The Highways of my My Life - the Isley Brothers
- unclestylus
- 7 days ago
- 2 min read
Pub quiz question: which of the members of the Isley Brothers was not a bone fide Isley Brother and why?
The answer is Chris Jasper, who died in February of this year. The Isley Brothers began in 1954 as a foursome of siblings Ronald, Rudolph, O'Kelly and Vernon, who was killed in a motor accident in 1955. The others continued as a trio until 1973 when their younger brothers Ernie and Marvin joined along with Chris Jasper, who's older sister was married to Rudolph Isley. I suppose they could hardly change their name to the Isley Brothers and Brother-in-law.
The influence of the three youngsters in the band was massive and gave the group a new lease of life. The three were all excellent instrumentalists and brought an increasingly modern funky element to the band as well as a timely disco sound, their first LP as a sextet "3+ 3" producing 3 UK hits including the classic "Who's That Lady". The album concludes with the third of these, the wistful "Highways of My Life" which is built around a beautiful piano part by Chris Jasper. The Isleys were very collaborative when they worked together, so that none of their self-penned numbers is credited to only one or two of them, but always all of them, regardless of whom contributed the most to the main melody or lyrics. Jasper definitely contributed to the band in a big way, so that synthesisers and electronic keyboards became key elements of their "sound". "Highways" is Jasper's "Greatest Hit" with the Isleys, showcasing his keyboard skills in the delicately wrought long intro, then controlling the tempo as the song moves through the gears, quicker then slow again, maintaining the reflective mood throughout.
On this track and on many, many others, the brother-in-law surely merits his promotion to "brother".
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