Soul icon Isaac Hayes dies in Memphis at 65

 

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Oscar-winning soul singer Isaac Hayes who, along with Al Green, James Brown and Stevie Wonder, was one of the dominant black artists in the early 1970s, died in Memphis on Sunday, his friend and former manager, Onzie Horne, said. Hayes was 65.

Horne told Reuters that he had spoken to Hayes' wife, who confirmed that Hayes was found unconscious at his home, and rushed to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

 

Hayes, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, would have turned 66 on August 20.

The deep-voiced performer reached his commercial peak in 1972 when he won an Academy Award for his No. 1 hit "Theme from 'Shaft,'" an irresistibly urgent mix of wah-wah guitars and hi-hat cymbals spiced by the famous line, "They say this cat Shaft is a bad mother-/Shut your mouth!"

Long before he became a soul singer, Hayes was a hitmaker at Memphis soul label Stax Records. He collaborated with lyricist David Porter to write and produce songs for the combustible soul duo Sam and Dave, including "Soul Man" and "Hold On! I'm A Comin'."

 

With his shaved head, dark shades, extravagant clothing and plentiful jewelry, Hayes was groomed as a star in his own right by Stax executives. He released his debut album, the poor-selling "Presenting Isaac Hayes," in 1968. He broke through the following year with "Hot Buttered Soul," which contained just four songs but sold over a million copies.

His work on director Gordon Parks' urban crime drama "Shaft," a project he had hoped to star in, was the first of many forays into movie soundtracks. He got in front of the camera for the 1974 cult classic "Truck Turner" and had kept busy with film work ever since, recently appearing in the hip-hop drama "Hustle & Flow."

 

In his later years, Hayes reached a new audience by supplying the voice for Chef, the libidinous sage on the cartoon series "South Park." But he left the show a few years ago because he disagreed with its attacks on Scientology, the religious movement to which he belonged.

 

(Reporting by Dean Goodman; Editing by Chris Wilson)

 

 

tbh i wasnt a fan of his music, not my cuppa, but i respect his work.

 

loved his role as 'chef' in southpark :lol:

A true soul legend. His music will live on.

 

Although he only had 2 UK hits (Theme from Shaft in 1971 and Disco Connection in 1976) he had numerous hits in the US and was one of the STAX stable of acts.

 

He also wrote many hits for other soul acts in the late 60s and early/mid 70s. His music was what TRUE R&B was all about unlike todays rubbish.

 

R.I.P. Isaac

 

 

A true soul legend. His music will live on.

 

Although he only had 2 UK hits (Theme from Shaft in 1971 and Disco Connection in 1976) he had numerous hits in the US and was one of the STAX stable of acts.

 

So I guess in light of his death your purposely forgetting his #1 - Chocolate Salty Balls :lol: :lol:

 

Sam & Dave - Soul Man

 

It's very sad it came soon after the re-activation of Stax by the Concord Music Group, the 50th birthday of Stax and the promise of a new Hayes album, which i doubt was completed or even started (at least Curtis Mayfield managed to get the final hurrah of New World Order out - whilst paralized recording on his back - a few years before he passed away)

 

and whats even more scary is that he managed to complete a role in a new film - Soul Man with Bernie Mac...!!!! :o and Samuel L Jackson...who was scheduled on film4 last night in the film......Shaft (even before the death was announced :o )

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/86/Isaac_Hayes,_Hot_Buttered_Soul_Album_Cover.jpg

 

tho in this moment i would divert from playing Shaft (too obv) and either go for the Hot Buttered Soul album or probs the most famous sample in trip-hop....

 

Isaac Hayes - Ike's Rap II/Help Me Love

 

Tricky - Hell is Around the Corner

 

Portishead - glory box

the best of Issac Hayes:

 

 

 

 

and as an added bonus:

 

Shaft on Ukuleles.

 

Top spot on the trip hop influence there tigerboy.

 

What's been getting me ever since the weekend is the BBC3 news coverage which has twice reported Isaac's death as

 

"The voice of Chef from South Park has died".

 

Pretty disrespectful to a man who laid the foundations for so much music and for whom a bit part on a dated show was an ugly post script...but then the average IQ of BBC3 fans does seem to be sub-90...and these reports were before and after Family Guy. Still....

RIP To the man who wrote Soul Man.

 

Anyway I think this video is a very appropriate tribute:

 

Father Ted - Shaft