As many of us know from first-hand experience, every now and then there’s some family drama that gets stirred up amongst loved ones. And unfortunately for the Isley Brothers, the pot has just officially been stirred.

Original Isley Brothers member, Rudolph Isley, has just hit his brother, Ronald Isley…claiming Ronald stabbed him in the back on the business end.

Rudolph says he’s the co-owner of the Isley Brothers trademark, and that any business involving their brand must first have his approval; as well as Ronald’s approval– who apparently also co-owns the trademark. In Rudolph’s lawsuit, he claims Ronald sidestepped his bro’ and instead is sneakily making major business decisions without Rudolph…in turn, reportedly stackin’ all the profits.

Via TMZ: According to a new lawsuit…Rudolph is suing Ronald over the rights to “The Isley Brothers” trademark … he says Ronald applied and got approval for the trademark in his own name and is taking all the profits.

Rudolph says he and Ronald are supposed to split all profits from the band 50/50 … claiming they’ve each had 50% ownership in the band since their brother O’Kelly died way back in 1986 … but Rudolph claims Ronald recently went rogue.

In the docs, Rudolph claims Ronald applied for and was granted the exclusive rights to “The Isley Brothers” for use on “visual recordings and audiovisual recordings featuring music and animation” back in August … but Rudolph says Ronald needs his approval to cut such a deal.

In addition to the aforementioned issues, Rudoplh is also claiming that prior to Ronald filing for “exclusive” ownership of their trademark in August 2022, Ronald had also filed to put the ownership in his name in November 2021, but he says they were still splitting the Isley Brothers profits 50/50, from several major business transactions– including a major multi-million dollar publishing deal. But Rudolph says now that Ronald has gone behind his back to gain “exclusive” ownership, he is requesting that a judge order an updated audit on all profits he claims Ronald has stacked ever since the trademark change.

There’s more…Rudoplh is also asking the court to re-honor the co-ownership of the Isley Brother trademark, which he says lists both he and Ronald as the owners. He’s demanding that Ronald run him his HALF of all Isley Brothers’ profits that Ronald has supposedly racked up after ‘secretly’ changing the trademark ownership solely to his name only.

Not sure exactly how many millions are at stake, but hopefully Rudolph and Ronald Isley can get this situation straightened out quickly. Rudolph, Ronald, and Ernie Isley are the last living members of their iconic group, and they’re not getting any younger. So, it would be a shame to let this beef linger any longer than necessary…for the sake of their fam,’ and their legacy. But I get it…sometimes when it comes to mixing family and business, that feat is far easier said, than done.

The post Family Beef: Rudolph Isley Files Big Lawsuit Against Brother Ronald Isley, Makes Major Claims appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

ILOSM fam,’ this is one of those stories that will probably make you go “Wait….what?!!” Why, you ask? Well because this reality TV star doesn’t quite seem like the legendary Ron Isley’s type…at least not based on her past ‘I’ll-whoop-a-chick-at-any-moment’ tendencies, but apparently she was.

THEY DATED FOR 2 YEARS?

The 40-something-year-old reality star has starred in three VH-1 reality TV shows, and she’s been known to get a lil’ rowdy in the past. Think you know who she is? Hmmm…scroll down to find out…

FROM RON ISLEY TO “FLAVA OF LOVE”

Remember Flava Flav’s dating show, “Flava of Love”? Well you probably remember one of the most memorable ladies on the show and that is Saaphyri Windsor. She was the one who beat up the other chick on their very first day in the Flava house for trying to take her bed. Crazy right? She was also the one who hilariously offered the same woman (who was clearly still distraught and crying) chap stick immediately after the fight, as if everything was all good between them.

