A Photographic Retrospective By John Robert Rowlands

Isaac Hayes

 

b. 20 August 1942, Covington, Tennessee, USA.

Hayes' formative years were spent playing piano and organ in various Memphis clubs.

He fronted several groups, including Sir Isaac And The Doo-dads, the Teen Tones and

Sir Calvin And His Swinging Cats, and recorded a handful of rudimentary singles.

However, it was not until 1964 that he was able to attract the attention of the city's

premier soul outlet, Stax Records. Having completed a session with Mar-Keys saxophonist Floyd Newman,

Hayes was invited to remain as a stand-in for Booker T. Jones. He then established a songwriting

partnership with David Porter and enjoyed success with Sam And Dave 's 'Hold On I'm Comin'',

'Soul Man' and 'When Something Is Wrong With My Baby'. The team also wrote for

Carla Thomas ('B-A-B-Y') and Johnnie Taylor ('I Had A Dream', 'I Got To Love Somebody's Baby').

They were responsible for the formation of the Soul Children as a vehicle for their songwriting.

Hayes, nonetheless, remained a frustrated performer, and an after-hours, jazz-based

spree resulted in his debut, Presenting Isaac Hayes, in 1967. Hot Buttered Soul, released in

1969, established the artist's reputation - its sensual soliloquies and shimmering orchestration

combined in a remarkable, sophisticated statement. The artist also attained notoriety for his

striking physical appearance - his shaven head and gold medallions enhanced a carefully

cultivated mystique. However, The Isaac Hayes Movement, To Be Continued (both 1970) and Black Moses

(1971) were less satisfying artistically as the style gradually degenerated into self-parody.

Shaft was a highly successful film soundtrack released in 1971, and is considered by many to be

Hayes' best work. Its theme also became an international hit single and its enduring qualities were

emphasized when the song was covered by Eddy And The Soul Band in 1985, and reached

number 13 in the UK charts. However, subsequent film scores, Tough Guys (1973) and

Truck Turner (1974), were less interesting. Hayes left Stax in 1975 following a much publicized

row over royalties, and set up his own Hot Buttered Soul label. Declared bankrupt the following year,

he moved to Polydor Records and then Spring, where his prolific output continued.

In 1981, however, he retired for five years before re-emerging with 'Ike's Rap', a Top 10 US R&B single

that partially revitalized his reputation. Many of Hayes' original Enterprise albums have been

reissued in CD format by the UK's Ace Records under their reactivated Stax logo.

Although trumpeted as a return to form, Hayes' mid-90s albums for Pointblank indicated little progress.

 

Photographs of Isaac Hayes by John Robert Rowlands