Isley Brothers Musician Chris Jasper Dies at 73
Chris Jasper, keyboardist and vocalist with the Isley Brothers, died on Feb. 23, 2005, at the age of 73. His family announced his passing in a Facebook post and said that he had been diagnosed with cancer in December 2024.
Jasper’s family grew up in the same Cincinnati apartment complex as the Isleys, and his older sister Elaine married Rudolph Isley. Jasper formed a band with the younger Isleys, Marvin and Ernie, and in 1973, joined the older Isleys, Rudolph, Ronald and O’Kelly, transforming their band from, according to this family’s Facebook post, “a vocal trio into a self-contained six member R&B/funk group. His songwriting talent and expertise on keyboards and synthesizers became the cornerstone of the group’s signature sound. Chris was instrumental in writing, arranging and producing numerous hits, including classics like ‘For the Love of You,’ ‘Between the Sheets’ and ‘Fight the Power.'”
Jasper remained with the Isley Brothers until 1984, when the six-person band disbanded, and he, Marvin and Ernie formed Isley-Jasper-Isley. The band had a major hit in 1985, “Caravan of Love,” which featured Jasper’s vocals.
Jasper began a solo career in 1987 and founded his own record label, Gold City Records. His contributions to R&B, soul and pop songwriting have been honored broadly: “In 1992, he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014. In 2016, Jasper was awarded the National R&B Society Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2020, Jasper was awarded the Soultracks Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2022, Chris was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame,” according to his family’s Facebook post.
“He is survived by his wife of 42 years, Margie Jasper, a New York-based attorney and author, and his three sons Michael, Nicholas and Christopher,” his family wrote in their Facebook post. “He will be deeply missed and his legacy will live on as an inspiration for generations.”
1974 (50 Years Ago)
January 2024
In this time capsule issue of ReMIND Magazine we look back 50 years ago to 1974!
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