Dystopian Dance Party

Tag: ronald isley

  • Jheri Curl June: René & Angela’s “I’ll Be Good”

    Musical duo René Moore and Angela Winbush had released three albums before they finally reached commercial success with 1985’s A Street Called Desire, which contained the hit single “I’ll Be Good.” Sadly, René and Angela were not good to each other, and ended their nine-year musical partnership in a mess of legal battles and physical abuse less than a year after the release of A Street Called Desire. It definitely makes “I’ll Be Good” a lot less charming when you consider that Moore allegedly broke and/or bruised Winbush’s ribs in a violent backstage altercation; the song (and that tiger-print blazer) are still hot as hell, though.

    Both René and Angela would go on to have successful solo careers, with René releasing two albums as well as writing and producing for Michael Jackson. Angela would go on to produce and write for yesterday’s JCJ subject, the Isley Brothers. Ronald Isley subsequently became Angela Winbush’s manager and the pair were eventually married, but divorced in 2001–which, to be fair, is still a happier ending than the René & Angela story.

    We’ll be back next week with another week dedicated to the women of jheri curl music. Until then, catch up with our Spotify and YouTube playlists after the jump.

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  • Jheri Curl June: The Isley Brothers’ “Between the Sheets”

    Yesterday we talked about the O.G. Bootsy Collins‘ dabble in Jheri Curl. Today we’re looking at yet another Ohio group with a decades-spanning career, the Isley Brothers.

    Formed in 1954 as a gospel group, the Isley Brothers had been making hits since the ’60s, successfully adapting their sound to suit the changing musical scenes. By the ’80s, it was only natural that they would incorporate the disco, quiet storm, pop, and R&B sounds that made up jheri curl music.

    The brothers’ 1983 hit “Between the Sheets” was composed as a direct response to Marvin Gaye‘s hit from the previous year, “Sexual Healing,” in what appears to have been a weird battle of one-upsmanship over who could make the best panty-dropper. And for my panties, the Isleys definitely won this one. Look, it just doesn’t get any smoother than “Between the Sheets.” You’ve got the bassline that hits you right between the legs, Ronald Isley’s breathy falsetto all up in your ear–for Chrissakes, the picture on the album cover is a closeup of peach-colored silk sheets with a red rose:

    © T-Neck Records
    © T-Neck Records

    If you’re not already totally nude and having a sexual fantasy by the time the beat switches up, allow me to help with some imagery: a dude slow thrusting and dripping sweat and jheri curl juice all on the pillow, flowing down the satin sheets and coating your naked body with activator and body fluids. You’re welcome.

    Spotify and YouTube playlists below:

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