Isaac Hayes | |
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 Hayes in 1998 | |
| Born | Isaac Lee Hayes Jr. (1942-08-20)August 20, 1942 Covington, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Died | August 10, 2008(2008-08-10) (aged 65) Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Burial place | Memorial Park Cemetery, Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1950–2008 |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 11, includingIsaac III |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
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| Labels | |
Musical artist | |
Isaac Lee Hayes Jr. (August 20, 1942 – August 10, 2008) was an American singer, songwriter, composer, and actor. He was one of the creative forces behind theSouthern soul music labelStax Records in the 1960s,[4] serving as an in-house songwriter with his partnerDavid Porter, as well as a session musician and record producer. Hayes and Porter were inducted into theSongwriters Hall of Fame in 2005 in recognition of writing scores of songs for themselves, the duoSam & Dave,Carla Thomas, and others. In 2002, Hayes was inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame.[5]
"Soul Man," written by Hayes and Porter and first performed bySam & Dave, was recognized as one of the most influential songs of the past 50 years by theGrammy Hall of Fame. It was also honored by theRock and Roll Hall of Fame,Rolling Stone magazine, and theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA) as one of theSongs of the Century. During the late 1960s, Hayes also began a career as a recording artist. He released several successful soul albums such asHot Buttered Soul (1969) andBlack Moses (1971). In addition to his work inpopular music, Hayes worked as afilm composer.
Hayes wrote the musical score for the filmShaft (1971). For the "Theme fromShaft," he was awarded theAcademy Award for Best Original Song in 1972, making him the third black person, afterHattie McDaniel andSidney Poitier, to win anAcademy Award in any competitive field covered by theAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Hayes also won twoGrammy Awards that same year. Later, he won his third Grammy for his albumBlack Moses.
In 1992, Hayes was crowned honorary king of theAda region of Ghana in recognition of his humanitarian work there.[6] He acted in films and television, such as in the moviesTruck Turner (1974),Escape from New York (1981) andI'm Gonna Git You Sucka (1988), and as Gandolf "Gandy" Fitch in the TV seriesThe Rockford Files (1974–1980). Hayes also voiced the characterChef in theComedy Central animated seriesSouth Park from its debut in 1997 until his controversial departure in 2006.
On August 5, 2003, Hayes was honored as aBMI Icon at the 2003 BMI Urban Awards for his enduring influence on generations of musicians.[7] Throughout his songwriting career, Hayes received five BMI R&B Awards, two BMI Pop Awards, two BMI Urban Awards and six Million-Air citations. As of 2008, his songs had generated more than 12 million performances.[8][clarification needed]
Isaac Lee Hayes Jr. was born inCovington, Tennessee,[9] the second child of Eula (née Wade) and Isaac Hayes Sr.[10] After his mother died young and his father abandoned his family, Hayes was raised by his maternal grandparents,[11] Mr. and Mrs. Willie Wade Sr. The child of asharecropper family, Hayes grew up working on farms in the Tennessee counties ofShelby andTipton. At age five, Hayes began singing at his local church and he taught himself to play the piano, Hammond organ, flute, and saxophone.[citation needed]
Hayes dropped out of high school, but his former teachers atManassas High School inMemphis encouraged him to complete his diploma, which he did at the age of 21. After graduating from high school, Hayes was offered several music scholarships from colleges and universities. He turned down all of them to provide for his immediate family, working at a meat-packing plant in Memphis by day and playing nightclubs andjuke joints several evenings a week in Memphis and nearby northernMississippi.[11] Hayes's first professional gigs, in the late 1950s, were as a singer at Curry's Club in North Memphis, backed byBen Branch's houseband.[12]
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Hayes began his recording career in the early 1960s, as a session musician for acts recorded by the Memphis-basedStax Records.[13] He later wrote a string of hit songs with songwriting partnerDavid Porter, including "You Don't Know Like I Know," "Soul Man,"[14] "When Something Is Wrong with My Baby" and"Hold On, I'm Comin'" forSam & Dave. Hayes, Porter and Stax studio bandBooker T. & the M.G.'s were also the producers for Sam & Dave, Carla Thomas and other Stax artists during the mid-1960s. One of the first Stax records Hayes played on was "Winter Snow" by Booker T. and The M.G.s (Stax 45–236), which indicates "Introducing Isaac Hayes on piano" on the label.
