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The Isley Brothers

One of the greatest groups ever. "Voyage To Atlantis" and "Footsteps In The Dark" are probably my fave songs by them, but they have so many classics.
 
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Here's some Chris Jasper selections:

I Know That You Love Me

Like I Do
 
been trying to get hold of this version for weeks...


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Don't Say Goodnight (Instrumental)







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sounds like that vinyl's been on the stove for some time, but this track is an example of why i admire Chris Jasper so much - he came up with some of the best synth leads/pads/lines but hardly ever wanted to flaunt it to any point of saturation like most of the synth-happy pop producers of the 70s and 80s. instead his subtlety altered and elevated the harmonics and it's what makes you yearn for more, and never get tired of a lot of his tracks.
 
I'm a big fan of the Isleys of the 70's... went to see them live in the late 70's...fabulous! Jasper was FIONE!!! :wub:

Anyways, when I played drums back in the day I luved to practice to their music.

My all time fav Isley Bruthas jam is For the Love of You.
 
I really love listening to Ernie's Hendrix-inspired solos.

One of my favs:


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Ernie's Jam








 
Ronald free?

I've heard that Ronald got an early release from jail in October. Don't know if that's true or not. But if not, his scheduled release is in April 2010.
 
Do not even get me started on these men.

They are talented as hell, they make some of the greatest baby making music I tell yah that much :3 Ron Isley's voice is just:wub::wub::wub::wub:
"Between the sheets" is such a good song, I have alot of their songs on my ipod.

Props to the Isley brothers
 
According to the latest issue of Jet, Ron was released last year and is planning to do some shows with The Whispers and Teena Marie.
 
Working With T.I., Rick Ross & Lauryn Hill On New Project

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by Michael "Ice-Blue" Harris April 23, 2010
Hip Hop Wired

The King's back. Not that one. One of the legendary Kings Of R&B, Ron “Mr. Biggs” Isley has been released from prison after serving three years for tax evasion.

Speaking with comedian Steve Harvey, Isley said, “I'm overjoyed to be home and to be able to do everything that I want to do. I'm in love with this record business and I'm in love with the fans and everything and I just couldn't wait to get back to doing that.

I'm working on another album and this album is gonna mean so much. I've been thinking about it for 3 years and wondering what it was gone be like and what it was gonna be like to sing certain songs and wanting to sing certain songs and now I got that chance to do that.”

Mr. Biggs also spoke on how the stint behind the wall changed his life and his families.

“It changed me a whole lot. My wife was able to visit me like three days a week and my son so that was the great thing about it. It was a little 3-hour drive for her to come to the camp where I was and I was able to get through because of that. That 3 days was everything to me man.

[But I'm home now] The family is fine. My son is 3 years old and he's with me everyday. Me and him boy, Little Ronald.”

Isley also used his time behind bars to speak with his fellow brothers on lockdown and performed for them as well. Explaining some of the realities of being locked down, he states,

“…Talking to young people and crying with them and people that were gonna be in there some years and that part really hurts. To see your people and all kinds of people… older people [locked up]. And they looked up to me and like my music and we talked about our career and it was just like that man. I was working at the chapel and I did gospel shows every week and that kept me up… I'm gone do a gospel album too.”

But before the gospel project, Ron Isley is working on a new album for Def Jam and promises that the new album will be something different.

“Some of the people that I'm working with on this album will be Lauryn Hill, T.I., Rick Ross and Burt Bacharach. The group is back and they were just waiting. I would like to also thank L.A. Reid and the staff at Def Jam and Fox Entertainment and Elise Murray.

Just all the people that were just waiting for me to come home and for putting this together and supporting everything I'm doing. I feel like I'm 18 again and starting a new career.”

Mr. Biggs will also be making his return starting Mother's Day Weekend when he'll hit the stage in Atlantic City on May 8th and at The Paradise Theatre in the Bronx, NY on May 9th.

_____________________________________________________________________

I don't know about this T.I. and other rappers thing. The Isley's don't need to chase the teenybopper market, lol. I wonder about Lauryn Hill, there's been many reports of erratic behavior over the years. I know she did a song with Joss Stone 3 or 4 years ago.
 
Marvin Isley passed away

Marvin, youngest of Isley Brothers, dies at 56
By ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: Jun 8, 2010 23:09 Updated: Jun 8, 2010 23:09

CHICAGO: Marvin Isley, the bass player who helped give R&B powerhouse the Isley Brothers their distinctive sound, has died at a Chicago hospital.

