The practice of "testifying" is used in churches in the American South to express belief in Christian faith and experiences. For their song, the Isleys parody the practice: During the song, others are called upon and testify briefly, including "Raymond, the genius, Ray", "James from Augusta, Georgia", "our friend Stevie", "another friend that lives in Detroit called Jackie", and "across the water ... them cats with long hair". The Isley Brothers respond, imitating the singing styles of
Ray Charles,
James Brown,
Stevie Wonder,
Jackie Wilson and
the Beatles.
Ronald Isley provides the lead vocals, with
Rudolph Isley and
O'Kelly Isley Jr. supplying the background vocals. Due to its length of nearly six minutes, "Testify" was split into two parts for release as a single. Although it missed the record charts, it later gained wider exposure as one of the first recordings featuring guitarist
Jimi Hendrix. ==Hendrix involvement==