Hayes-Porter contributed to the Stax sound of this period, and Sam & Dave credited Hayes for helping develop both their sound and style. In 1968, Hayes released his debut album,Presenting Isaac Hayes, a jazzy, largely improvised effort that was commercially unsuccessful.[15]
Stax then went through a major upheaval, losing its biggest star whenOtis Redding died in a plane crash in December 1967, and then losing its back catalog toAtlantic Records in May 1968. As a result, Stax executive vice presidentAl Bell called for 27 new albums to be completed in mid-1969; Hayes's second album,Hot Buttered Soul was the most successful of these releases.[15]
OnHot Buttered Soul, Hayes reinterpreted "Walk On By" (previously recorded by Dionne Warwick) into a 12-minute exploration. "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" starts with an eight-minute-long monologue[16] before breaking into song, and the lone original number, the funky "Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic" runs nearly ten minutes, a significant break from the standard three-minute soul/pop songs. "Walk On By" would be the first of many times Hayes would take aBurt Bacharach standard, generally known as three-minute pop songs by Dionne Warwick orDusty Springfield, and transform it into a soulful, lengthy and almostgospel number.[citation needed]
In 1970, Hayes released two albums,The Isaac Hayes Movement and...To Be Continued. The former stuck to the four-song template of his previous album.Jerry Butler's "I Stand Accused" begins with a trademark spoken word monologue, and Bacharach's "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself" is re-worked.[citation needed] The latter album included "The Look of Love," another Bacharach song transformed into an 11-minute epic of lush orchestral rhythm (mid-way it breaks into a rhythm guitar jam for a couple of minutes before suddenly resuming the slow love song). An edited three-minute version was issued as a single.[17] The album featured the instrumental "Ike's Mood," which segues into a version of "You've Lost That Loving Feeling." Hayes released a Christmas single, "The Mistletoe and Me" (with "Winter Snow" as aB-side).[citation needed]
In early 1971, Hayes composed music for thesoundtrack of theblaxploitation filmShaft (he appeared in a cameo role as a bartender). The title theme, with itswah-wah guitar and multi-layeredsymphonic arrangement, would become a worldwide hit single, and spent two weeks at number one in theBillboard Hot 100 in November. The remainder of the album was mostly instrumentals covering big beat jazz, bluesy funk, and hard Stax-styled soul. The other two vocal songs, thesocial commentary "Soulsville" and the 19-minute jam "Do Your Thing," would be edited down to hit singles.[17] He won an "Academy Award for Best Original Song" for the"Theme fromShaft," and in addition was nominated for Best Original Dramatic Score. Later in the year, Hayes released a double album,Black Moses, that expanded on his earlier sounds and featuredThe Jackson 5's song "Never Can Say Goodbye." Another single, "I Can't Help It," was not featured on the album.[citation needed]
In 1972, Hayes would record the theme tune for the television seriesThe Men and release a hit single (with "Type Thang" as a B-side).[17] He released a couple of other non-album singles during the year, such as "If Loving You Is Wrong (I Don't Want to Be Right)" and "Rolling Down a Mountainside." Atlantic would re-release Hayes's debut album this year with the new titleIn The Beginning.[18]
Hayes was back in 1973 with an acclaimed live double album,Live at the Sahara Tahoe, and followed it up with the albumJoy. He moved away from cover songs with this album. An edited version of the title track would be a hit single.[19]
In 1974, Hayes was featured in the blaxploitation filmsThree Tough Guys andTruck Turner, and he recorded soundtracks for both.Tough Guys was almost devoid of vocals andTruck Turner yielded a single with the title theme. The soundtrack score ofTruck Turner was eventually used by filmmakerQuentin Tarantino in theKill Bill film series, and has been used for over 30 years as the opening score of Brazilian radio showJornal de Esportes on theJovem Pan station.[citation needed]
Unlike most African American musicians of the period, Hayes did not sport anAfro haircut; his bald head became one of his defining characteristics.[citation needed]
