That Lady (song)

"That Lady" is a 1973 R&B and soul song by The Isley Brothers, released on their T-Neck imprint. The song was originally performed by the group nearly a decade before in 1964 (released as "Who's That Lady?") inspired by The Impressions. After signing with Epic Records in 1973, the eldest members of the group (O'Kelly Isley, Jr., Rudolph Isley and Ronald Isley) had included younger members, guitarist Ernie Isley, bassist Marvin Isley and keyboardist/pianist Chris Jasper, as official members. In a response to this transformation, the group gave themselves the moniker of 3 + 3, describing the three original vocalists in the group and three recruited instrumentalists, inspiring the album title that came out that year. They performed the song on Soul Train on December 14, 1974.

Contents

• Personnel
• Cover versions
• References

The group entered the studio to remake "Who's That Lady?" after being inspired by rock acts such as Carlos Santana (who himself covered it on his 1990 album Spirits Dancing in the Flesh) bringing in a Latin percussive rock feel to it including congas and an organ solo by assorted other musicians while the other Isleys played various instrumentation. The two youngest Isley brothers and in-law Jasper re-wrote the instrumental while the older brothers revamped their harmonies, with Ronald's vocal smoother than the original version. Brother Ernie Isley's Jimi Hendrix/Santana-inspired guitar solo was one of the elements that defined the 3 + 3 era of the Isleys, and the song became their first Top 10 pop single since 1969's "It's Your Thing" peaked at number two on the pop singles chart, reaching number six on the pop chart and number two on the US R&B Singles chart. It was also a cross-Atlantic hit for the group, reaching number fourteen in the UK.

The song is ranked #357 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.