TWIT is very sad to report that Isaac Hayes has died. The soul music pioneer died Sunday afternoon after he collapsed near his treadmill. He was 65 years old.
With his muscular build, and his trademark shiny head and sunglasses, Hayes was a striking figure back in the day when most of his contemporaries were wearing Afros. His music came to be known as urban contemporary, and paved the way for disco as well as romantic singers like Barry White. Always ahead of his time, Isaac Hayes was one of the first singers to use spoken-word introductions and interludes, and he was basically rapping before there was rap. The best example was in Hayes' biggest hit, "The Theme From Shaft." The song became a #1 hit in 1971, and Hayes went on to win an Academy Award and two Grammy awards for the song. At the Oscar ceremony in 1972, Hayes performed the song wearing an eye-popping amount of gold and received a standing ovation. Isaac was even wearing major bling before bling was popular.
Isaac Hayes began his music career in 1964 when he was hired by Stax Recods in Memphis. He started out as session musician for Otis Redding and others. He began writing songs, and wrote such hits as "Hold On, I'm Coming" and "Soul Man" for Sam and Dave.
His career hit another high in 1997 when he became the voice for Chef, the school cook and ladies man on "South Park." Chef spoke his mind, and was sensitive enough to help the four South Park children who frequently came to him for advice. Chef was also a singer, and his song "Simultaneous Loving" was a favorite.
Hayes was elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002 - an honor that fortunately he was able to be part of and not something that happens posthumously like with so many other Hall of Fame inductees.
"The Theme From Shaft" has been one of my all-time favorite songs ever since I first heard it on my AM transistor radio back in the summer of 1971. In fact, it was the first song thatI ever called the radio station and requested. I remember holding my tape recorder up to the radio and taping the song when it was played, and I wore out the tape playing it over and over. The song was one of the first ones that I downloaded to my iPod, and it is in frequent rotation on my bike-riding playlists.
They say that cat Isaac Hayes is a bad mother. But I'm talking about Isaac Hayes, and we can dig it.
1 comment:
Damn Straight.
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