The Isley Brothers are an American family musical group originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, that started as a vocal trio consisting of brothers O'Kelly Isley Jr., Rudolph Isley and Ronald Isley in the 1950s. With a career spanning over eight decades, the group has enjoyed one of the "longest, most influential, and most diverse careers in the pantheon of popular music".
T-Neck Records was a record label founded by members of the R&B/soul group The Isley Brothers in 1964, which became notable for distributing the first nationally-released recordings of Jimi Hendrix, their guitarist, and which later became a successful label after the Isleys began releasing their own works after years of recording for other labels, scoring hits such as "It's Your Thing" (1969) and "That Lady" (1973).
Christopher Howard Jasper is an American singer, composer, and producer. Jasper is a former member of the Isley Brothers and Isley-Jasper-Isley and is responsible for writing and producing the majority of the Isley Brothers music (1973–1983) and Isley-Jasper-Isley music (1984–1987). He is also a successful solo musician and record producer, recording over 17 of his own solo albums, including 4 urban contemporary gospel albums, all written, produced and performed, both vocally and instrumentally, by Jasper. He also produces artists for his New York City-based record label, Gold City Records. Jasper's keyboard and Moog synthesizer work was a primary ingredient of the Isley Brothers' sound of the 1970s and 1980s when the Isley Brothers were a self-contained band.
3 + 3 is the eleventh album released by the Isley Brothers for the Epic label under their T-Neck imprint on August 7, 1973. In 2020, the album was ranked at 464 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list.
"For the Love of You" is a song recorded by the Isley Brothers, who released the song as the second single off their 1975 album, The Heat Is On. The record showcased the two sides of the act, with the album's first single "Fight the Power" reflecting a fast-paced funk vibe while showcasing a ballad side on the latter. The song later became a crossover hit for the brothers.
Winner Takes All is the seventeenth studio album by The Isley Brothers and released on T-Neck Records and their seventh record to be distributed by Epic Records on August 21, 1979. The album included the number-one R&B hit, "I Wanna Be With You" and the top 20 UK disco hit, "It's a Disco Night ".
Live It Up is the twelfth album by the Isley Brothers, released on September 7, 1974. It was their second major-distributed album with Epic Records under their T-Neck subsidiary.
The Heat Is On is the thirteenth studio album by American soul and funk group The Isley Brothers, released June 7, 1975 on T-Neck Records and Epic Records. Written and produced entirely by the group, the album was recorded in 1975 at Kendum Recorders in Burbank, California. The group implemented many acoustic and electric instruments during its recording, including guitar, piano, and synthesizer. Primarily a funk and soul outing, The Heat Is On features musical elements of rock music, and it is divided between uptempo funk songs and subdued smooth soul-ballads.
Harvest for the World is the fourteenth studio album released by The Isley Brothers on their T-Neck imprint on May 29, 1976.
Go for Your Guns is the fifteenth album by the Isley Brothers. Released on April 16, 1977, on their T-Neck label, it was also the band's fifth album to be distributed by their deal with Epic. Released in mid-April 1977, the album peaked a month later at No. 1 on Billboard's Top Soul chart, and at No. 6 on the Billboard 200.
Go All the Way is the eighteenth album released by The Isley Brothers for their T-Neck imprint on April 19, 1980.
Grand Slam is the 19th album by The Isley Brothers, released on their T-Neck imprint via CBS Records on March 21, 1981. The album was recorded and mixed digitally.
The Real Deal is the 21st album released by The Isley Brothers on August 7, 1982. The album is notable for the group's decision to alter their trademark funk rock sound in the 1970s with the then-current early 1980s electro funk scene dominated by Rick James, Prince, Zapp and The Gap Band.
Between the Sheets is the 22nd album released by The Isley Brothers on their T-Neck imprint on April 24, 1983. The album is notable for the title track, the follow-up hit "Choosey Lover", and the ballad "Touch Me". The song also appeared in the 2007 comedy film, Norbit.
"Pop That Thang" is a 1972 funk song released by The Isley Brothers on their T-Neck imprint. Co-written by the three Isley brothers: O'Kelly, Rudolph and Ronald, Howard Kelly and Clive Otis, the song is an uptempo dance number that was featured on the group's 1972 album, Brother, Brother, Brother. A successful record, it reached #3 on the national R&B charts and #24 on the pop singles chart. Billboard ranked it as the No. 100 song for 1972.
"Choosey Lover" is a 1983 soul song by The Isley Brothers. Released on their T-Neck imprint, the song was their second consecutive top ten R&B hit after their seminal "Between the Sheets" hit No. 3 on that chart. It was the second of two chart-topping singles the Isleys released off their aptly titled Between the Sheets album. "Choosey Lover" was also the last charting single to feature the 3 + 3 lineup of the band. A year later, younger brothers Ernie Isley, Marvin Isley and their brother-in-law Chris Jasper left to form Isley-Jasper-Isley while older brothers Ronald Isley, Rudolph Isley and O'Kelly Isley continued on under the "Isley Brothers" name.
"The Pride" is a 1977 funk song by The Isley Brothers, released on their T-Neck imprint. The song, which was the first single released from their album, Go For Your Guns, was written as a warning to politicians to be the leader that the people need and to others who want change reminding them that "the pride makes (them) feel that (they) belong". The song was one of several socially conscious political songs the Isleys recorded throughout the 1970s including "Fight the Power Pts. 1 & 2" and "Harvest for the World". While the song peaked at sixty-three on the pop charts, it reached number-one on the R&B singles chart becoming the group's third number one on the chart.
"Lay Away" is a 1972 funk-rock single released by The Isley Brothers on their T-Neck imprint. Released as the first record off their Brother, Brother, Brother album, the song depicted the narrator's description of how his lover's love was so special that he wanted to have for keeps just in case. The song took the riff of Honey Cone's "Want Ads" especially in the bridges. The song was significant for showcasing brother Ernie on lead guitar for the first time on an Isley Brothers record. Written and produced by elder brothers O'Kelly, Rudolph and Ronald, the song charted at number fifty-four pop and number six R&B in the spring of 1972.
"Take Me to the Next Phase " was a hit song for R&B/funk band The Isley Brothers. The song has the sound of a live stadium recording, but it was created entirely in a recording studio. Ernie and Marvin Isley plus Chris Jasper laid the foot stomps and some of the crowd noises across 24 recording tracks. Released from their platinum selling 1978 album, Showdown, the single spent 2 weeks at number one on the R&B singles chart. However, it never managed to cross over to the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.
"It's a Disco Night " is a 1979 club hit for The Isley Brothers, released on their T-Neck label as the second single from their gold-certified album, Winner Takes All. The song is notable for being one of the few disco-based songs the Isley Brothers released. Beforehand, the group were known for their mixture of funk, rhythm and blues and rock. The song was led by brother Ronald Isley while his brothers Kelly and Rudolph Isley chanted "rock don't stop" in the background. The song briefly charted on the Billboard Hot 100 peaking at number 90, hitting number 27 on the R&B chart. Outside the US, "It's a Disco Night" reached number 14 on the UK Singles chart.