He was 56. Isley died Sunday morning at an inpatient hospice at Weiss Memorial Hospital, according to hospital spokeswoman Catherine Gianaro. She could not confirm a cause of death. Isley stopped performing in 1996 after suffering complications from diabetes that included a stroke, high blood pressure, the loss of both legs and use of his left hand. He joined his brothers' band in 1973. By that time, the Isley Brothers had established themselves with hits like 1959's "Shout," which sold more than 1 million records. Isley splintered off to form Isley-Jasper-Isley in the 1980s and returned to the Isley Brothers in the 1990s. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992, and their career has spanned six decades. At one point there were five Isley brothers in the group, including Marvin. Today, only Ronald Isley is touring full time after a three-year stint in federal prison for tax evasion.

http://arabnews.com/lifestyle/article62963.ece
 
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Release: August 21, 2015

The Isley Brothers: The RCA Victor and T-Neck Album Masters (1959-1983), a monumental 23-disc box set collection chronicling the sonic evolution and abiding achievements of the unprecedented R&B ensemble, The Isley Brothers. This box set follows The Isley Brothers through their transformation from a 1950's doo-wop/gospel vocal group into the world's preeminent R&B rock 'n' soul powerhouse party band.

The RCA Victor and T-Neck Album Masters (1959-1983) features newly remastered versions of The Isley Brothers' 21 albums, nearly all of which are expanded with rare mixes and tracks making their CD and digital debuts. The new collection includes 84 rare and previously unreleased bonus tracks including the "Great Lost Isley Brothers Album" Wild In Woodstock: The Isley Brothers Live At Bearsville Sound Studio 1980, a live studio double album now newly restored.

CD 1: Shout! (RCA Victor 2156, 1959)

  1. When The Saints Go Marching In 2:32
  2. Louis Blues 3:00
  3. Yes, Indeed! 2:02
  4. How Deep Is The Ocean 1:54
  5. Ring-A-Ling-A-Ling (Let The Wedding Bells Ring) 2:57
  6. Rock Around The Clock 2:14
  7. He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands 1:57
  8. That Lucky Old Sun (Just Rolls Around Heaven All Day) 2:44
  9. Respectable 2:08
  10. Without A Song 1:58
  11. Shout (Part 1 and 2) 4:28
  12. Turn To Me (mono) 2:43 (from RCA Victor single 7537)
  13. Not One Minute More 2:21
  14. I’m Gonna Knock on Your Door (mono) 1:54 (B-side of RCA Victor 7537)
  15. Shout! (Part 1) (mono) 2:16 (from RCA Victor single 7588)
  16. Shout! (Part 2) (mono) 2:18 (B-side of RCA Victor single 7588, with extended fade)
  17. Respectable (mono) 2:07 (from RCA Victor single 7657)
  18. Gypsy Love Song (Slumber On, My Little Gypsy Sweet) 2:36 (from RCA Victor single 7746)
  19. Open Up Your Heart (B-side of RCA Victor 7746)
  20. Tell Me Who 2:42 (RCA Victor single 7787)
  21. Say You Love Me Too (Rehearsal) 0:54
  22. Say You Love Me Too 2:05 (B-side of RCA Victor 7787)
CD 2: It’s Our Thing (T-Neck 3001, 1969)

  1. I Know Who You Been Socking It To 2:44
  2. Somebody Been Messin’ 2:39
  3. Save Me 3:31
  4. I Must Be Losing My Touch 2:02
  5. Feel Like The World 3:28
  6. It’s Your Thing 2:49
  7. Give The Women What They Want 2:19
  8. Love Is What You Make It 2:40
  9. Don’t Give It Away 2:46
  10. He’s Got Your Love 1:59
  11. I Know Who You Been Socking It To – Dave “Baby” Cortez 2:41 (T-Neck single 907/The Isley Brothers Way, T-Neck 3005, 1969)
  12. Somebody Been Messin’ – Dave “Baby” Cortez 2:16 (from The Isley Brothers Way)
  13. From The Beginning – The Sweet Cherries 2:11 (T-Neck single 910)
  14. He’s Got Your Love – Judy White 1:57 (previously unreleased)
  15. It’s Your Thing (mono) 2:56 (from T-Neck single 901, with alternate fade)
  16. Somebody Been Messin’ – Judy White (mono) 2:23 (from T-Neck single 905)
  17. Love Is What You Make It (mono) – The Sweet Cherries 2:54 (from T-Neck single 904)
  18. Don’t Give It Away (mono) 2:54 (B-side of T-Neck single 901, alternate mix)
  19. Somebody Been Messin’ (Instrumental) (mono) – The Isley Brothers Band 2:20 (B-side of T-Neck 905)
CD 3: The Brothers: Isley (T-Neck 3002, 1969)

