« The Grist on The End of Food
‘Enormous Error’ of President Bush’s ‘Georgian Protege’: From Poland’s Gazeta Wyborcza »



Isaac Hayes (1942 - 2008)

August 10th, 2008
By T-STEEL, Site Administrator

Print Print

isaac_hayes.jpg

The great soul singer, producer, musician, and sometimes actor has died at age 65 today.

Hayes, ‘Shaft’ singer and disco presage, dies

ASSOCIATED PRESS

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Isaac Hayes, the baldheaded, baritone-voiced soul crooner who laid the groundwork for disco and whose “Theme From Shaft” won both Academy and Grammy awards, died Sunday afternoon after he collapsed near a treadmill, authorities said. He was 65.

Hayes was pronounced dead at Baptist East Hospital in Memphis an hour after he was found by a family member, the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office said. The cause of death was not immediately known.

With his muscular build, shiny head and sunglasses, Hayes cut a striking figure at a time when most of his contemporaries were sporting Afros. His music, which came to be known as urban-contemporary, paved the way for disco as well as romantic crooners like Barry White.

And in his spoken-word introductions and interludes, Hayes was essentially rapping before there was rap. His career hit another high in 1997 when he became the voice of Chef, the sensible school cook and devoted ladies man on the animated TV show “South Park.”

“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.”

Isaac Hayes greatly influenced music during the 1960s and 70s. He was a true American icon. His album “Hot Buttered Soul” (1969) was played numerous times in my household as boy. His deep, confident voice along with spoken word and wonderful orchestration just moved me. As a musician, I also lament the loss of a musical pioneer. His 18 minute, 42 second song “By The Time I Get The Phoenix” was like a short play. Full of emotion and wonderful musicianship.

And what more can be said about the ultra-confident, ultra-cool “Theme From Shaft” song. I wanted to be Shaft when I heard that song!

He will be missed immensely.



This entry was posted on Sunday, August 10th, 2008 at 3:37 pm and is filed under Death, An Appreciation, North America, USA, Movies, Music, Entertainment. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Viewing 4 Comments

    • ^
    • v
    Rest in peace, Isaac. There is simply no greater moment of musical creation in the history of this country than that which occurred at Stax Studios in Memphis in the mid to late 1960s. What's amazing about it all was the interracial message of unity that Stax projected, with the MGs at its heart. Isaac Hayes really was Hot Buttered Soul.
    • ^
    • v
    Long ago when I was in college I worked as a cook in a restaurant. One night the manager came into the kitchen with a guy that looked like he had just walked off the set of Shaft -- shin-length raccoon coat, wide-brimmed hat, heavy medallions and flashy sunglasses. He looked like Isaac Hayes dressed like a pimp. And he was huge: 6'6" and easily 350 lbs. He was to be our new chef.

    The place was like working in the league of nations, but I had never seen anything like Larry before. Not in real life anyway. He was a bit intimidating. Once you got to know him though, it turned out he had a heart of gold. A gentle giant. I learned a lot from him -- about a lot of things. About cooking, about managing people, and about urban black culture. We became friends, and we'd go out drinking sometimes. And when the regular bars closed down sometimes he'd take me to some after-hours clubs. Most of the time I was the only white guy in the place. But hey, I was there with Larry, so it was cool. Most of the time.

    One night when I wasn't with him he was in one of those places and had a conversation with God. Apparently it was a hell of a conversation, because from that moment he never drank again, never smoked, and never toked. Soon thereafter he started studying to become a minister. It didn't change our relationship much. Instead of going to a bar we'd sit around talking about God. Eventually he got a gig preaching, so I'd go down occasionally and listen to him. That too was a completely different experience. I had never been in a black church before, and I was again the only white guy in the place. But people were very friendly, and it was exciting! It's hard to imagine anyone coming out of a place like that not moved.

