Chris Jasper was a singer and songwriter best known as an Isley Brothers member in the 1970s and ‘80s, contributing to songs like “For the Love of You,” “Fight the Power” and “Between the Sheets.”
- Died: February 23, 2025 (Who else died on February 23?)
- Details of death: Died of cancer at the age of 73.
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Chris Jasper’s legacy
The Isley Brothers were already making memorable music by the time Jasper officially joined them in the 1970s, yet his blend of singing and songwriting talent with keyboard and synthesizer skills helped transform the vocal trio into the R&B and funk force that continued topping the charts in the decade that followed.
Jasper studied at the Juilliard School of Music in New York City, learning from jazz greats like Billy Taylor. He knew the Isleys since childhood; they lived in the same apartment building, and his sister, Elaine, married Rudolph Isley. As teens, two younger Isley siblings, Marvin and Ernie, even paired with Jasper and played under the name The Jazzman Trio, so their sonic connection was already secure by the time he joined the group in 1973. Their subsequent hits, including “For the Love of You,” “Fight the Power,” and “Between the Sheets,” were written or co-written by Jasper, just a few of the songs he contributed to during his 10 years as an Isley Brothers member. His work with them began on 1973’s “3+3” and continued through 1983’s “Between the Sheets,” a dozen albums in all.
In 1984, after the band broke up, Jasper and Marvin and Ernie Isley regrouped to form Isley-Jasper-Isley, leading to their hit song, “Caravan of Love.” Jasper went solo in 1987, penning the No. 1 R&B hit “Superbad,” and continuing to release dozens of albums through 2023’s “It Started With a Kiss.”
Jasper was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 as a member of the Isley Brothers, was honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014, received the National R&B Society Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016, and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2022. His work has been sampled by artists like Whitney Houston, Notorious B.I.G., Tupac Shakur, Queen Latifah, Jay-Z, and Snoop Dogg.
Tributes to Chris Jasper
Full obituary: The Independent
