http://www.defjam.com/sit..._id=103784

Lend your support to a Presidential Pardon for Ronald Isley!
July 25, 2007

LEND YOUR SUPPORT TO AN EXECUTIVE PRESIDENTIAL PARDON FOR THE LEGENDARY RON ISLEY AKA MR. BIGGS

In an effort to protect Mr. Isley from incarceration for non-payment of taxes, we urge his fans to call, fax or email the White House immediately to help Ronald stay out of prison. The situation is especially urgent because Mr. Isley is currently scheduled to report to begin serving a 3 year sentence on August 7th of this year. In lieu of the recent charges brought against Mr. Isley, he is currently in the process of a total restitution of his financial obligations to the IRS. Mr. Isley has also offered to perform for troops at various military bases to help heal the country and show his support for their tireless efforts to protect this country. It is important to point out that Ronald Isley has no prior criminal record, and has been a law-abiding, taxpaying employer since 1956. There is also concern that due to a variety of health issues, (Mr. Isley suffered a stroke in 2004 and was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2006) without proper care Mr. Isley's health could decline further and there is genuine concern as to whether he could survive a lengthy incarceration.



Ronald Isley & The Isley Brothers are an important part of this country's musical history and a part of the Def Jam family so let's band together to keep one of our living legends out of jail.

See the links and numbers below for ways you can show your support:

1. To contact the President of the United States:



Call: 1-202-456-1111

Fax: 1-202-456-2461

Email: president@whitehouse.gov




2. To contact The Congressional Black Caucus:


Go to www.congressionalblackcaucus.net - Click on “meet reps” and find your representatives.



3. To contact your local senator or congressperson:



www.congress.org - Click on the “take action” link and put in your zip code and you will be linked to the representatives of your area.

Join Def Jam today in helping to spread the word for the pardon of legendary American musician Ronald Isley. As a member of The Isley Brothers, Ronald Isley's career spans over 50 years, with countless accomplishments and a legacy of uniquely American music that has influenced everyone from the Beatles to Notorious B.I.G.

http://sohh.com/articles/....php/12174

Ron Isley Prepares For Jail Time, Def Jam Fights For Pardon

Back in September of 2006, the R&B legend was convicted on five counts of tax evasion and one count of failing to file a tax return.

Def Jam recently posted a message asking Isley Brothers fans to call, fax or email the White House immediately, in order to prevent lead singer Ronald Isley from serving a three year sentence in a federal prison.

According to the Def Jam website, Isley is scheduled to report and serve his sentence on August 7th. However the 66-year-old singer suffered a stroke in 2004 and was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2006, raising serious questions as to whether he might survive incarceration.

The singer, whose last album, Baby Makin' Music, was recorded on Def Jam, is currently in the process of a total restitution of the funds the IRS determined were owed. Additionally, Isley has offered to perform for US troops. Isley supporters hope that enough pressure from fans will inspire President George W. Bush to step in and use his executive power to pardon Isley, as he recently did to commute the sentence for former Dick Cheney aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby.

As lead singer of The Isley Brothers, Ronald Isley has been recording music for close to five decades, breaking in 1959 with their hit "Shout." Working closely with longtime admirer R. Kelly and appearing on tracks with Ja Rule, Warren G and Swizz Beatz, Biggs was able to appeal to fans of all ages in the present day.

For more information on how to join Isley supporters in their campaign please visit Def Jam's website.

this is a sad situation,no matter how you look at it

The income tax is crooked, I would support Ronald if he was a conscientious objector, but he willingly tried to get over and commit a crime.

I can't express my opinion on this situation because I'm not familiar with USA's tax laws.

MikeMatronik said:

Neither are most American's. The IRS is just an arm of the private federal reserve. The IRS cannot even show the law the requires us the pay taxes on our income. Ron Isley tried to cheat the system however, bad move.

I'm sorry he got away with it for years and then gets caught and NOW his record company ( another bunch of crooked individuals) wanna get him pardoned? the fuck? dude was cashing his brother's not to mention "dead brother's" royalty checks knowing full well thats considered fraud, and then not paying taxes?.

healthy or unhealthy Mr.Isley as much as a musical Icon he is broke the law and has to do the responsible thing and handle his business. he shouldn't walk from this

IAintTheOne said:

I agree.As much as I admire Ronald,he did a stupid crime and must pay the price.


Maybe he can blame this on R.Kelly...he could claim he was brainwashed by that criminal? lol

Hell no! If I have to pay taxes on my five-digit salary he could surely have afforded to pay the taxes on his much larger digit...er uh.

I love The Isley Bros and I sympathize with his health matters, but no. Do the time.


Uh, is that real? Come on!

I agree women have been called and had records named after them for being golddiggers so why should we pardon him? I wish him the best. and heck he got a way with it for what forty years?

Um, no.

I'll always love Ron Isley and the Isley Brothers but Ron, you did the crime, now do the time.

the moral of this story? You can't fuck with the IRS Those guys don't play games.They will eventually track your ass down.I think Peabo Bryson pulled this stunt a few years ago and they took away his possessions.

Sorry, no can do! I love Ron Isley but HE made that bed now HE's got to get his ass in it.

Besides if I was gonna beg Bush to pardon any fucking body, it'd be ALL of the damn Black Panthers who've been jailed for decades for crimes THEY did not commit!!

They need to lock his ass up simply for selling out to shit hop. He's got to be one of the biggest sellouts of all time.

I think all those shit hoppers sampling "Between The Sheets" may have gone to his head musically before R. Kelly did. He should blame his crime on them because they ain't nothing but criminals anyway.

Timmy84 said:

Mr. Biggs doing time before R.Kelly? That's some f-d up sh!t.

SoulAlive said:

hell yeah. Or think Redd Foxx. They even took his dog house.

uPtoWnNY said:

Mr Biggs: So I think you better leave this place
cause im about to catch a case


ok, not funny that the bro. might actually do just that, but the lyric floated in my head and I coouldn't stop laughing.

unkemptpueblo said:

Don't forget Sammy Davis & Willie Nelson.

lilgish said:

there is a constitutional admendmant declaring the income tax legal

ehuffnsd said:

There is, but in some way, it's supposed to be unconstitutional.

Najee said:

Sick!!!

vainandy said:

And you know what? It's going to get freaking worse because the bass & keyboard riffs to that song are too easy for producers of any genre to copy. Speed it up OR slow it down, this sample will never die.

When the original "Between The Sheets" first came out in 1983, the DJs at the skating rinks used to clear the floor and play it for a "couples only skate" because it was damn near a ballad. In the 1990s, the shit hoppers sampled it and slowed it down even more and the idiot audiences in the 1990s danced to it on dance floors as if they were dancing to an uptempo jam like "Planet Rock" or something. In the 1990s, people just seemed to lose every damn bit of sense they had.

vainandy said:

Vain, "Between the Sheets" IS a ballad.

Najee said:

Yeah it is.

Anyway, like I said, do the crime, do the time.

I notice a lot of the slower Isley cuts are the ones heavily sampled ("Between the Sheets", "Choosey Lover", "For the Love of You", "Footsteps in the Dark", etc.). I think a lot of the socially conscious/party rappers of the '80s and '90s sampled "It's Your Thing" and "I Turned You On".

I know it's considered a ballad but something about it just doesn't feel like a ballad to me. It feels a little bit like a very slow midtempo song. Maybe it's because that's the era when The Isleys had gotten a more modern sound than the albums before. I don't know what it is. I like the song but it just doesn't do something to me that a ballad like "Sensuality" does.