Isaac Hayes, the pioneering singer, songwriter and musician whose relentless "Theme From Shaft" won Academy and Grammy awards, died Sunday, the Shelby County Sheriff's Office said. He was 65.
The pioneering singer, songwriter and composer, who along with Al Green, James Brown and Stevie Wonder, was one of the dominant black musicians of the early 1970s, was found unconscious near a treadmill in his house on Sunday by a family member.
Paramedics administered CPR and he was taken to hospital but pronounced dead about an hour later, officials said. The cause of death was not released. Hayes suffered a stroke in 2006.
In the early 1970s, Hayes, with his distinctive deep voice and hook-laden compositions, laid the groundwork for genres including disco, contemporary urban music and rap as well as romantic crooners such as Barry White.
The tall, shaven-headed musician, whose trademark look featured dark sunglasses and plentiful jewellery, emerged as a recording artists in the late 1960s with his soul albums Hot Buttered Soul in 1969, followed by Black Moses, 1971. Both were released on Stax Records, the southern soul label which hired him as a backup pianist in 1964. He worked as a session musician for Otis Redding and others and also played saxophone.
He began writing songs, establishing a partnership with David Porter, and in the 1960s they wrote such hits for Sam and Dave as "Hold On, I'm Coming" and "Soul Man."
Hot Buttered Soul was hailed as ground-breaking for the lush orchestral sweep, length of many of the tracks and Hayes' vocal style - one track features an 8-minute spoken word introduction. The album contained just four songs but sold over a million copies.
Hayes was born in 1942 in a tin shack in Covington, Tennessee, about 40 miles north of Memphis. He was raised by his maternal grandparents after his mother died and his father took off when he was 1½. The family moved to Memphis when he was six.
Hayes wanted to be a doctor, but got redirected when he won a talent contest in ninth grade by singing Nat King Cole's "Looking Back."
He held down various low-paying jobs, including shining shoes on the legendary Beale Street in Memphis. He also played gigs in rural Southern juke joints where at times he had to hit the floor because someone began shooting.
A self-taught musician, he was hired in 1964 by Stax Records of Memphis as a backup pianist, working as a session musician for Otis Redding and others. He also played saxophone.
Hayes also composed film scores and won an Academy Award for best original song for his theme to the 1971 blaxploitation film Shaft, starring Richard Roundtree The track, which became a number one hit, also won two Grammys.
At the Oscar ceremony in 1972, Hayes performed the song dripping in gold and received a standing ovation.
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.
In a 1999 interview, Hayes described the South Park cook as "a person that speaks his mind; he's sensitive enough to care for children; he's wise enough to not be put into the 'whack' category like everybody else in town - and he l-o-o-o-o-ves the ladies".
But Hayes quit the show in 2006 in anger after an episode mocked his Scientology religion. "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 said.
Hayes originally wanted to be a doctor, but changed his mind after winning a school talent contest by singing Nat King Cole's Looking Back.
Post your tributes to Isaac Hayes
Posted By: Maria Monica Rocha
Tuesday, August 12th 2008 at 11:50AM
You can also
click
here to view all posts by this author...
