JJortlaith (Obserurr
Page 12
December 15. 2010
Artsfo
ENTERTAINMENT
Isley Brother Picks Up
Where He Left Off
Sweet Street Food Cart
on the corner of MLK and Lombard
Monday - Saturday, 11:00am - 9:00pm
Wednesday Special: 3 Wings $2.00
Friday Special: Rib Sandwiched Beef or Pork $4.00
call
503-995-6150
positive after prison
on tax charge
to place order
Christmas Tree Lot
y v
I
Any Doug Fir 5-7 ft. $20.00
Any Nobel Fir 5-7 ft. $30.00
Any Grand Fir 5-7 ft. $30.00
6500 NE M L K Jr. Blvd.
On the comer of: M L K Jr. & Rosa Park
t
Ron Isley keeps it
(AP) - When Ron Isley talks
about the three years he spent in
prison for tax evasion, there's no
bitterness or anger in his voice: At
times, there almost seems to be a bit
of nostalgia.
"I made a lot of friends. I was
treated like a king. I had all of the
respect that one would want. And
it's a part of that that I miss — when
I say I miss, I miss the people that I
met," said the 69-year-old with the
golden tenor.
"When I first went in there, there
were 300 people there and those 300
people were behind me 100 percent,
and when I say 100 percent, I really
mean that," he added. "'What can
we get for you? Do you need this, do
you need that?' ... 24 hours a day,
and that's a blessing."
Isley's prison experience was prob­
ably a bit different from the average
person incarcerated for a tax offense.
But the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer
doesn't credit his good fortune to his
legendary status. Instead, he credits
a more potent factor.
"We have a lot of faith in God, No.
1, and we always know that he's with
us, so that will carry you through
anything," he said.
That faith led Isley to believe
there were better days ahead, and
his faith appears to have paid off: He
recently released a new album, "Mr.
t x / r i i f j n t i .C fw A
ft//o n e n e e f/i "
B arber
&
B eauty
S a l o n
Have com puter questions?
LB3 Computing Solutions
C osm etologist / B arber / S tylist
'
Isley," and has a Grammy nomina­
tion for one of the key tracks: a duet
with Aretha Franklin on the classic
"You've Got a Friend."
"I was always fascinated how
this man who made his first song in
1959 with Twist and Shout' was able
to reinvent him self decade after
decade after decade," said Antonio
"L.A." Reid, chairman of Island Def
Jam, which released Isley's latest
project. "This man is as much of an
icon as Mick Jagger. This man is as
much of an icon as Elton John ...
Stevie Wonder."
While Isley’s name isn't as iconic
as those men, there's a strong argu­
ment that his music has been as
influential. As part of The Isley
Brothers, his contributions to mu­
sic have been formidable: "Fight the
Power," "Between the Sheets," "For
the LoveofY ou," "It's Your Thing"
and "That Lady" have become pop
and soul classics and, through sam­
pling, hip-hop favorites over five
decades.
And when other veterans found
themselves singing cover tunes to
remain relevant, Isley connected
with a new generation through the
gangster alter-ego Mr. Biggs, link­
ing with R. Kelly, Lil Kim and others
to generate hits.
Isley had just released an album
J
A a ro n P e te rs o n . Owner
Hrs: 10:30am - 7pm / Mon. • Sat.
(5 0 3 )2 6 3 -3 6 6 1
Ron Isley
with his brother Ernie, "Baby Makin'
Music," and had another hit, "Just
Came Here to Chill," when he was
sentenced in 2006 to three years in
prison for failure to pay taxes. Isley,
who still proclaims his innocence,
said the government tried to get him
to take a plea deal and spend a few
months in jail.
"I didn't want to go away for no
time at all, so I figure, being that I'd
been to court over a 100 times that
this would be something that would
go away," he said. "I was wrong in
figuring that."
Isley was a new father when he
went to prison (his son is now 3); he
also left behind his wife. It wasn't
really behind bars: Isley describes it
as sort of a "camp" with plenty of
open space. But there were plenty
of restrictions.
"You were just held away from
what you wanted to do. All the
telephone calls, you gotta go to bed
a certain time," he said.
Isley sang about once a month
and participated in some shows
there. He dreamed of recording a
new album.
"I wanted to make an album that
was special ... that was, 'Wow, he
did this?"’ Isley said.
Isley's stature hasn't diminished.
He recently was honored with a
special legend award at the Soul
Train Awards, and he eagerly talks
about other opportunities, includ­
ing TV sitcoms and other appear­
ances.
And he won't be complaining
about the long hours promoting his
album or being away from home.
"I will have to do that, but at the
same time I haven't been doing that
for a long time, so once again I'm
enjoying it," he said. "Now every­
thing is new again, it's like I'm at the
beginning, doing everything all over
again."
V
Support for you, your business, and your home
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(503) 6 2 1 -6 3 6 8
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