Ronald Isley will serve out the rest of his three-year jail term after losing an appeal to have his sentence reduced.

The Isley Brothers legend, 66, was convicted of five counts of tax evasion and one count of willful failure to file a tax return in 2006, but asked to be released early on the grounds of his age and poor health.

However, the appellate court upheld the trial judge's original sentence, saying it "best balanced the need to sanction Mr. Isley's 'pathological' tax evasion against the need to accommodate Mr. Isley's poor health".

The Grammy-winning singer is due to be released from jail in Indiana in April 2010.

The Isley Brothers formed in 1954 and recorded hits including 'Twist and Shout', 'This Old Heart of Mine' and 'Shout!'