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Hayes Was A Master Of Soul

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The Associated Press

Published: August 11, 2008

With its riveting orchestration, definitive guitar play and signature sensual baritone vocals, Isaac Hayes' theme song for the 1971 movie "Shaft" not only became one of pop music's iconic songs, but also the defining work of Hayes' career.

Yet the "Theme from Shaft," which would earn Grammys and an Oscar, was just a snippet of the groundbreaking music for which Hayes - who died Sunday at age 65 - was responsible.

He penned soul classics such as "Hold On I'm Comin'" for Sam & Dave, helped usher in the era of disco and was a gold mine for countless hip-hop and R&B artists who used his illustrious arrangements as the focal point for their songs decades later.

"Isaac Hayes embodies everything that's soul music," Collin Stanback, an A&R executive at Stax, told The Associated Press on Sunday. "When you think of soul music you think of Isaac Hayes - the expression ... the sound and the creativity that goes along with it."

Hayes also acted in movies, including "Tough Guys," "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka" and "Hustle & Flow." He recently had completed the movie "Soul Men" in which he played himself; the film also stars Samuel Jackson and Bernie Mac, who died Saturday from pneumonia.

Hayes, a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, was pronounced dead at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis in Memphis, Tenn., after collapsing Sunday afternoon near a treadmill in his home nearby.

In an industry filled with colorful and dynamic figures, Hayes was a standout on several levels, from his smooth baritone to his flamboyant style. It was almost as if he was made to be a musical god.

Hayes spent the early part of his career firmly in the musical background. A self-taught musician from Covington, Tenn., he made a name for himself playing with various bands around Memphis. In 1964, he was hired by Stax Records to be a backup pianist, working as a session musician for Otis Redding and others. He also played saxophone.

Hayes' work as a composer helped him secure a deal as a solo artist. His first album, "Presenting Isaac Hayes," was a poor seller, the result of an impromptu jam session. But after getting creative control, he delivered his next album, "Hot Buttered Soul" in 1969, and it made him a star.

Whereas other soul crooners showed their passion through wails, Hayes' delivery was calm, cool - almost subdued. He prefaced songs with "raps," and they ran longer than the typical standard of three minutes: One song, a cover of Glen Campbell's "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," ran 18 minutes.

Next came "Theme From Shaft," a No. 1 hit from the blaxploitation film "Shaft" starring Richard Roundtree.

At the Oscar ceremony in 1972, Hayes performed the song wearing an eye-popping amount of gold and received a standing ovation. TV Guide later chose it as No. 18 in its list of television's 25 most memorable moments. He won an Academy Award for the song and was nominated for another one for the score. The song and score also won him two Grammys.

In 1972, he won a Grammy for his album "Black Moses" and earned a nickname he reluctantly embraced.

Hayes composed film scores for "Tough Guys" and "Truck Turner." He also did the song "Two Cool Guys" on the "Beavis and Butt-Head Do America" movie soundtrack in 1996.

He also was the voice of Nickelodeon's "Nick at Nite."

VOICE OF REASON IN 'SOUTH PARK'

A new generation of fans discovered the man behind "Shaft" when, in 1997, Isaac Hayes joined the cast of the Comedy Central show "South Park."

He became the voice of Chef, the sensible school cook who was, in many ways, the voice of reason in the otherwise outrageous animated social commentary, unwittingly imparting pearls of wisdom on the schoolboys who often came to him with their dilemmas; this, in spite of the fact that his foremost devotion was - true to Hayes' music and persona - being a ladies' man.

In a 1999 interview, Hayes described the South Park cook as "a person that speaks his mind; he's sensitive enough to care for children; he's wise enough to not be put into the 'whack' category like everybody else in town - and he l-o-o-o-o-ves the ladies."

But Hayes angrily quit the show in 2006 after an episode mocked his Scientology religion.

"There is a place in this world for satire, but there is a time when satire ends and intolerance and bigotry towards religious beliefs of others begins," he said.

Co-creator Matt Stone responded that Hayes "has no problem - and he's cashed plenty of checks - with our show making fun of Christians."

A subsequent episode of the show seemingly killed off the Chef character.

The Associated Press

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