Well she revealed in a past interview with Sister2Sister Magazine that she dated Ron Isley, 79, for two years at the SAME time he was dating his then-girlfriend (now his wife), Kandy Isley. Saaphyri said “Mr. Contagious” climbed “between the sheets” with her on the regular and them broke her heart. See the intimate details Saaphyri gave about this and what she said she did when Ron was in jail for tax evasion>>>

‘ALL OF A SUDDEN HE CAME TO MY HOUSE & SAID HE WAS GETTING MARRIED!’

Saaphyri explained to S2S’s, Jaime, that Ron Isley dropped her like a bad habit right before his wedding, although she thought everything was going good with their relationship and had no clue he was getting married to Kandy. Check out the interview excerpts below.

Saaphyri: I was involved with a guy who was a celebrity, who was older than me – very wealthy. And he came to me in 2005 and told me that he was getting married to somebody else. … After we had been together for two years.”

Saaphyri continued:

…He got married in 2006. That really broke my heart. …Even though I was still like, ‘There is maybe somebody out there for me,’ it broke my heart to the point I didn’t know exactly how I was going to react in another relationship, or if I was even ready for another relationship. And this person.

S2S Mag: Well, who is it, so we can go beat him up? [joking]

Saaphyri: Ronald Isley …Mm-hmmm.

The former reality TV star also says Ron Isley was dating her up until the time he married his current wife, Kandy Isley:

Saaphyri: “He wasn’t married when I first got with him. He had just gotten a divorce from Angela [Winbush]. He was messing around with his [then-]new wife. He did have a girlfriend, but I didn’t think that was important. I didn’t really have a lot of respect for anyone that would come between a marriage but I figured a girlfriend isn’t as important.

But I think because I wasn’t able to express my feelings a lot, he would say stuff to me like, ‘Why I don’t never really express myself. It’s because I don’t want to be hurt. I don’t know if I put everything out on the table, if you’re going to do something like he eventually did. You know, it was Mother’s Day and we’re on the way to church and he comes to my house to tell me he’s getting married.”

There’s more…

S2S:Do you think you will ever fall in love again?

Saaphyri: “I want to.

S2S:Ronnie [Ron Isley] was pretty old for you, wasn’t he?

Saaphyri:”I like them old.”

Ever since Saaphyri aired out her and Ron Isley’s alleged dirty laundry some years ago, neither the “Contagious” crooner, nor his camp have denied it as for as we can tell, so it looks like Saaphyri just may be speaking some truth about them.

SAAPHYRI WAS JAILED AT SAME TIME ISLEY WAS

After “Flava of Love,” Saaphyri (pictured above left on “Flava of Love Girls: Charm School”) had a few financial struggles and ended up serving 22 months in prison for stealing her uncle’s identity in 2009 and 2010, which was the same time that Ron Isley was imprisoned for tax evasion. He was married by then, but here’s what Saaphyri said she did:

The post Reality Star Claimed She Had A Secret Relationship With Ron Isley And Caught Many Off Guard appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

When Ronald Isley and singer, Angela Winbush, divorced in 2002, they allegedly kind of lost the contact they once had, but it was health scares on both sides that brought them back together as friends. The thing that had a lot of people talking was what Angela Winbush did for Ronald long after they’d divorced and after he was in a new committed relationship wife his wife…

ANGELA WINBUSH STEPPED UP AFTER RONALD ISLEY HAD A STROKE

In 2004, Ronald Isley suffered a very scary stroke while in London. He was dating his then-new girlfriend/background singer, Kandy Johnson (who is now his wife and mother of his son, Ronald Isley Jr.) at the time, but it was Angela who also rushed to be by his side when he needed all of the loving support he could get to help him through that trying time.

ANGELA WINBUSH: “PEOPLE THINK I’M FOOLISH”
Here are the details of what Winbush did for Isley after his stroke:

The couple split after 16 years of marriage, but became friends again when Isley rushed to his ex-wife’s side when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer [in 2003].

