free to skip my closing remarks too. Both are there to provide context for those who haven't listened to the other tributes.
Sheldon Zoldan, a longtime writer and editor, wrote and recorded this tribute and the others in the series. Sheldon also writes Song of the Day, a music-related story sent daily to an email list of subscribers. To get on his subscriber list, email shzoldan@comcast.net with the subject line ADD ME TO SOTD.
Audio engineer/musician Mike Villegas edited all the audio for this series. Hope you enjoy these intriguing glimpses into the lives of the people who made some of the music we love.
This is Kate Jones. Thank you for listening to Everyday Creation, available on YouTube and in podcast directories including Apple, Audible, iHeart and Spotify.
Kate:
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Hello, and welcome to Everyday Creation. This is
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your host, Kate Jones, with one of 44
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tributes
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to significant figures in the music industry
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who passed away in 2023.
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My guest Sheldon Zoldan,
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a longtime writer and newspaper editor,
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wrote these short biographies
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and recorded them.
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Each one is an intriguing
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glimpse into the life and impact of someone
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who contributed
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to the soundtracks of our lives. Here's what
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Sheldon has to say in this tribute.
Sheldon:
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Rudolph Isley is remembered for being the flamboyant
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dresser of the Isley brothers.
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But clothes didn't make the man, music did.
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Rudolph was one of the three original Isley
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Brothers.
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He remained part of the act for 32
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years
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until leaving to become a Christian minister.
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Rudolph died October 11th
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from an apparent heart attack in his suburban
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Chicago home.
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He was 84.
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The brothers honed their singing in the church
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choir in Cincinnati.
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Rudolph moved to New York with his brothers,
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Kelly and Ronnie, when they were teenagers.
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Rudolph's obit reads as much as an obit
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for the group as for him.
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He was an integral part of the band
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but he usually wasn't the lead singer.
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And even though he received writing credits on
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most of the songs,
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he wasn't the lead contributor.
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The Isley Brothers had their first hit, "Shout,"
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in 1959.
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They joined Motown
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but didn't have the success that some other
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Motown groups had.
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They were more successful after starting their own
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record label.
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They mixed funk
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and rock along with some soul. It worked.
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Every album they released between
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1973 and
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1981
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went gold.
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Rudolph's wardrobe became funkier too. He wore furs
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and carried a bejeweled cane.
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He left the group in 1989
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to become a Christian minister.
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He later sued his brother Ronald,
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claiming Ronald tried to trademark the group under
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only his name.
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Rudolph received a co-writing credit for our
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Song of the Day,
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"It's Your Thing."
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It was the first hit they wrote and
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produced.
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The brothers released it in 1969
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and it went to number 2 on the
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Billboard Hot 100.
Sheldon:
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This is Kate again. Please go to the
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description for more information and to hear the
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song that Sheldon referenced.
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If you enjoyed this tribute, please check out
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the rest of them. Although some of the
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names are not as familiar as others, the
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biographies
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are equally intriguing.
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Thank you for listening to Everyday Creation.
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Please share this episode with anyone who might
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enjoy it.