  1. I Turned You On 2:37
  2. Vacuum Cleaner 2:55
  3. I Got To Get Myself Together 3:37
  4. Was It Good To You 2:42
  5. The Blacker The Berrie (a/k/a Black Berries) (Parts 1 & 2) 5:53
  6. My Little Girl 3:40
  7. Get Down Off of the Train 3:11
  8. Holdin’ On 2:35
  9. Feel Like The World 3:24
  10. Black Berries (Part 1) (mono) 3:05 (T-Neck single 906, 1969)
  11. Black Berries (Part 2) (mono) 2:49 (B-side of T-Neck single 906, 1969)
  12. I Turned You On – Dave “Baby” Cortez 2:45 (T-Neck single 907-B, 1969)
  13. Vacuum Cleaner – Judy White 3:10
  14. I’ve Got To Get Myself Together – Rudolph Isley and Judy White 3:55
CD 4: The Isley Brothers Live at Yankee Stadium (T-Neck 3004, 1969)

  1. Introduction 1:54
  2. I Know Who You Been Socking It To 3:02
  3. I Turned You On 4:49
  4. It’s Your Thing 3:55
  5. Shout 7:46
  6. Jesus, Lover Of My Soul 4:35
  7. Joy, Joy 8:01
  8. Oh Happy Day 8:55
  9. People Get Ready 2:01
  10. Talkin’ About My Baby 0:55
  11. It’s All Right 0:35
  12. Keep On Pushing 0:52
  13. You Must Believe Me 0:56
  14. I’m So Proud 1:55
  15. Amen 2:10
  16. Don’t Change Your Love 5:25
  17. Somebody Been Messin’ 3:17
  18. Love Is What You Make It 5:04
Recorded on June 21, 1969, at Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York. Tracks 2-5 performed by The Isley Brothers, Tracks 6-8 by The Edwin Hawkins Singers, Tracks 9-15 by The Brooklyn Bridge, Track 16 by The Five Stairsteps and Cubie, Track 17 by Judy White and Track 18 by Sweet Cherries.

CD 5: Get Into Something (T-Neck 3006, 1970)

  1. Get Into Something 7:30
  2. Freedom 3:38
  3. Take Inventory 2:46
  4. Keep On Doin’ (mono) 4:02
  5. Girls Will Be Girls, Boys Will Be Boys 2:50
  6. I Need You So 4:25
  7. If He Can, You Can 3:45
  8. I Got To Find Me One 4:38
  9. Beautiful 3:06
  10. Bless Your Heart (mono) 3:04
  11. Baby You Got It (mono) 3:02
  12. Get Into Something (Part 1) (mono) 3:52
  13. Get Into Something (Part 2) (mono) 3:39
  14. Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out (Part 1) (mono) – The Brothers Three (a.k.a. The Isley Brothers) 2:59 (T-Neck single 903)
  15. Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out (Part 2) (mono) – The Brothers Three 3:00 (B-side of T-Neck 903)
CD 6: In the Beginning – The Isley Brothers and Jimi Hendrix (T-Neck 3007, 1971)

  1. Move Over And Let Me Dance (Part 1)* 2:41
  2. Have You Ever Been Disappointed (Part 1 & 2) * 6:19
  3. Testify (Part 1 & 2) (mono) 4:13
  4. Move Over And Let Me Dance (Part 2) * 2:43
  5. Wild Little Tiger 2:24
  6. The Last Girl ** 2:51
  7. Simon Says (mono) 2:27
  8. Looking For A Love 3:15
  9. Testify (Part 1) (mono single) 2:52 (from T-Neck single 501)
  10. Testify (Part 2) (mono single) 3:09 (B-side of T-Neck 501)
Ronald, Rudolph and O’Kelly: vocals. Jimi Hendrix: guitar (except Wild Little Tiger and Simon Says).
Arranged and conducted by Teacho Wiltshire
Tracks recorded in 1964 and 1965
Remixed and released on LP in 1971
*Featuring Teacho Wiltshire’s Orchestra.
**Background vocals by Dionne Warwick.

CD 7: Givin’ It Back (T-Neck 3008, 1971)

  1. Ohio/Machine Gun 9:16
  2. Fire And Rain 5:32
  3. Lay Lady Lay 10:23
  4. Spill The Wine 6:35
  5. Nothing To Do But Today 3:42
  6. Cold Bologna 3:03
  7. Love The One You’re With 3:37
  8. Warpath (single version) (mono) 2:32 (from T-Neck single 929)
  9. Spill the Wine (single version) (mono) 2:43 (from T-Neck single 932)
  10. Love the One You’re With (single version) (mono) 3:30 (from T-Neck single 930)
  11. Lay Lady Lay (single version) (mono) 3:57 (from T-Neck single 933)
CD 8: Brother, Brother, Brother (T-Neck 3009, 1972)