Singer Winbush [returned the favor] by helping Isley as he recovered from his [stroke] at his home in St Louis, Missouri. “People think I’m very foolish for being that way, but when it comes to somebody’s health I just don’t feel like I should be your enemy.” (Source: Contact Music)

Wow, that was very big of Angela and it sounds like Ron’s wife, Kandy, didn’t mind Angela stepping in to help out with Mr. Isley’s health. That’s the type of love that comes with maturity, but unfortunately not all divorced/separated couples get a chance to experience it.

Question ILOSM family: After parting ways with your ex-spouse, would you have been able to do this so soon after the separation?

THINGS AREN’T ALWAYS MEANT TO BE…

On a side note, no disrespect to Mr. Isley and his wife, Kandy (who is 35 years his junior), but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think Ronald and Angela always seemed like they were the perfect soulmates.. But of course, I’m just a bystander looking from the outside in. So what do I know? Obviously Angela’s and Ronald just weren’t meant to last forever, but it seems like the genuine love they both have for one another as friends, will always be there and that’s a beautiful thing.

On the flip side, it truly does seem like Ronald Isley and Kandy Johnson are very happy together and I wish them many more years of marital bliss.

The post Many Were Surprised By Angela Winbush’s Reaction To Ex-Husband, Ronald Isley’s, Stroke appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Ron Isley (80) is one of the coldest soul singers to ever grace the music game. He’s also experienced a lot of highs and lows throughout his 67 years in the business. He’s loss some of his brothers, had kids along the way, divorced his longtime wife/singer Angela Winbush, suffered health setbacks, married a new wife, had another child- a son, went to prison, and bounced back like he never left…in that order.

When Ron Isley married his then-28 year old bride, Kandy Johnson-Isley, he was 64 years old… and many were pretty surprised by of their age difference. The year was 2005, when Mr. and Mrs. Isley recited their vows to each other in a fairytale style wedding. Little did anyone know, the following year, in September 2006, Ron would be sentenced to three years in federal prison for tax evasion. To make matters worse, Kandi was very pregnant with their son at the time of her man’s sentencing.

During that bittersweet time, fans were concerned for Ron, wondering if he’d actually make it through his entire sentence, while the Isleys’ families were probably worried about Kandi and their unborn son’s wellbeing, due to the stress the tax issue had caused.

Well people, in the words of Sanford & Son’s “Aunt Esther”: “HALLELUJAH!!” because Ron, Kandi and their son, Ron Jr., may have had some bumps along the way, but they made through. Now that we’re all caught up on the challenged circumstances Ron Isley Jr. was born into, meet the swagged out offspring of ‘Mr. Biggs’ below…

Introducing Ron Isley Jr.

Check out some of the most recent shots of Ron Isley Jr. chillin’ with his moms and pops on Father’s Day 2021…

Kandy Isley (44) shared the above photo, online, of the three of them as she also saluted her hubby with a loving message:

“You’re an amazing husband and Father! Our leader! Our hero! Our rock! I’m so thankful for you and all that God has allowed us to do and experience in our lives together! I LOVE watching you be a dad to our son. Your wisdom and love for our family is what I’m privileged to experience with you every day…and here we are after 23 years of knowing each other watching our baby boy grow into a handsome young man! Family is God’s blessing to us and I’m grateful that He chose me to give you a son! Happy Father’s Day Babe, We Love You So Much! @ronaldisley … 😘❤️😍💋#happyfathersday”

He’s growing up fast and given the fact that BOTH of his parents can SANG, the suspense is killing us on whether or not Ron Jr. has inherited those same traits.

Will we be seeing a ‘Mr. Biggs Jr.’ in the future? Only time will tell…but no pressure Ron Jr., because those are some big shoes to fill.

Ron’s Wife Explains What She Really Loves About Him

We previously reported that Ron and Kandi did an interview with KTVI, in which Kandi explained why she married Islay. So just in case y’all are starring at their photos wondering how that May/December romance has lasted so long, here’s what Mrs. Isley had to say:

Kandi Johnson Isley: “He’s [Ron Isley] a GENTLEMEN! I mean, you’re talking about romance, he puts the ‘R’ in romance…from fine dining, to treating a woman like a man should, with respect. As we developed a relationship, we had a lot of things in common and Ronald…even though he’s older, he’s young at heart.”

