Isley Brothers, Teena Marie, The Whispers

EVENTS CALENDAR

May 8, Boardwalk Hall

Classic R&B and soul are on the menu for a special Mother’s Day Music Festival Saturday, May 8, 8pm, at Boardwalk Hall. The show features Ronald Isley and The Isley Brothers, Teena Marie and The Whispers. Tickets are $40, $65, $75, and $90.

The Isley Brothers, led by Ronald Isley, created a dance song for the ages with their signature tune in 1959 classic, “Shout.” The original brothers — Ronald, Rudolph, Kelly and Vernon — began singing together as youngsters in 1950, performing in churches and other venues first as a gospel group in their hometown of Cincinnati. Their popularity exploded after the Grammy Award-winning single and No. 1 Billboard R&B hit “It’s Your Thing” was released in 1969. Their other hits include “Fight The Power (Part 1),” from 1975, and “Don’t Say Goodnight (It’s Time For Love),” from 1980. Acknowledging their place in history, Ronald Isley says: “I knew Sam Cooke and Jackie Wilson and The Temptations. I knew their intimate thoughts on music, and I knew them as friends. The Isley Brothers are in a unique place now because we possess that repository of knowledge, and we carry it on through our new material.”

Returning to Boardwalk Hall for a third appearance, Teena Marie is a Grammy nominated singer-songwriter, a blue-eyed soul protegé of the late funk legend Rick James. Her hits include “I’m Just a Sucker for Your Love,” a duet with James, “Square Biz,” and “Still In Love.” Her newest album is Congo Square.

The Whispers are a veteran R&B quintet fronted by twins Walter and Wallace Scott. Their hit songs include “I Was Born When You Kissed Me,” “The Time Has Come” and “Rock Steady.”