ISAAC HAYES

Men from Memphis have a swagger. This mixture of arrogance and toughness can be seen in all things Memphis from Elvis to Otis to the Memphis Tigers basketball teams. However, the man who may have embodied this machismo more than any other Memphian was Isaac Hayes. On Sunday, August 10th, Hayes was pronounced dead after collapsing in his Memphis home.

Men from Memphis have a swagger. This mixture of arrogance and toughness can be seen in all things Memphis from Elvis to Otis to the Memphis Tigers basketball teams. However, the man who may have embodied this machismo more than any other Memphian was Isaac Hayes. On Sunday, August 10th, Hayes was pronounced dead after collapsing in his Memphis home.

Hayes began his career on the staff of Stax Records in Memphis, which became the main rival to Berry Gordy’s Motown machine. Hayes’ swagger shined through on songs such as the Sam and Dave classics “Soul Man” and “Hold On, I’m Comin’.” Songs like these provided a grown up and gritty alternative to the much poppier sounds of Smokey and young Michael’s Motown.

By the dawn of the 1970s, Hayes became the backbone of Stax by both writing and performing. It was during this time that Hayes achieved his greatest popular and critical success. In 1971, Hayes wrote and recorded the monumental soundtrack to the movie Shaft and the Grammy-winning album Black Moses. The song “Theme from Shaft” broke down barriers in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as they awarded Mr. Hayes’ song with an Oscar for Best Original Song. The award was the first the Academy gave to an African-American in any non-acting category. Shaft’s sexy soundtrack set fire to any preconceived notions of what movie scores should sound like and could have only come from the mind of the baddest mother (Shut your mouth!) in Memphis.

The 21st century brought Hayes even more acclaim for his career of performing and songwriting as he was inducted in both the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame in 2002 and the Songwriter Hall of Fame in 2006. At this point in his career, Hayes became less famous for his music and made appearances in many small roles on the big screen includingReindeer Games, a remake of Shaft, and the 2005 Memphis-based Hustle and Flow (whose soundtrack won an Oscar for Best Original Song). However, it was a big role on the small screen as Chef on Comedy Central’s South Park that got Hayes a new generation of fans. His association with the show ended when Hayes quit the show due to an episode poking fun at his religion Scientology (say what you will about Scientology, but you have to respect the man sticking to his guns on the issue).

The 65-year-old pillar of soul had been shooting scenes, playing himself, in Soul Men, a movie with also recently deceased Bernie Mac in a leading role. While Hayes may be remembered by some for his roles on TV and in the movies, his musical legacy will remain in the swagger of Shaft and the “Memphis Sound” he helped create.