By 1974, Stax Records was having serious financial problems, stemming from problems with overextension and limited record sales and distribution.[citation needed] Hayes himself was deep in debt toUnion Planters Bank, which administered loans for the Stax label and many of its other key employees. In September of that year, Hayes sued Stax for $5.3 million. As Stax was in deep debt and could not pay, the label made an arrangement with Hayes and Union Planters: Stax released Hayes from his recording and production contracts, and Union Planters would collect all of Hayes's income and apply it towards his debts.[citation needed]
Hayes formed his own label, Hot Buttered Soul, which released its product throughABC Records.[20] His new album, 1975'sChocolate Chip, saw Hayes embrace the disco sound with the title track and lead single. "I Can't Turn Around" would prove a popular song as time went on. This would be Hayes's last album to chart in the top 40 for many years. Later in the year, the all-instrumentalDisco Connection album fully embraced disco.[citation needed]
On July 17, 1974, Hayes, along withMike Storen,Avron Fogelman, andKemmons Wilson, took over ownership of theAmerican Basketball Association team theMemphis Tams.[21] The prior owner wasCharles O. Finley, the owner of theOakland A's baseball team. Hayes's group renamed the team theMemphis Sounds. Despite a 66% increase in home attendance, hiring well regarded coachJoe Mullaney and, unlike in the prior three seasons, making the1975 ABA Playoffs (losing to the eventual championKentucky Colonels in the Eastern Division semi-finals), the team's financial problems continued. The group was given a deadline of June 1, 1975, to sell 4,000 season tickets, obtain new investors and arrange a more favorable lease for the team at theMid-South Coliseum. However, the group did not come through and the ABA took over the team, selling it to a group in Maryland that renamed the team theBaltimore Hustlers and then theBaltimore Claws before the club finally folded during preseason play for the 1975–1976 season.[22]
In 1976, the album cover ofJuicy Fruit featured Hayes in a pool with naked women, and spawned the title track single and the classic "Storm Is Over." Later the same year theGroove-A-Thon album featured the singles "Rock Me Easy Baby" and the title track. However, while all these albums were regarded as solid efforts, Hayes was no longer selling large numbers. He and his wife were forced into bankruptcy in 1976, as they owed over $6 million. By the end of the bankruptcy proceedings in 1977, Hayes had lost his home, much of his personal property, and the rights to all future royalties earned from the music he had written, performed, and produced.[23]
In 1977, Hayes was back with a new deal with Polydor Records, a live album of duets withDionne Warwick did moderately well, and his comeback studio albumNew Horizon sold better and enjoyed a hit single "Out The Ghetto," and also featured the popular "It's Heaven To Me." 1978'sFor the Sake of Love saw Hayes record a sequel to "Theme fromShaft" ("Shaft II"), but was best known for the single "Zeke The Freak," a song that would have a shelf life of decades and be a major part of theHouse movement in the UK. The same year,Fantasy Records, which had bought out Stax Records, released an album of Hayes's non-album singles and archived recordings as a "new" album,Hotbed, in 1978. In 1979, Hayes returned to the Top 40 withDon't Let Go and its disco-styled title track that became a hit single (U.S. #18), and also featured the classic "A Few More Kisses To Go." Later in the year he added vocals and worked onMillie Jackson's albumRoyal Rappin's, and a song he co-wrote, "Deja Vu," became a hit for Dionne Warwick and won her a Grammy for best female R&B vocal. Neither 1980sAnd Once Again or 1981'sLifetime Thing produced notable songs or big sales, and Hayes chose to take a break from music to pursue acting.[citation needed]
In the 1970s, Hayes was featured in the filmsShaft (1971) andTruck Turner (1974); he also had a recurring role in the TV seriesThe Rockford Files as an old cellmate of Rockford's, Gandolph Fitch (who always referred to Rockford as "Rockfish" much to his annoyance), including one episode alongside duet-partner Dionne Warwick. In the 1980s and 1990s, he appeared in numerous films, notablyEscape from New York (1981),I'm Gonna Git You Sucka (1988),Prime Target (1991), andRobin Hood: Men in Tights (1993), as well as in episodes ofThe A-Team andMiami Vice. He also attempted a musical comeback, embracing the style of drum machines and synth for 1986sU-Turn and 1988sLove Attack, though neither proved successful. In 1991, he was featured in a duet with fellow soul singerBarry White on White's ballad "Dark and Lovely (You Over There)."[citation needed]