And there ya’ have ILOSM fam’…another Old School fun fact about one of our favorite soul legends. Thanks for reading.

The post Ron Isley, 80, And Young Wife Have 14-Year-Old Son…He’s Cool Like Ron Too appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Although everyone knew Angel was a helluva singer, she never got enough credit for her writing and producing skills. That was probably because she was a woman in a male dominated industry, which was pretty messed up. She was also known as the sexy wife of Ron Isley for 11 years, which she says also hindered her musical accomplishments:

She filed for divorce in 2001. She says that most of her adult life involved Isley and that she let him be at the front, at the expense of her career. “What I did wasn’t the right thing for my career, but it was right for my marriage,” she says. She and Isley are still friends, she says.

Her Surprising Other Career

But now there’s one shocking fact that many of us didn’t know. It’s that today at 62 years young, the songstress has transformed into a minister! Yep, y’all read that right, Angela Winbush is preaching these days. And just so we know it’s real, check out the recent photo of Angela rockin’ her clerical collar a.k.a. the white collars reverends wear when preaching.

Still Singing Her Hits

Let’s not get it twisted, she is still a SANGIN’ somebody!  In fact, Angela performs her hits pretty regularly, so the good news for us Winbush fans is that we can still catch her in concert, gracing us with her angelic voice.

She’s A Survivor

Winbush’s life journey hasn’t been an easy one though. She revealed that she battled with severe depression after her R&B success. She also battled and overcame stage 3 ovarian cancer. She was diagnosed in 2002, went through intense chemotherapy and thankfully, she’s been in remission ever since 2003.

These days, Angela Winbush is very grateful for what she’s overcome and the path her life has taken:

Via St.Louis Post Dispatch: “For me, the only reason I think I’m alive is so I could save other lives,” she says. “It’s not about me looking cute all the time. It’s about my life being spared so I can show people they can make it through a tough situation.”

Preach Ms. Winbush!

-ILoveOldSchoolMusic, old school news with a new point of view

The post Many Shocked At Angela Winbush’s Reaction To Ex-Husband Ron Isley’s Stroke appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

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How did this even happen, you ask? Well, it turns out Wilson Pickett was flat out drunk that night and after he and the Isley’s got into an argument, all HELL broke loose. I guess it’s never wise to mix pistols, alcohol, and quick tempers together in one setting.

What Had Happened Was…

Wilson Pickett and The Isley Brothers went on a hunting trip in Andes, New York, when the incident occurred and according to police reports, Pickett was extremely drunk when he started causing a disturbance in The Andes Hotel. Rudolph Isley (pictured below, top row, far right) and O’Kelly Isley (pictured below, bottom row, left), along with two other men, tried to get Pickett to tone his temper down about thousand notches, by taking him into a parking lot to talk to him. As they were trying to calm down “Wicked” Wilson Pickett, a fight broke out between all of them and the drama escalated from there.

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The Isley Brothers and the two unidentified men eventually went into a hotel room and locked the door, but Pickett sniffed them out and was still just as drunk and angry as he was moments earlier. So, he did what any quick tempered drunk man with a pistol would do- he fired shots right through the door of The Isley Brothers’ hotel room, with a .38 caliber two shot Derringer.

Needless to say, the police showed up and arrested Wilson Pickett, charging him with first-degree reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a dangerous weapon. He was released on $500 bail.

Not sure what Pickett’s relationship was like with the Isley’s after that. What do you say to your fellow work colleagues after you tried to shoot them? ‘Hey man…look here, I apologize for trying to pump some bullets in y’all, I didn’t mean any harm, I was drunk?’ Crazy, right? LOL. I guess the Isley’s never let their guards down around Wilson Pickett again.