  1. Brother, Brother 3:16
  2. Put A Little Love In Your Heart 3:01
  3. Sweet Seasons 2:59
  4. Keep On Walkin’ 2:14
  5. Work To Do 3:12
  6. Pop That Thang 2:52
  7. Lay-Away 3:23
  8. It’s Too Late 10:31
  9. Love Put Me on the Corner 6:32
  10. It’s Too Late (single) 3:27 (T-Neck single 937)
CD 9: The Isleys Live (T-Neck 3010, 1973)

  1. Work To Do 4:36
  2. It’s Too Late 13:04
  3. It’s Your Thing 3:16
  4. Pop That Thang 3:35
  5. Love the One You’re With 5:45
  6. Lay Lady Lay 7:36
  7. Lay-Away 3:24
  8. Ohio/Machine Gun 13:31
CD 10: 3+3 (Featuring: That Lady) (T-Neck 32453, 1973)

  1. That Lady (Part 1 & 2) 5:34
  2. Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight 4:03
  3. If You Were There 3:23
  4. You Walk Your Way 3:06
  5. Listen to the Music 4:05
  6. What It Comes Down To 3:53
  7. Sunshine (Go Away Today) 4:22
  8. Summer Breeze (Part 1 & 2) 6:12
  9. The Highways of My Life 4:17
  10. That Lady (Part 1) (Single) 3:09 (from T-Neck single 2251)
  11. Summer Breeze (Part 1) (Single) 3:05 (from T-Neck single 2253)
  12. The Highways of My Life (Single) 3:17 (from Epic U.K. single S EPC 1980)
  13. Sunshine (Go Away Today) (SQ-Quad Mix) 4:32
  14. Summer Breeze (SQ-Quad Mix) 6:17
  15. That Lady – A conversation with O’Kelly Isley and Bruce Harris of Epic Records from a promotional sampler for 3+3 – Interview Part 1 6:34
  16. Listen To The Music – Interview Part 2 5:12
  17. Summer Breeze – Interview Part 3 2:26
  18. The Highways of My Life and What It Comes Down To – Interview Part 4 3:26
CD 11: Live It Up (T-Neck 33070, 1974)

  1. Live It Up (Part 1 & 2) 6:15
  2. Brown Eyed Girl 4:08
  3. Need a Little Taste of Love 3:08
  4. Lover’s Eve 4:41
  5. Midnight Sky (Part 1 & 2) 6:56
  6. Hello It’s Me 5:33
  7. Ain’t I Been Good To You (Part 1 & 2) 8:31
  8. Live It Up (Part 1) (single) 3:07 (from T-Neck 2254)
  9. Midnight Sky (Part 1) (single) 3:40 (from T-Neck 2255)
  10. Ain’t I Been Good To You (Part 1) (single) 2:41
CD 12: The Heat is On (T-Neck 33536, 1975)

  1. Fight The Power (Part 1 & 2) 5:20
  2. The Heat Is On (Part 1 & 2) 5:36
  3. Hope You Feel Better Love (Part 1 & 2) 6:03
  4. For The Love Of You (Part 1 & 2) 5:40
  5. Sensuality (Part 1 & 2) 6:52
  6. Make Me Say It Again Girl (Parts 1 & 2) 7:39
  7. Fight The Power (Part 1) (Clean radio edit) 3:21
CD 13: Harvest for the World (T-Neck 33809, 1976)

  1. Harvest for the World (Prelude) 2:12
  2. Harvest for the World 3:53
  3. People of Today 4:40
  4. Who Loves You Better 5:32
  5. (At Your Best) You Are Love 5:24
  6. Let Me Down Easy 6:30
  7. So You Wanna Stay Down 3:52
  8. You Still Feel The Need 4:52
  9. Who Loves You Better (Part 1) (mono) 3:29 (from T-Neck promo single 2260)
  10. Harvest for the World (Part 1) (Single Version) 3:30 (from T-Neck single 2261)
  11. Harvest for the World (Instrumental) 3:40 (B-side of T-Neck 2261)
CD 14: Go for Your Guns (T-Neck 34432, 1977)

  1. The Pride (Part 1 & 2) 5:33
  2. Footsteps in the Dark (Part 1 & 2) 5:06
  3. Tell Me When You Need It Again (Part 1 & 2) 5:04
  4. Climbin’ Up the Ladder (Part 1 & 2) 6:38
  5. Voyage to Atlantis 4:32
  6. Livin’ In The Life 4:12
  7. Go For Your Guns 2:14
  8. The Pride (Disco Mix) 5:29
  9. Voyage To Atlantis (mono single) 3:54 (T-Neck single 2270)
  10. Livin’ In The Life/Go For Your Guns (Disco Version) 6:28
CD 15: Showdown (T-Neck 34930, 1978)

