ABOUT
Isaac Hayes (August 20, 1942 - August 10, 2008) was a highly acclaimed and veteran R&B/funk/soul singer, songwriter, composer, and actor with distinctive deep baritone vocals who became famous during the late 1960s and 1970s. Best known for the Oscar-winning "Theme From Shaft" (1971), the chart-topping title theme for the movie starring Richard Roundtree, other songs include "Don't Let Go" (1979) and his hit cover of the The Jackson 5's "Never Can Say Goodbye" (1971).
Born Isaac Lee Hayes Jr. in Covington, Tennessee into a sharecropper family, he began singing in his church at age five and taught himself to play the piano, organ, flute, and saxophone. He began in the early 1960s as a session musician at Stax Records and became one of the creative forces behind this label, also serving as a producer and as an in-house songwriter with partner David Porter. The duo co-wrote over 200 songs, many of which became hits for such top acts as Sam & Dave and Carla Thomas. Hayes soon after gained fame with such groundbreaking albums as "Hot Buttered Soul" (1969), which spawned his first hit, "Walk On By/By The Time I Get To Phoenix," a lengthy medley of songs composed by Burt Bacharach/Hal David and Jimmy Webb. As a film music composer, he is best known for the iconic soundtrack to the blaxploitation crime action thriller, "Shaft" (1971), which earned him an Academy Award for Best Original Song and two Grammys. Throughout his multi-faceted career, Hayes also enjoyed success as an actor, notably voicing the character Chef in the "South Park" animated series. Isaac Hayes numerous honors and accolades include being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.
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SONGS
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Isaac Hayes
- By The Time I Get To Phoenix 1969
(This song was previously a hit for Glen Campbell (1967) and also became a hit for the Mad Lads (1969) and Glen Campbell & Anne Murray (1971, as a medley).) - Do Your Thing 1972
- "Joy" Pt. I 1973
- Theme From Shaft 1971
(This title song from the 1971 movie starring Richard Roundtree topped the charts and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.) - Theme From The Men 1972
(Instrumental) - Walk On By 1969
(This song was previously a hit for Dionne Warwick (1964) and later also became a hit for Gloria Gaynor (1975), AWB (1979), and Sybil (1990).)
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