Pickett’s Reported Violent Incident With Former New Jersey Mayor

Now that wasn’t “Wicked” Wilson’s only riled up incident. He once allegedly became angry at the then mayor of Englewood, New Jersey (where Wilson was living), Mayor Donald Aronson, and decided to do what he presumably believed to be the most logical thing to do when one doesn’t like someone. He did donuts in his Cadillac right there on the front lawn of the mayor’s house, while shouting threats at the mayor…WOW. That Wilson Pickett was something else, I tell ya.’

There’s no denying that Pickett and the Isley Brothers are incredible artists though and besides, we, soul music fans, would much rather jam to their music that grown folks can make LOVE to…not WAR. Can I get an Amen somebody?!!

-ILoveOldSchoolMusic, old school news with a new point of view

[Source: Jet Magazine]

The post A Famous Soul Singer Once Almost Killed Isley Brothers During Violent Altercation appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

The Isley Brothers had a legal problem with singer, Michael Bolton that was strung along for 9 years in the courts. The year they finally received their victory over Bolton was in 2000, after the Supreme Court said something like ‘Stop it Bolton and pay them what you stole from them.’

It started in 1991, after The Isley Brothers realized that Bolton, his co-writer, and his label, Sony Music, had done a jack move on their 1968 jam, “Love Is A Wonderful Thing,” which Bolton also named his 1991 hit and featured it on his album, “Time, Love, & Tenderness,” ultimately selling 10 million copies. The Isleys tried to talk it out first with Bolton, but according to Ronald Isley, Bolton decided to get real cocky and disrespect them, and that’s when Ronald says he lost all respect for the Bolton.

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In court, Bolton denied he’d ever heard The Isley’s song, but the jury believed that he was telling a big, fat lie after hearing Bolton’s swiss cheese testimony (his story was had so many holes in it).

According to Billboard:
‘[The] court ruled that Bolton, co-writer Andrew Goldmark, and Sony Music Publishing had to give the Isley Brothers $5.2 million in profits from the sales of Bolton’s version [of “Love Is A Wonderful Thing]. The battle ended Jan. 22, 2000 when the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear Bolton’s appeal of the May ruling.

The original trial jury determined there were five instances in which the Bolton/Goldmark song plagiarized the Isleys’ tune…and that the Isleys [were] to be paid $4.2 million from Sony Music, $932,924 from Bolton, $220,785 from Goldmark, and the balance from Bolton and Goldmark’s music publishing company.’

Ronald Isley did an interview with Billboard and explained how badly Bolton tried to play them and insult their intelligence:

Ronald Isley: ‘When I first heard his version of the song on the radio, I was really pleased. Then I went out to pick up the record and looked for my credit. I was upset because the credits weren’t on there. So we got in touch with his people and then he went into the “Oh, I didn’t know you all had a song like this.” That type of thing. But the musicologist and everyone else who got involved after hearing our song said this was the best case out of any case they’d ever had. This is your song, hands down, [they said]. It just bothered me that he [Bolton] wouldn’t go ahead and admit that.’

Billboard: Did you try to reach an agreement with Bolton?

Isley: “We tried to reach some sort of agreement. But I said, “Man, it doesn’t have to be like this. But they didn’t want to reach anything. He had gone to court with someone else and won a similar case with against someone else. So maybe he felt like he knew how to win these kinds of cases. And I think he thought I wouldn’t go through with it.”

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“Angela [singer Winbush, Isley’s then wife] and I were listening to his work tapes. And on the tape, we heard him say, ‘Where did I hear this song before? Is this Marvin Gaye?’ And this is on his work tape. So we subpoenaed those work tapes and they were played in court. We had to turn that part of the tape up to hear his dialog and all of that. But that’s something that slipped by them because I guess they would have hidden that.

