First Toby. Now Chef. Is the Apocalypse at hand? I promise to lay off the obituaries (oh, RIP Bernie Mac, too), but I can’t let Isaac’s passing go by without comment. It is a testament to second acts that most young people associate Isaac with Chef and his Chocolate Salty Balls on South Park. But the real reason we should honor the man is for his groundbreaking work at Stax Records.
Soul aficionados (hell, American music aficionados) identify the Stax Sound out of Memphis, Tennessee as one of the most earthy and exciting sounds created on American soil. And it is a sound of the soil. With all due respect to the clean, smooth, sophisticated sound of Motown, I have always preferred the grittier, dirtier sound of Stax. Isaac Hayes was not only one of the most successful artists on the label in the 1970’s, but he was also a key songwriter and producer for other artists. He was one of the more important architects of the Stax Sound. He released popular soul records like Hot Buttered Soul and Black Moses, and he also helped to pen hits with songwriting partner David Porter for Sam & Dave like “Soul Man” and “Hold On! I’m Comin’”. Hayes’ most notable accomplishment was his groundbreaking and hugely successful soundtrack work for the blacksploitation classic, ‘Shaft.' RIP Isaac Hayes.
BELOW: Isaac performs the theme song to ‘Shaft’. He doesn’t even sing until about halfway into the clip, but his extended intro is awesome. Is that Jesse Jackson standing next to Isaac? Seriously, I’m asking.
1 comment:
It sure looks like Jesse.
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