    I presume everyone has people in their lives who change the direction of it, or who change the way you think about things. Larry was definitely one of those people to me. And every time I think about Isaac Hayes I think about Larry. God rest your soul, Isaac. And I hope you're doing well, Larry.
    • ^
    • v
    Isaac you will missed greatly but I know that you are going rise in the resurrection and return to this Earth with Christ very soon.
    "Precious in the sight of the Eternal is the death of his saints" (Psalms 116:15). When a saint dies in faith, it is certain that God has another family member soon to be resurrected.
    • ^
    • v
    Isaac was one of the most extraordinary musicans of our time.
    It is clear to all of us who love Isaac Hayes, and we number in millions, that his spirit will never die. His sound will continue to enrapture generation after generation. The fact is that when Isaac sang a song, the song remained sung. His infectious grooves, his vocal nuances became fixed in our heads.
    Isaac's songs were filled were infused with something greater than passing pleasure, genuine joy. His music was God-given, God inspired and God-blessed.
    Good-by Isaac, God bless and may you rest in peace.
 
close Reblog this comment
Powered by Disqus · Learn more
blog comments powered by Disqus

« The Grist on The End of Food
‘Enormous Error’ of President Bush’s ‘Georgian Protege’: From Poland’s Gazeta Wyborcza »


By posting comments on The Moderate Voice you are acknowledging and agreeing to the following general comments policy:

(1) The Moderate Voice's comments are hosted by Disqus (http://disqus.com). If your comment doesn't appear immediately, please be patient since it is an off-site system.

(2) All e-mail received from readers by The Moderate Voice is considered intended for publication unless otherwise indicated in the initial message from the writer. Please do not send us attachments unless you contact us and we agree to it.

(3)The Moderate Voice reserves the right to edit all e-mail and posted comments for content, clarity, and length.

(4) Our comment space is reserved for comments that relate to a post's topic. You should not reprint lengthy text from your own works or those of others, including news articles. You MAY link to them.

(5) Comments that are abusive, offensive, contain profane or racist material or violate the terms of service for this blog's host provider will be removed and the author(s) banned from future comments. Such comments also violate the very SPIRIT of this site -- which was created to encourage thoughtful and vigorous discussion among readers who may share differing viewpoints.

(6) All points of view are welcome on The Moderate Voice, with the following exceptions:

(a) Comments posted several times a day with the intent of dominating, re-directing or hijacking the thread by turning a discussion into the equivalent of a bitter shouting match.

(b) Comments posted several times a day that insult or call other commenters or blog writers names or repeatedly make the same point with the effect of or clear intent to annoy other commenters or blog writers.

(7) Name-calling, personal attacks, racist comments or use of profanity by any commenter, whether they are by persons who agree or disagree with the views expressed by The Moderate Voice will NOT be tolerated and will result in the deletion of the comment and the banning of the commenter's ISP address, without notice. In some cases a comment may be deleted and the writer will be given another chance. Commenters who virtually ASK The Moderate Voice to ban them by ignoring any warnings or daring TMV to ban them will quickly get their wish.

(8) Anonymous commenters should identify themselves with the same moniker, so readers know their comments are coming from a single individual. If they don't, they are subject to a banning.

(9)If we have problems with inappropriate or inflammatory comments from a commenter who it turns out gave a fake email address that person is subject to immediate banning.

(10) Quotes from material appearing on The Moderate Voice with attribution are allowed. Reprints are allowed only by permission from The Moderate Voice. You may request permission by e-mail.

(11) The Moderate Voice is a personal site. It is not the Government. It is NOT aligned with any political party. It is NOT promoting any specific candidate for office. It is not a public institution or a media organization. It is not a neutral site. It is intended to express and disseminate the authors' varying points of views. Writers on this weblog WILL take positions. It reserves the right to limit comments to those that, in its view, comport with its stated comment policy. Comments that do not comply are subject to deletion and banning of the author's ISP.

Disclaimer:

--Reading and posting comments at The Moderate Voice constitutes acknowledgment of and agreement to the terms outlined in this comment policy. This comment policy may be revised in part or in full at any time.

--All comments must comport with applicable state and federal laws. The Moderate Voice has no obigation to monitor, edit, censor, or take responsibility for comments. It may or may not act upon a violation of its comment policy once a suspected violation has been brought to its attention. Therefore, commenters are solely responsible for the content of their comments and should ensure that that their comments are lawful and fall within the stated guidelines of both The Moderate Voice and its hosting company.

--The Moderate Voice is not be responsible for injury or liability to any reader or commenter resulting from its own communications or those of commenters, that may be offensive, misleading, inaccurate, illegal, or otherwise unsuitable in the view of the reader. Readers and commenters further agree to indemnify and hold harmless The Moderate Voice from claims resulting from the use of any material appearing on The Moderate Voice which damages the reader, commenter or any other party.

--The Moderate Voice is not responsible for and might disagree with material posted in the comments section. While we strive for accuracy in our posts and DO correct errors, material posted by The Moderate Voice in its posts -- or those left by others in the comments section -- may or may not be accurate.

Read and Post at your own risk.