  1. Showdown (Part 1 & 2) 5:25
  2. Groove With You (Part 1 & 2) 4:52
  3. Ain’t Givin’ Up No Love 4:43
  4. Rockin’ With Fire (Part 1 & 2) 5:57
  5. Take Me To The Next Phase (Part 1 & 2) 5:11
  6. Coolin’ Me Out (Part 1 & 2) 6:04
  7. Fun And Games 4:41
  8. Love Fever (Part 1 & 2) 5:00
  9. Showdown (Part 1) (single) (from T-Neck single 2278) 4:25
  10. Groove With You (Part 1) (single) (from T-Neck single 2277) 4:05
  11. Take Me To The Next Phase (Part 1) (single) (from T-Neck single 2272) 4:16
  12. Take Me To The Next Phase (Alternate Version) 5:23
  13. Showdown (Rehearsal) – Guide vocal by Chris Jasper; drums by Everett Collins 6:03
CD 16 & 17: Winner Takes All (T-Neck 36077, 1979)
Disc One

  1. I Wanna Be With You (Parts 1 & 2) 6:22
  2. Liquid Love (Parts 1 & 2) 5:17
  3. Winner Takes All 4:15
  4. Life in the City (Parts 1 & 2) 7:54
  5. It’s A Disco Night (Rock Don’t Stop) (Parts 1 & 2) 5:16
  6. (Can’t You See) What You Do To Me? 4:11
Disc Two

  1. Let’s Fall In Love (Parts 1 & 2) 4:42
  2. How Lucky I Am (Parts 1 & 2) 5:43
  3. You’re The Key to My Heart 3:23
  4. You’re Beside Me (Parts 1 & 2) 5:38
  5. Let Me In Your Life (Parts 1 & 2) 5:10
  6. Love Comes and Goes (Parts 1 & 2) 5:10
  7. Go For What You Know 3:25
  8. Mind Over Matter (Parts 1 & 2) 6:07
  9. I Wanna Be With You (Parts 1 & 2) (Extended Version) 7:27
  10. It’s A Disco Night (Rock Don’t Stop) (Parts 1 & 2) (Disco Remix) 8:50
  11. Rudy’s Tune (How Lucky I Am) – Rudolph Isley (vocal) 5:45
CD 18: Go All the Way (T-Neck 36305, 1980)

  1. Go All The Way (Parts 1 & 2) 5:03
  2. Say You Will (Parts 1 & 2) 5:27
  3. Pass It On (Parts 1 & 2) 5:39
  4. Here We Go Again (Parts 1 & 2) 7:36
  5. Don’t Say Goodnight (It’s Time For Love) (Parts 1 & 2) 5:45
  6. The Belly Dancer (Parts 1 & 2) 6:13
  7. Here We Go Again (Part 1) (Single Version) 4:14 (T-Neck single 2291)
  8. Don’t Say Goodnight (It’s Time For Love) (Instrumental)
  9. Go All The Way (Rehearsal) (previously unreleased)
  10. Pass It On (Rehearsal) (previously unreleased)
CD 19: Wild in Woodstock: The Isley Brothers Live at Bearsville Sound Studio 1980

  1. That Lady* (3:38)
  2. Say You Will* (5:38)
  3. Here We Go Again* (6:27)
  4. Don’t Say Goodnight (It’s Time For Love) (10:56)
  5. Medley: Hello It’s Me/Footsteps In The Dark* (1:05)
  6. For The Love Of You* (5:01)
  7. Fight The Power* (3:30)
  8. Groove With You (4:19)
  9. Summer Breeze* (10:28)
  10. Voyage To Atlantis (6:36)
  11. It’s A Disco Night (Rock Don’t Stop)* (6:15)
  12. Livin’ In The Life/Go For Your Guns*(5:23)
(*) previously unreleased

CD 20: Grand Slam (T-Neck/Epic 37080, 1981)

  1. Tonight Is the Night (If I Had You) 4:57
  2. I Once Had Your Love (And I Can’t Let Go) 4:41
  3. Hurry Up and Wait 3:54
  4. Young Girls 5:01
  5. Party Night 4:08
  6. Don’t Let Up 5:07
  7. Who Said? 4:19
  8. World Series * – Chris Jasper 6:57
  9. I Once Had Your Love (And I Can’t Let Go) (Instrumental) 4:41 (from T-Neck single 02179)
  10. Hurry Up And Wait (Instrumental) 4:06 (B-side of T-Neck 02033)
  11. Party Night (Instrumental)* 4:10
  12. Who Said? (Rhythm Mix)* 4:20
(*) previously unreleased

CD 21: Inside You (T-Neck 37533, 1981)

