Hayes album, Hot Buttered Soul.
Many people probably think of the character “Chef” from South Park or the theme song from Shaft when the name Isaac Hayes is mentioned.
It’s few who remember and appreciate the life that helped create some of the most memorable icons in American entertainment.
Isaac Hayes Jr. was born on Aug. 20, 1942 in Covington, Tenn. To his sharecropping parents, Isaac Hayes Sr. and Eula Hayes. His parents passed away soon after his birth and his grandparents were left to raise him.
Like a number of other artists, he first sang in the church choir and went on to teach himself a number of instruments, including piano and saxophone.
When he was 11, he lost his grandfather, which led him to seek work early on.
He worked at a restaurant, trying to support his grandmother and himself.
Nevertheless, he didn’t make a lot of money and eventually dropped out of high school, because he didn’t want to attend school in mediocre clothes.
His teachers felt that Hayes was a bright individual and eventually convinced Hayes to return to school.
After his little hiatus, Hayes graduated from high school in 1962 and soon joined the new found label, Stax Records.
There he would first support other artists, his first gig being piano man for Otis Redding.
While there, Stax producer and songwriter David Porter asked Hayes to collaborate, and the two went on to write a number of songs together, Soul Men being the most notable (Hayes ended up winning a Grammy for this song).
In 1969, Hayes had his ultimate career launcher with the LP, Hot Buttered Soul.
The LP exhibited Hayes’ interpretation of Dionne Warwick’s Walk on By and Johnny Rivers By The Time I Get to Phoenix and remained on the top of the R&B charts for over three months.
Some younger people might be familiar with the 2000 Samuel Jackson version of Shaft, but there was indeed an original Shaft motion picture in 1971.
None other than Mr. Hayes composed the original score for this legendary motion picture, for which he earned an Oscar for Best Musical Score in 1972.
The same year, he also composed the score for the TV series The Man.
Hayes went on to work in the film industry, playing the main character in Truck Turner and another lead in The Three Tough Guys.
It almost goes without saying that he composed the soundtrack to both movies.
Nevertheless, Hayes ended up in debt and sued his record label, Stax, for over five million dollars.
Not able to pay Hayes, Stax offered to release him from his contract instead, which led Hayes to found his own label HBS, Hot Buttered Soul.
His financial problems persisted, yet he recovered through the production of a number of records, such the And Once Again (1980) and A Lifetime Thing (1981).
The same year, Hayes also played the villain in John Carpenter’s Escape From New York, which provided him with some additional income.
Further appearance include Kennan Ivory Wayan’s 1988 film I’m Gonna Git You Sucka and Mel Brook’s 1993 Robin Hood: Men in Tights.
Hayes released a sort of comeback album named Branded in 1995, which was appreciated by critics and listeners.
His biggest success in the ’90s though, was his involvement in the successful animated series South Park.
In the show, Hayes plays Chef, the African-American cook who works at the local high school and enjoys singing raunchy tunes when kids are around.
This role helped him financially, as well as publicly. He remained with the show until 2006.
He had a minor role in Malcom D. Lee’s 2008 motion picture Soul Man, which turned out to be his last film.
On Aug. 10, 2008, Hayes suffered a stroke at his house right outside Memphis, Tenn. Although he was quickly rushed to the hospital, doctors could only pronounce his death.
To this day, Isaac Hayes’s work positively influences people of all ages and reminds us how valuable life is.
To hear more of Isaac Hayes, visit his page on iTunes.
