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We’re unhappy to report that Chris Jasper, a singer-songwriter who performed a key function in crafting the sound of The Isley Brothers and Isley-Jasper-Isley, handed away on the age of 73.
A household assertion shared on Jasper’s Fb web page confirmed that he handed away on Sunday, February 23, following a most cancers analysis in December 2024.
Born on December 30, 1951, the Cincinnati native began finding out classical piano at an early age. Whereas attending Teaneck Excessive Faculty in New Jersey, Jasper shaped a band with two of the youthful Isley brothers, Ernie and Marvin. After performing collectively within the New Jersey space, the three started touring with the older Isley Brothers (Ronald, O’Kelly, and Jasper’s brother-in-law Rudolph) and performed on the sooner recordings.
Bringing a brand new sound to the unique trio, Jasper and the youthful Isleys formally joined the band with the discharge of the 3+3 album in 1973.
Jasper’s musicianship (particularly, his use of keyboards and synthesizers) and songwriting would change into a cornerstone of the Isley Brothers’ success throughout the Nineteen Seventies and Nineteen Eighties when the group was a self-contained band. Jasper was instrumental in writing, arranging, and producing the Isleys’ signature hits, together with “Between The Sheets,” “Struggle The Energy,” and “For The Love of You.”
In 1984, following the group’s disbandment, Jasper as soon as once more linked with Marvin and Ernie as a trio. As Isley-Jasper-Isley, the group launched three albums on CBS Data. Their largest hit was 1985’s “Caravan of Love,” which peaked at #1 on the Billboard R&B charts.
Embarking on a solo profession within the late Nineteen Eighties, Jasper would file seventeen R&B albums and 4 gospel albums whereas additionally forming his personal file label, Gold Metropolis Data.
His contributions to music have been acknowledged with quite a few gold & platinum certifications, induction into the Rock & Roll Corridor of Fame, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and induction into the Songwriters Corridor of Fame.
Jasper leaves behind his spouse of 42 years, Margie, and three sons, Michael, Nicholas, and Christopher.
Chris Jasper, Key Member of The Isley Brothers & Isley-Jasper-Isley, Passes Away at 73
was initially revealed on
myclassixatl.com