Chris Jasper, Isley Brothers star behind ‘Between the Sheets’ and ‘Caravan of Love’, dies aged 73

Musician and producer was behind some of the band’s biggest hits, with his work also sampled by hip-hop stars such as Tupac, The Notorious BIG and Jay-Z. Chris Jasper, the writer and producer who helped shape some of The Isley Brothers’ biggest hits, has died aged 73.

The news was confirmed by his son, Michael Jasper, who said he died following a diagnosis with cancer in December last year. Jasper joined The Isley Brothers in 1973 and was credited with helping the trio “transform” into a six-member funk and R&B group.

“His songwriting talent and expertise on keyboards and synthesisers became the cornerstone of the group’s signature sound,” his family said in a statement to Jasper’s Facebook page. Born on 30 December 1951 in Cincinnati, Ohio, Jasper trained in classical music and composition at the Juilliard School of Music in New York City.

After graduating, he joined his brother-in-law, Rudolph Isley, along with O’Kelly Isley Jr and Ronald Isley, and their younger brothers Ernie and Marvin, to turn the former trio into a complete band. Together, they created some of the group’s biggest albums including Between the Sheets and The Heat is On, along with singles such as “Fight the Power” and “For the Love of You”.

The band splintered in 1984 and Jesper formed Isley-Jasper-Isley with Ernie and Marvin, achieving international acclaim with further hits such as 1985’s “Caravan of Love”. An acapella cover of the song by British indie band The Housemartins topped the UK singles chart in 1986.

“I had been looking at the world scene quite a bit,” Jasper said in one interview. “I wasn't pleased with what I was seeing.” The lyrics, which carried a message of hope, were written around a tune he’d found himself humming for a month. When he began writing down his thoughts on a blank notepad, he realised he’d finished the song after 20 minutes: “Are you ready for the time of your life?/ It's time to stand up and fight... The place where mankind was born/ Is so neglected and torn.”.

Jasper took on lead vocal duties for the song as well as keyboard, recording with the band at a studio in East Orange, New Jersey, as the first track to their second album. It languished on America’s R&B charts for six months until The Housemartins picked it up and helped bring it to international recognition.

Jasper later recorded as a solo artist and founded Gold City Record, signing other artists including R&B singer Liz Hogue. He continued to release music well into his sixties, including a 2019 covers album, For the Love of You, featuring The Isley Brothers’ hits and interpretations of “God is Love” by Marvin Gaye and Sam Cooke’s “Nothing Can Change This Love”.

His work was also popular among hip-hop artists such as Tupac Shakur, Jay-Z and Snoop Dogg, all of whom sampled his work. Arguably one of the most recognisable instances was when The Notorious BIG used “Between the Sheets” on his 1994 jam “Big Poppa”.

Jasper 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 said. “He will be deeply missed and his legacy will live on as an inspiration for generations.”.