But he could have settled the case for way less money, rightful money, and he didn’t want to do it. And then he got into this kind of contest thing with us: I’m going to show you. And that’s what it turned out to be. I lost a lot of respect that I had for him as an artist. But we just went all the way with it.”

“Angela was performing on the Lou Rawls’ annual UNCF telethon. And so was Bolton. She was going to introduce me to him and he said, ‘Hey, you don’t have to introduce me to him. I know all of his stuff from a kid on up.’ And I didn’t forget that he said that. But in court he forgot Lou Rawls’ name. He forgot the show: ‘Well, I’ve played so many shows.’ Here’s a guy who’s a connoisseur of black music and all of a sudden on the stand he told people he didn’t know who the Isley Brothers were. He was told, well, they’re the same group that sang Twist and Shout.  ‘Well, I thought that was the Beatles,’ [he said]. Well, what about For The Love Of You? ‘I thought that was Whitney Houston.’ What about Summer Breeze? ‘I thought that I heard Ernie play on that but I thought it was somebody else.’ It was one lie after another. He made himself look real stupid.”

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Billboard: In these ensuing nine years, did you ever think about giving up?

Isley: “No, I knew we were right. I knew he was fighting a battle he could not win. The melody was the same. Everybody said it but him. Everybody knows that ‘Three Blind Mice’ is ‘Three Blind Mice,’ but he wanted to call it something else. After we won the money judgment, they had to put up X amount of dollars and then the interest started ticking. So after winning the judgment, we knew the money was there.

Angela and I were at every hearing. Just us. It really didn’t involve the younger brothers. My older brother (O’Kelly) passed earlier. Rudolph was involved, but he didn’t attend any of the hearings.

Even after we won the case for $5 million, Bolton and his attorneys wanted to appeal? You know what they wanted to settle for? $150,000. That’s what his attorneys told him. Like it’s some sort of joke. Then he [Bolton] went from there to sending letters to my brother [Rudolph] who’s in the ministry now, saying, I’ll perform in your church. Can I give you X amount of dollars? And I have the letters if you ever want to see the ridiculous stuff they tried. They went to Washington to lobby with different senators and stuff like that.”

Billboard: What was your reaction to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision refused to hear Bolton’s appeal of the May 2000 court decision?

Isley: “When I heard the verdict, I said, it’s finally over with. Everybody that surrounded us, our team, felt that way. This will be a piece of history and now maybe somebody else won’t have to go through this. We can’t take an R. Kelly song and call it an Isley Brothers song. We can’t take a Holland-Dozier-Holland song and call it an Isley Brothers song. That’s not right. The majority of his [Bolton’s] work has been with black people’s music, and it’s paid off good for him. But you can’t get to the point where you say, ‘OK, I’m going to start saying, Oh, whose song is that? Marvin Gaye’s? Well, he’s not living so we’ll take that.’ No, it wasn’t Marvin Gaye’s song, it was mine. He picked the wrong person.”

That was foul for Bolton to disrespect The Isley’s they way he did, but in the end, justice prevailed.

The post Michael Bolton Disrespected Isleys But They Got Millions From Him As Payback appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

One of the famed Isley Brothers wants to “Shout!” about a Bronx booking agent who duped him out of $300,000, according to a lawsuit.

Ronald Isley — who along with his two brothers formed the iconic group behind hits like “Twist and Shout” and “That Lady” — claims E’lyse Murray of Riverdale stole his concert fees and forged his signature on loan documents.

Instead of placing $30,000 for a West Virginia concert in April into escrow for Isley, Murray pocketed the money and got a $60,000 loan in Isley’s name in May, according to the 74-year-old R&B legend’s Manhattan Federal Court lawsuit.

Isley is seeking $1.3 million in damages.

Murray, who describes herself as an “agent to the stars,” said in a statement that she has maintained a “stellar reputation” in her career and “will vigorously defend against any claims attacking my reputation.” Source

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