Due out later this year, ‘For The Love Of You’ by Chris Jasper is a covers album that revisits three songs that he co-wrote while with the Isley Brothers as well as reimagining of some of the biggest pop and R & B classics of all time. This consummate collection is Jasper’s 16th solo project and is being showcased by the title cut, his cool interpretation of the Isley’s seminal hit that first appeared on the band’s 1975 recording ‘The Heat Is On’. It made #10 in the US R & B charts in that year and went on to be a much-covered staple of the soul and contemporary jazz genre for over forty years.
In fact, before launching his solo career in 1988, Chris Jasper was a member and primary songwriter for the Isley Brothers from 1973 through to 1983 and with Isley-Jasper-Isley from 1984 until 1987.
Of course the Isley Brothers are known to aficionados of soul everywhere and as such are broadly bracketed as ‘Motown’ performers. However, how many people realise that although the Isley Brothers signed to Motown in 1965, and had their smash hit ‘This Old Heart of Mine’ while with them, this was their only major hit on the label.
Also not widely known is although the band clearly revelled in moments of classic smooth soul they had, during the mid sixties, a distinctly non-smooth performer in their ranks. This performer was Jimmy James who went on to cut his first solo records on the Isley’s T-Neck label under the name by which he was to become famous, Jimi Hendrix.
The Isley Brothers actually date back to the fifties. Originally a quartet, the Isley’s were reduced to a trio by the untimely death, in 1955, of Vernon Isley in a bicycling accident. They scored a hit in 1959 with ‘Shout’ and UK music fans will remember the cover version of this track by Lulu. They went on to spend two years with RCA, recorded four singles with Atlantic (where they worked with legendary producers Leiber and Stoller) and scored a hit with ‘Twist And Shout’ on the Wand label. The Beatles subsequently experienced great chart success with their own cover version of the number.
With the reactivation of the T-Neck label in 1969 the three older brothers invited guitarist Ernie Isley and bass player Marvin Isley to join the group together with brother in law and keyboard player Chris Jasper. After being a vocal trio for many years the band was now a self-contained unit and it was this combination of musicians who were responsible for the song ‘For the Love of You’.
Forty five years on it is still sounding just as good and with the new CD also including numberss such as Van Morrison’s ‘Have I Told You Lately’, Marvin Gaye’s ‘God Is Love’ and notably Sam Cooke’s ‘Nothing Can Change This Love’ it is all set to become one of musical events of the year.