In 1995, Hayes appeared as a Las Vegas minister impersonating himself in the comedy seriesThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. He launched a comeback on theVirgin label in May 1995 withBranded, an album of new material that earned impressive sales figures as well as positive reviews from critics who proclaimed it a return to form.[24] A companion album released around the same time,Raw & Refined, featured a collection of previously unreleased instrumentals, both old and new. For the 1996 filmBeavis and Butt-Head Do America, he wrote a version of theBeavis and Butt-Head theme in the style of theShaft theme.[citation needed]
Hayes joined the founding cast ofComedy Central's animated TV seriesSouth Park. He provided the voice for the character of "Chef", the amorous elementary-school lunchroom cook, from the show's debut on August 13, 1997 (one week shy of his 55th birthday), through the end of its ninth season in 2006. The role of Chef combined his work both as an actor and as a singer, thanks to the character's penchant for making conversational points in the form of crudely suggestive soul songs. A song from the series performed by Chef, "Chocolate Salty Balls (P.S. I Love You)," received international radio airplay in 1999. It reached number one on theUK singles chart and also on theIrish singles chart. The track also appeared on the albumChef Aid: The South Park Album in 1998.[25][26][27]
In 2000, Hayes appeared on the soundtrack of the French movieThe Magnet on the song "Is It Really Home" written and composed by rapper Akhenaton (IAM) and composer Bruno Coulais. In 2002, Hayes was inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame. After he played a set at the 2002Glastonbury Festival, a documentary highlighting Isaac's career and his impact on many of the Memphis artists in the 1960s onwards was produced,Only The Strong Survive.[citation needed] In 2004, Hayes appeared in a recurring minor role as theJaffaTolok on the television seriesStargate SG-1. The following year, he appeared in the critically acclaimed independent filmHustle & Flow. He also had a brief recurring role inUPN/The CW'sGirlfriends as Eugene Childs (father of Toni).[citation needed]
In theSouth Park episode "Trapped in the Closet," a satire ofScientology that aired on November 16, 2005, Hayes did not appear in his role as Chef.In an interview forThe A.V. Club on January 4, 2006, Hayes was asked about the episode. He said that he told the creators,Matt Stone andTrey Parker, "Guys, you have it all wrong. We're not like that. I know that's your thing, but get your information correct, because somebody might believe that shit, you know?" He then told them to take a couple of Scientology courses to understand what they do. In the interview, Hayes defendedSouth Park's style of controversial humor, noting that he was not pleased with the show's treatment of Scientology, but saying that he "understands what Matt and Trey are doing."[28]
On March 13, 2006, a statement was issued in Hayes's name, indicating that he was asking to be released from his contract withComedy Central, calling recent episodes that satirized religious beliefs intolerant. "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 was quoted as saying in the press-statement. However, the statement did not directly mention Scientology. A response from Stone said that Hayes's complaints stemmed from the show's criticism of Scientology and that he "has no problem –and he's cashed plenty of checks– with our show making fun of Christians, Muslims, Mormons, or Jews."[29][30]
On March 20, 2006, two days before the episode "The Return of Chef" aired,Roger Friedman ofFox News reported having been told that the March 13 statement was made in Hayes's name, but not by Hayes himself. He wrote: "Isaac Hayes did not quitSouth Park. My sources say that someone quit it for him. ... Friends in Memphis tell me that Hayes did not issue any statements on his own aboutSouth Park. They are mystified."[31] In a 2016 oral history ofSouth Park inThe Hollywood Reporter, Hayes's sonIsaac Hayes III said the decision to leave the show was made by his father's entourage, all of whom were ardent Scientologists, and that it was made after Hayes suffered a stroke, leaving him vulnerable to outside influence and unable to make such decisions on his own.[32]
The firstSouth Park episode that premiered after Hayes's death, "The China Probrem," was dedicated to him.[33]
Hayes's income was sharply reduced as a result of leavingSouth Park.[34] There followed announcements that he would be touring and performing. AFox News reporter present at a January 2007 show in New York City, who had known Hayes fairly well, reported that "Isaac was plunked down at a keyboard, where he pretended to front his band. He spoke-sang, and his words were halting. He was not the Isaac Hayes of the past."[34]
