|
Section
3: The Isaacs
|
The
Isaacs in 2001
|
The
Isaacs family, consisting of the father Joe, mother
Lily, and the three kids Ben, Sonya, and Becky, had been
singing and playing together from the time the children
were very small. In fact, the children were literally born into the arms of
music, singing before they were talking.
Mom and Dad traveled every week to concerts and
churches and the kids always accompanied them.
During their spare time they practiced, learning
new songs and arrangements.
The family was constantly surrounded by music. |
Joe
wrote most of the songs, but all three Isaacs' children were
involved in songwriting also, Sonya being the most prolific (she
recorded one of her songs when she was ten).
Once the group became known as The Isaacs, they began
practicing and working very hard at arranging and learning their
material. They
lived in Morrow, Ohio, and for five years they had their own
hour-long television show that was broadcast from nearby
Hamilton, Ohio every Monday night.
By
1988, The Isaacs had become a full-fledged family bluegrass
gospel and southern gospel group with the entire family singing and playing acoustic
instruments. Lily
Isaacs, a featured soloist for the group, is also an integral
part of the family harmony that The Isaacs are famous for.
Ben sings solos and harmony parts and in addition to
producing The Isaac's albums, he is one of the finest bluegrass
upright bass players around, always in demand as a studio
musician. Sonya is
simply an amazing singer, an astonishing mandolin player and
great songwriter. Her
sister Becky, who plays flattop guitar, is also an astonishing
and moving singer and a fine songwriter.
When Joe was with the group, he sang and played the banjo
and guitar.
As
The Isaacs became more and more popular, they traveled further
from home, playing throughout the South. In 1992, they moved from their home in Morrow, Ohio to La
Follette, Tennessee to be closer to the area where they most
performed. The
children were broken hearted having to leave their friends and
their Ohio home and on the way to Tennessee, Ben and Sonya wrote
a poignant song that perfectly expressed their feelings.
When they sang it to their parents, Lily and Joe were so
impressed that they quickly added it to the album that the
family was just then completing.
Called "From the Depths of My Heart," the song
became an instant hit on the
Southern Gospel charts and the music of The Isaacs spread
to yet an even wider audience.
When
the daughters were married, their husbands, both talented
musicians and singers, joined the ranks of The Isaacs, further
strengthening the group. John
Bowman, a talented and accomplished musician and singer married
Rebecca in 1994. He
previously sang and played fiddle with two top bluegrass groups:
Alison Krauss and Union Station (one of the groups featured in
the Oh Brother, Where Art Thou soundtrack) and Doyle
Lawson and Quicksilver. John
sings and plays guitar, fiddle and banjo with The Isaacs.
The Isaacs have appeared on Grand Ole
Opry over fifty times, received Grammy nominations, and in 2002
won the Southern Gospel Song of the Year for the song Stand Still written by Becky and Sonya Isaacs. Commencing
in the fall of 2002, they will be touring the United States and
Europe with the Bill Gaither show.
->
Return to Bluegrass America Page
-> NEXT
|