  1. Inside You (Parts 1 & 2) 9:06
  2. Baby Hold On 4:25
  3. Don’t Hold Back Your Love (Parts 1 & 2) 6:24
  4. First Love 4:40
  5. Love Merry-Go-Round 5:07
  6. Welcome Into My Heart 5:03
  7. Love Zone 4:25
  8. Inside You (Part 1) (Single Version) 4:25 (T-Neck single 02531)
  9. Inside You (Part 2) (Single Version) 4:51 (B-side of T-Neck single 02531)
  10. First Love (Instrumental) 3:04
  11. Playin’ for the Funk (Love Zone Outtake) (previously unreleased) 1:25
CD 22: The Real Deal (T-Neck 38047, 1982)

  1. The Real Deal (Part I and 2) 7:04
  2. Are You With Me? 4:49
  3. Stone Cold Lover 5:13
  4. It’s Alright with Me 5:32
  5. All In My Lover’s Eyes 5:15
  6. I’ll Do It All For You 4:19
  7. Under the Influence 5:43
  8. The Real Deal (Instrumental) 7:09 (B-side of T-Neck single 02985)
  9. It’s Alright With Me (Instrumental) 4:16 (B-side of T-Neck single 03281)
CD 23: Between the Sheets (T-Neck 38674, 1983)

  1. Choosey Lover 4:42
  2. Touch Me 5:11
  3. I Need Your Body 4:40
  4. Between The Sheets 5:40
  5. Let’s Make Love Tonight 4:49
  6. Ballad for The Fallen Soldier 5:19
  7. Slow Down Children 4:21
  8. Way Out Love 4:12
  9. Gettin’ Over 3:45
  10. Rock You Good 3:34
  11. Choosey Lover (Instrumental) 4:47 (B-side of T-Neck single 03994)
  12. Touch Me (Instrumental) 5:07 (previously unreleased)
  13. I Need Your Body (Instrumental) 4:41 (T-Neck single 04148)
  14. Between The Sheets (Instrumental) 4:57 (B-side of T-Neck single 03797)
  15. Let’s Make Love Tonight (Instrumental) 4:48 (B-side of T-Neck single 04320)
 
Santana 2016

Ronald sings on 2 tracks on the new Santana album, which features most of the original lineup of the band, which last released an album in 1971. Carlos Santana is also supposed to be working on Ronald's next solo album.
 
By David Browne June 5, 2017 Rolling Stone
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As astonishing as it seems, Ernie Isley can only recall one time when he and his family in the Isley Brothers crossed paths with Santana back in the day. The occasion was a Columbia Records convention in the Seventies, when both bands were on fire and bridging the gap between rock and, respectively, R&B and Latin music. Santana were performing, and Isley watched in awe. "They took all the oxygen out of the room, playing their hits and songs from Abraxas," says the guitarist, whose snake-charmer leads were heard on Isley hits like "That Lady." "When we got back home, we started rehearsing. When you hear someone do something like that, it pushes you."

It would take another four decades, but Carlos Santana and the Isleys finally converged in a studio last year. Set for release in August, Power of Peace marks the first collaboration between the two main surviving Isleys – Ernie and his brother, singer Ronald Isley – and the current version of Santana's band. Blending the Isleys' R&B and funk leanings with Santana's Latin jams, the album features remakes of songs with spiritual or world-peace themes – Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground," Burt Bacharach and Hal David's "What the World Needs Now Is Love," Marvin Gaye's "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)" – along with standards like Willie Dixon's "I Just Want to Make Love to You" and Curtis Mayfield's "Gypsy Woman." "Carlos and I plugged in and he's playing and then stops and points to me, and I start playing," Ernie says. "I'm looking at him and thinking, 'That's that guy, that's that sound.' And he's grinning and thinking, 'That's that tone, that's that guy.' Together we're like caliente barbecue sauce."

Santana can still recall the first time he heard the Isleys' music. "When I first came to America from Tijuana, I came to San Francisco, and in the Mission District there was a jukebox in one of the Mexican restaurants that would constantly play the Isley Brothers' version of 'Twist and Shout,' the one before the Beatles," he recalls. "So even before the British Invasion, I was already enthralled with that sound, that voice, and I wanted to be part of that." When Santana and his wife (and drummer) Cindy Blackman Santana wed in 2010, they danced to Ronald Isley's version of Bacharach and David's "The Look of Love."

The group collaboration began in a roundabout way in 2014. Santana was touring with Rod Stewart, whose band included Ronald Isley's sister-in-law, Kimberly Johnson-Breaux. When Isley popped into their show in St. Louis, he and Santana finally connected after all those decades – and to Isley's surprise, Santana invited him up onstage for impromptu jams on "It's Your Thing" and "That Lady." The two began talking about working together, resulting in Isley contributing vocals to last year's Santana IV, which reunited members of that band's early lineups. A full-on collaboration seemed inevitable, as Cindy Blackman Santana recalls: "Carlos just said to me one day, 'You know, I want to give Ronnie and Ernie a gift and do this project for them.' Carlos has maybe a hundred iPods full of music, so he started going through them and picking songs he felt would be great with Ronnie's voice."