In April 2008, while a guest onThe Adam Carolla Show, Hayes stumbled in his responses to questions, possibly as a result of health problems. A caller questioned whether Hayes was under the influence of a substance, and Carolla and co-hostTeresa Strasser asked Hayes if he had ever usedmarijuana. After some confusion on what was being asked, Hayes replied that he had only ever tried it once. During the interview the radio hosts made light of Hayes's awkward answers, and replayed snippets of earlier ones to simulate conversation with his co-hosts. Hayes stated during this interview that he was no longer on good terms with Parker and Stone.[35]
During the spring of 2008, Hayes shot scenes forSoul Men, a comedy inspired by the history of Stax Records, in which he appears as himself in a supporting role. The film was released in November 2008, after both Hayes and his costar,Bernie Mac, had died.[36]
On March 20, 2006, Roger Friedman ofFox News reported that Hayes had suffered a minor stroke in January.[31] Hayes's spokeswoman, Amy Harnell, denied this,[37] but on October 26, 2006, Hayes confirmed he had suffered a stroke.[38]
On August 10, 2008, at the age of 65, Hayes was found unresponsive in his home, just east ofMemphis, as reported by theShelby County, Tennessee Sheriff's Office.[39] A Shelby County Sheriff's deputy and an ambulance fromRural Metro responded to his home after three family members found his body on the floor next to a still-operating treadmill. Hayes was taken toBaptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis, where he was pronounced dead at 2:08 p.m.[39][40][41] The cause of death was not immediately clear,[42] although the area medical examiners later listed a recurrence of stroke as the cause of death.[41][43][44] A private funeral was held with actorsTom Cruise andDenzel Washington in attendence.[45][46][47] Hayes was buried atMemorial Park Cemetery, in Memphis, Tennessee.[48]
TheTennessee General Assembly enacted legislation in 2010 to honor Hayes by naming a section ofInterstate 40 the "Isaac Hayes Memorial Highway." The name was applied to the stretch of highway inShelby County fromSam Cooper Boulevard in Memphis east to theFayette County line. The naming was made official at a ceremony held on Hayes's birth anniversary in August 2010.[49]
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Hayes had 11 children, 14 grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.[50] His first marriage was to Dancy Hayes in 1960 and ended in divorce.[51] His second marriage was to Emily Ruth Watson on November 24, 1965, which ended in divorce in 1972. Children from this marriage included Vincent Eric Hayes, Melanie Mia Hayes, and Nicole A. Hayes (Murrell). He married bank teller[citation needed] Mignon Harley on April 18, 1973, and they divorced in 1986; they had two children.Hayes and his wife were eventually forced into bankruptcy, owing over $6 million. Over the years, Isaac Hayes was able to recover financially.[52]
Hayes's fourth wife, Adjowa,[53] gave birth to a son named Nana Kwadjo Hayes on April 10, 2006.[54]He also had one son to whom he gave his name,Isaac Hayes III, known as rap producer Ike Dirty. Hayes's eldest daughter is named Jackie, also named co-executor of his estate, and other children include Veronica, Felicia, Melanie, Nikki, Lili, Darius, Vincent[55] and Heather.[56]
Hayes took his firstScientology course in 1993,[57] later contributing endorsement blurbs for many Scientology books over the ensuing years.In 1996, Hayes began hostingThe Isaac Hayes and Friends Radio Show onWRKS in New York City. While there, Hayes became a client of theveganraw food chefElijah Joy and his company Organic Soul Inc. Hayes also appears in the Scientology filmOrientation. In 1998, Hayes and fellow Scientologist entertainersAnne Archer,Chick Corea andHaywood Nelson attended the 30th anniversary ofFreedom Magazine, theChurch of Scientology's self-described investigative news journal, at theNational Press Club inWashington, D.C., to honor eleven activists.[58] In 2001, Hayes andDoug E. Fresh, another Scientologist musician, recorded a Scientology-inspired album calledThe Joy of Creating – The Golden Era Musicians and Friends PlayL. Ron Hubbard.[59]
The Isaac Hayes Foundation was founded in 1999 by Hayes.[60] In February 2006, Hayes appeared in aYouth for Human Rights International music video called "United". YHRI is a human rights group founded by the Church of Scientology-backed non-profit United for Human Rights. He was also involved in other human rights related groups such as theOne Campaign.Isaac Hayes was crowned a chief in Ghana for his humanitarian work and economic efforts on the country's behalf.[61]
WithOtis Redding
WithWilson Pickett
WithDonald Byrd and 125th Street, N.Y.C.
