Music

Ernie Isley is the secret sauce of The Isley Brothers, but he’s far from underrated. Just ask him. As a visionary and legend in his own right, the 73-year-old recently co-headlined the second annual Maui Music & Food Experience (MMFE) with funk band, Dumpstaphunk, as part of a tribute to the late, indelible Jimi Hendrix. 

His history with the influential guitarist dates back to his youth. Isley met Hendrix at the tender age of 11 when he joined the Isley Brothers’ backing band, the I.B. Specials, for a few years. Hendrix lived in their family home and was “never charged for his room [or] whatever food he ate.” Isley emphasized this tidbit in our conversation, noting that he was the only band member afforded that “privilege.”

Isley praised his talents and couldn’t help, but to smile while reflecting. “Nobody plays like him. He’s left-handed, [and played] the guitar upside down,” he said still in awe, later calling him an “electric guitar deity.”

He remembered the band watching The Beatles on Ed Sullivan with Hendrix sandwiched between him and his brother, Marvin. There was no thunderous applause for him yet, but [O’Kelly Isley Jr.] knew Hendrix was special. 

According to Ernie, Kelly declared, “These guys, this English band, that’s legit. It’s not hype. I don’t know what’s going to go on with any of the other American artists, but I think we’re going to be all right because we got Jimi.” Isley recalled, “I looked over at Jimi when he said that, and Jimi was grinning ear to ear because it was true.”

Isley, himself, became a self-taught guitar player at age 16. He played the bass on “It’s Your Thing” and later helped create hits including “Fight the Power,” “The Love of You, “Voyage To Atlantis,” “Footsteps in the Dark”, “Climbin’ Up the Ladder,” and “Between The Sheets.” 

“We already know Ronald’s gonna be singing everything, but when you start talking about the songs, [meaning] ‘Where’d the songs come from?’ They say, ‘Oh, a lot of that comes from Ernie,’” he explained. 

When speaking on some of those hits, Isley recalled “inspiration comes, however,” but distinctly remembered one moment. “The first time I played ‘Voyage to Atlantis,’” he shared, “I apologized to Kelly and Ronald, because I said, ‘Okay, this isn’t going to sound like ‘For the Love Of You’ or ‘Make Me Say It Again,’ or ‘Hello, It’s Me,’ but it is a love song. And when they heard it, [they said], ‘Oh, how did you come up with that one?’ It turned out to be one of our standard Isley Brothers songs.”

The Maui Music & Food Experience was founded by entrepreneur and philanthropist Gary Grube, who also founded the Hua Momona Foundation and Farms. The two-day experience is an extension of both aforementioned endeavors. The farm started to help “donate produce to those with food insecurity and to the homeless shelters prior to COVID.” When the wildfires happened, the Foundation provided 6,000 free hot meals per month to the local community of Lahaina for over a year.

Both led to the creation of the MMFE, which Grube explained is “a multi-year effort to provide an additional source of much-needed funds and to provide some comfort, love, and Aloha to the people of the community.”

Isley fell in love with Maui back in 1999 when he honeymooned there with his wife, Tracy. However, he became particularly fond of Lahaina, a historic town on the coast of Maui that was tragically affected by a series of wildfires in August 2023. For the bassist, he acknowledged the “grief and sadness” that clouded the beautiful city, but welcomed the chance to partake in rebuilding the city through the celebration of music and food.

With Hawaii being such a romanticized destination, though, Grube urges tourists and transplants to first “understand the Hawaiian culture, [which includes] caring for community, family, and the land.” He added, “Helping to preserve that identity is crucial. As a first-time visitor to Maui, you see the unique and diverse beauty and begin to learn about the culture, such as saying ‘Aloha.’ Over time, on return visits, you become more familiar with the community. Everyone has been through a lot with COVID, the fire, and the economy. Living here or visiting here is a privilege, and saying Hawaiian phrases a little more often will make it an even nicer place to be. Like the late renowned chef and restaurateur Mark Ellman said, ‘Practice Aloha.’” 

Grube has plans to expand the experience into other cities. Initially, he hoped to bring it to Los Angeles and San Antonio first, but with each city experiencing its own set of natural disasters, he felt “the timing was not right.” However, the first expansion will occur in Chicago this November.