Santana chose material like "God Bless the Child," while Ronald Isley picked the Wonder and Gaye songs. Isley also selected "What the World Needs Now Is Love" after his wife began singing it one day, and Santana rearranged it. "We didn't do that song the way most people have done it, which is, like, kind of Mary Poppins," the guitarist says. "I said 'I don't want to do it like that – let's take the 3/4 out and do it in 4/4.'"

According to Ernie Isley, he and the Santana band did zero prep before entering a studio in Las Vegas (the Santanas' current home) last year. "Once we got there, it was, 'Play,'" laughs Isley. "Everyone was prepared and ready to go." Thanks to those combined years of touring and recording, the album was cut in a remarkable four days. "We got a basic track and they said, 'Let's do another one,' and 'Let's do the next one,'" Ernie says. "We put Ronald in front of the microphone and, boom." A fervent version of Swamp Dogg's 1970 hit "Total Destruction to Your Mind" became a particular guitar-jam highlight between Carlos and Ernie. "We were both grinning like two little kids riding bikes and eating ice-cream cones," says Ernie." The musicians also cut Cindy Blackman Santana's original "I Remember," featuring the drummer on lead vocals.

Depending on how Power of Peace is received, Ernie Isley says he and his brother would consider a tour with Santana. "I'm curious," he says. "What would 'That Lady' or 'Everybody's Everything' sound like with me and Carlos playing together? Especially in this musical climate. Please. Ronald Isley has never needed AutoTune."

For his part, Santana simply hopes the album's pro-peace message resonates. "With everything happening in the world with augmented intense fear everywhere – and getting worse and worse – this is an antidote," he says. "When you listen to this music you give people courage, clarity, conviction and consistency of believing that there's something more than the fear that CNN, the CIA, the Pentagon and Hollywood are selling constantly. This is the opposite of that."
[video=youtube;uHnrsPF8dZU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHnrsPF8dZU[/video]
[video=youtube;oIrWhLlQoKc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIrWhLlQoKc[/video]
 
Rudolph Isley (April 1, 1939 – October 11, 2023)
by Jim Farber | Oct. 12, 2023 | The New York Times
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The Isley Brothers in the early 1960s, from left: O’Kelly, Ronald and Rudolph Isley. They wrote and recorded their breakthrough hit, “Shout,” in 1959, and continued having hits for three decades.

Rudolph Isley, who held dual roles in the influential vocal group the Isley Brothers as a mellifluous harmony singer and co-writer of many of their greatest hits, died on Wednesday at his home in Chicago. He was 84.

He died in his sleep, his brother Ernie said, adding that he was unaware of any health issues his brother might have had.

Mr. Isley spent much of his three decades with the Isley Brothers harmonizing with his brother O’Kelly in support of Ronald Isley’s lead vocals. But he also sang lead on some notable tracks. On “I’ve Got to Get Myself Together,” recorded in 1969, his gentlemanly tone gave the song a touch of grace. He also lent a suave lead to the group’s fleeting entry into the disco field, “It’s a Disco Night (Rock Don’t Stop),” which was a club hit in the United States in 1979 and reached the Top 20 in Britain.

The Isley Brothers were always fashionable, and in the 1970s and ’80s Mr. Isley made a fashion statement of his own by wearing hats and furs and carrying a bejeweled cane, giving the Isleys added panache.

He and his brothers wrote a number of pivotal hits, beginning with “Shout,” the group’s 1959 breakthrough, which applied the dynamic of gospel music’s call-and-response to a pop context. They also wrote the enduring political anthem “Fight the Power,” a Top Five Billboard hit, as well as the Top 10 pop hits “It’s Your Thing” and “That Lady.”

Sixteen of the Isley Brothers’ albums cracked the Billboard Top 40, 13 were certified gold and nine went platinum or multiplatinum.

In 1989, Mr. Isley retired from the mainstream music industry to pursue his long-deferred dream of a career in the ministry, although he continued to sing in church. He also recorded some gospel songs, and in 1996 released a religious album titled “Shouting for Jesus: A Loud Joyful Noise.” He and his brothers were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.

Rudolph Bernard Isley was born on April 1, 1939, in Cincinnati, the second of six sons of Sallye (Bell) and O’Kelly Isley. He began singing in church as a child, and during his teen years he and three of the other older Isleys performed together and toured locally.

“I have some very special memories of listening to music with my brothers when we were young,” Mr. Isley told the music journalist Leo Sacks for the liner notes to a 1999 boxed set that Mr. Sacks produced, “It’s Your Thing: The Story of the Isley Brothers.” He added: “Billy Ward and the Dominoes, now that was a group. We idolized them. We got our own thing together because we never lost that harmony group dynamic.”