WithLinda Clifford
WithAlbert King
WithWilliam Bell
WithDionne Warwick
WithRufus Thomas
WithEddie Floyd
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Wattstax | Himself | |
| Save the Children | Himself | ||
| 1974 | Three Tough Guys | Lee | |
| Truck Turner | Mac "Truck" Turner | ||
| 1976 | It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time | Moriarty | |
| 1976–1977 | The Rockford Files | Gandolph Fitch | TV, 3 episodes |
| 1981 | Escape from New York | The Duke | |
| 1985 | The A-Team | C.J. Mack | TV, 1 episode |
| 1986 | Hunter | Jerome "Typhoon" Thompson | TV, 1 episode |
| 1987 | Miami Vice | Holiday | TV, 1 episode |
| 1988 | I'm Gonna Git You Sucka | Hammer | |
| 1990 | Fire, Ice and Dynamite | Hitek Leader/Himself | Alternative title:Feuer, Eis und Dynamit |
| 1991 | Guilty as Charged | Aloysius | |
| 1993 | CB4 | Owner | |
| Posse | Cable | ||
| Robin Hood: Men in Tights | Asneeze | ||
| American Playhouse | Prophet | TV, 1 episode | |
| Acting on Impulse | Cameo role | ||
| 1994 | It Could Happen to You | Angel Dupree | |
| Tales from the Crypt | Samuel | TV, 1 episode | |
| 1995 | The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air | Minister Hayes | TV, 1 episode |
| Soul Survivors | Vernon Holland | TV movie | |
| 1996 | Flipper | Sheriff Buck Cowan | |
| Sliders | The Prime Oracle | TV, 1 episode | |
| 1997 | Uncle Sam | Jed Crowley | |
| 1997–2006 | South Park | Chef (voice) | TV, 136 episodes |
| 1998 | Blues Brothers 2000 | Member of The Louisiana Gator Boys | |
| South Park | Chef (voice) | Video game | |
| 1999 | South Park: Chef's Luv Shack | Chef (voice) | Video game |
| South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut | Chef (voice) | ||
| The Hughleys | The Man | TV, 2 episodes | |
| 2000 | South Park Rally | Chef (voice) | Video game |
| Reindeer Games | Zook | ||
| 2001 | Dr. Dolittle 2 | Possum (voice) | |
| 2002 | The Education of Max Bickford | "Night Train" Raymond | TV, 1 episode |
| Fastlane | Detective Marcus | TV, 1 episode | |
| 2003 | Book of Days | Jonah | TV movie |
| Girlfriends | Eugene Childs | TV, 2 episodes | |
| Dream Warrior | Zo | ||
| 2004 | Anonymous Rex | Elegant Man | |
| 2005 | Hustle & Flow | Arnel | |
| Bernie Mac Show | Himself | ||
| 2006 | That '70s Show | Himself | TV, 1 episode |
| Stargate SG-1 | Tolok | TV, 4 episodes | |
| 2008 | Soul Men | Himself | Released posthumously |
| Kill Switch | Coroner | Released posthumously | |
| Return to Sleepaway Camp | Charlie | Released posthumously | |
| 2014 | South Park: The Stick of Truth | Chef (voice) | Video game; archival recordings |