In the group’s early days, the eldest brother, Vernon, sang lead. He was killed at age 13 when the bicycle he was riding was struck by a car, and Ronald became the lead singer.

The Isleys were still quite young when Rudolph, O’Kelly and Ronald moved to New York to pursue a record deal. Contracts with small labels led to one with RCA, one of the biggest in the business, in 1959, and shortly after that the Isleys wrote and recorded “Shout.” It sold over a million copies and came to be acknowledged as a rock ’n’ roll classic, spawning covers by Dion, Bruce Springsteen, Garth Brooks and many others. (It was also heard in “National Lampoon’s Animal House” and other movies.)

In 1962, the Isleys had a Top 40 hit with their cover of “Twist and Shout,” written by Bert Berns and Phil Medley and originally recorded a year earlier by the Top Notes. Their recording provided a template for the far more popular version recorded by the Beatles in 1963.

For a brief time in 1964, the Isley Brothers’ band included a young guitarist named Jimmy James, who would later be known as Jimi Hendrix.

The Isleys signed with Motown in 1965. But despite the label’s reputation for generating hits, they had just one in their brief tenure there, “This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You),” written by the label’s top songwriting team, Lamont Dozier and Brian and Eddie Holland (with Sylvia Moy). It reached No. 12 on the Billboard chart and No. 3 in Britain. Frustrated by Motown’s controlling approach, the brothers, in an unusual move for an African American act at the time, left the label to form their own, T-Neck Records, named after Teaneck, N.J., where they were based.

Switching to a rawer and funkier style influenced by James Brown and Sly Stone, the trio found a new métier, and a new commercial connection. Their 1969 single “It’s Your Thing” rose to No. 2 on Billboard’s pop chart and No. 1 on the magazine’s R&B list.

At the start of the 1970s, the group expanded to include the two youngest siblings, Ernie and Marvin, along with Rudolph’s brother-in-law, Chris Jasper; all three contributed instrumental work, and Mr. Jasper also sang. The result was a mostly self-contained band, another rarity for Black artists of the day. Together, they pioneered a unique rock ’n’ roll-tinged brand of funk and soul. Over the years, their music covered a wide range of genres, from doo-wop to gospel to quiet-storm ballads.

From 1973 through 1981, all the group’s albums went gold, platinum or multiplatinum. Most of the tracks on those albums were co-written by Mr. Isley and the other members.

The group also scored a platinum album in 1986 with “Between the Sheets,” whose title track offered their sensual answer to Marvin Gaye’s “Sexual Healing.” Rudolph Isley shared lead vocals with his brother Ronald on two tracks of that album, the spacey funk number “Way Out Love” and the sensual grind “Slow Down Children.”

With the rise of hip-hop, the Isleys’ classic material provided the source for more samples than any act other than James Brown and George Clinton’s Parliament-Funkadelic.

The death of O’Kelly Isley from a heart attack in 1986 hit Rudolph particularly hard. The group’s next album, “Smooth Sailin’” (1987), featured just him and Ronald on the cover and was dedicated to O’Kelly. Two years later, Rudolph quit the music business.

Still, the ever-resourceful, forward-looking group endured and made a successful comeback in 1996 with the album “Mission to Please,” buoyed by production and writing from R. Kelly. Rudolph Isley reunited with his brothers for one night in 2004, when the group was given a lifetime achievement honor at the BET Awards.

Ronald and Ernie Isley continue to record under the group’s name. Their most recent album, “Make Me Say It Again, Girl,” was released in 2022.

In March, Rudolph Isley sued his brother Ronald, claiming that he had sought to secure a trademark for the group under his own name exclusively. The suit claimed that the founding members were “at all times” a “common-law partnership.”

Marvin Isley died in 2010 from complications of diabetes.

In addition to his brothers Ernie and Ronald, Rudolph Isley’s survivors include his wife, Elaine Jasper, whom he married in 1958; their children, Rudy Jr., Elizabeth, Valerie and Elaine; and several grandchildren.

“Music and faith, they just run through our blood,” Mr. Isley was quoted as saying in the “It’s Your Thing” liner notes. “I may have stopped singing pop music, but I will always be an Isley Brother.”
 
The Isley Brothers / Footsteps in the Dark
 
On Thursday, April 4, the Guitar Center Music Foundation will host its annual benefit concert at the historic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles.
This year’s honoree is Ernie Isley of The Isley Brothers.
At this exclusive event, GCMF will be presenting Ernie Isley with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
rockcellarmagazine.com

Guitar Center Music Foundation 2024 Benefit April 4 in LA

This coming Thursday, April 4, the Guitar Center Music Foundation will host its annual benefit concert at the historic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles, honoring Ernie Isley of The Isley Brothers.
rockcellarmagazine.com rockcellarmagazine.com
 
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