Isaac Hayes, Erin and Me...

That was out of necessity, to communicate. It started in a predominately black club called The Tiki Club. I was ranting and raving about this tune I heard, "By The Time I Get To Phoenix." Nobody showed too much interest, so I told James Alexander, bandleader of The Bar-Keys, "Hey, I'm coming down to the club tonight, y'all learn 'Phoenix' man." So I showed that night. Club was packed, everybody talking. "Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Isaac Hayes!" Nobody applauded. They were still talking. Shit. So I tell James to hang up on those chords on the intro. Just recycle to the top of the song. And I started talking about the situation I imagined would've happened if this guy's woman were taken through these changes. I started talking and I went, and I went, and the conversations started to subside. It got quiet. I thought, I got ya! I went, "By the tiiiiime..." and they went, "Oh wow!" They sat and listened to the whole thing. I went through the vamp, dragging it out, repeating it, and when I finished, not a dry eye in the house. I got 'em, that was it. And then I did the same thing at a predominantly white club. Same reaction. A local pop DJ named Scott Shannon, who's in New York now, said, "Ike, you ought to record that." So I did.
Isaac Hayes

***Hot Buttered Soul (1969) signed by Isaac***

I was a pop freak. I love music. Of course, I knew soul because I grew up in it. Writing it and everything, I love soul. But I love a tune that has some meat in it. Something I could hang my hat on. Because music is universal. Therefore, I felt no boundaries.
Isaac Hayes

***…To Be Continued (1970) signed by Isaac***

Who's the black private dick
That's a sex machine to all the chicks?
Shaft, ya, damn right

Who is the man that would risk his neck
For his brother man?
Shaft, can you dig it?

Who's the cat that won't cop out
When there's danger all about?
Shaft, right on

They say this cat Shaft is a bad mother
Shut your mouth
But I'm talkin' 'bout Shaft
Then we can dig it

He's a complicated man
But no one understands him but his woman
John Shaft

"Theme From Shaft" written by Isaac Hayes

***The Isaac Hayes Movement (1970) unsigned***

***The Isaac Hayes Movement (1970) gatefold drug gloriousness***

Isaac Hayes won the 1972 Academy Award for Best Original Song for the "Theme From Shaft" in the classic blaxploitation movie. It was the first win for an African American in that category, and only the third win overall, behind Hattie McDaniel (Best Supporting Actress, 1939) and Sidney Poitier (Best Actor, 1964). A shaved head with a ripped, menacing shirtless torso enslaved with thick gold chains, Isaac Hayes was the original G. Ike's bling had bling. It is not surprising that Isaac has been sampled in the ensuing years by Dr. Dre, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Notorious B.I.G., and Snoop Dogg, among countless others. Not only did Wu-Tang Clan sample Ike's version of "Walk On By" in "I Can't Go To Sleep", Isaac also appears in the video in a resplendent purple robe and sings with the Wu. It doesn't get any more G than that. I saw Isaac Hayes twice, and he was anything but a bad motherf@#$*r, he was humble, courteous, and kind.

Born in Covington, Tennessee, Isaac moved to Memphis when he was a child and joined Stax Records, a fledgling record label as a session keyboardist in 1964. He met David Porter and they became a dynamic songwriting duo with over two hundred song credits. Hits like "If Something Is Wrong With My Baby", "Soul Man", "Hold On, I'm Comin' ", "B-A-B-Y", "I've Got To Love Somebody's Baby", by artists like Carla Thomas, Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Johnnie Taylor... all from the pen and soul genius of Isaac Hayes and David Porter.

Isaac's first solo effort, Presenting Isaac Hayes, was released in 1968. It was mostly a soul-jazz instrumental excursion which featured Booker T. and The MG's without Booker T. Isaac stretched out on keyboards while Duck Dunn played bass, Al Jackson played drums, and guitar great Steve Cropper mixed the recording. As Isaac recalled, "All the time I was writing hit songs with my partner David Porter, I always had the yen to perform. Sure did, and when the opportunity came, I took it. The first album, Presenting Isaac Hayes, didn't do so hot, but it was like a prelude for what was to come. When I was given an opportunity to do things the way I wanted to, without any restrictions and no holds barred, that's when I did Hot Buttered Soul. Which changed a lot of things."

Yes, Hot Buttered Soul (1969) changed everything. There were only four songs on the record and only one was written by Isaac ("Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic"), a surprising turn given how prolific a songwriter Ike was. The rest were pop covers - "Walk On By", "By The Time I Get To Phoenix" and "One Woman." Isaac's genius was to transform three minute pop gloss into twelve and eighteen minute soul explorations with extensive spoken word introductions and monologues. In many ways, Isaac and this release paved the way for artists like Barry White and Marvin Gaye to use symphonic effects and to explore their unbridled creativity. And Isaac wasn't done. On his fourth album, ...To Be Continued (1970), side one opens with "Monologue - Ike's Rap 1" which segues into "Our Day Will Come", another pop song turned into a soul burner. I believe it is the first time "rap" had ever been explicitly cited on vinyl. Side two opens with "Ike's Mood", which leads into "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' ", a fifteen minute soul orchestral tour de force. The Righteous Brothers never sounded this funky or greasy!

***The Best Of Isaac Hayes (1974) unsigned***

The first time I saw Isaac I was not expecting him. I was at the bar of the Blue Note in New York City on a Monday night in the late 90s for the celebration of the club anniversary. Each year, the Blue Note would have a host, like Jimmy Heath or Milt Jackson, and the festive show would have guest artists. The performances were loose, unstructured, mostly jam sessions with the incredible talent that showed up. Halfway through the show, there was a bit of commotion as Isaac Hayes made his way from the front door through the bar toward the stage. As he passed by, he was slighter than I imagined, shaved head gleaming, dark sunglasses, gold chains bursting through a black satin leather coat that seemed a size too small. I nodded my approval and said innocuously, "It's great to see you Ike." He smiled, nodded in return and continued his journey uninterrupted toward the stage. The MC announced that we had a special guest who would be performing. The jazz and gospel pianist Cyrus Chestnut had just finished a song with his trio and Isaac joined them on stage. After a brief conversation between Cyrus and Isaac, Cyrus began to play "The Shadow Of Your Smile", a beautiful pop ballad enhanced by Isaac's dripping, dulcet baritone. The crowd went nuts and as quickly as it began, it was over. Shazam! Ike disappeared from the stage and club. I found myself asking, did that really happen?!

**BB King’s 1.27.07 regal and resplendent**

The next time, Erin and I saw Isaac at B.B.Kings Club in New York City on January 27, 2007. He appeared on stage in a beautiful gold and purple tunic, and he seemed a bit tentative as he was led to his keyboard by an attractive young lady. Later, it was revealed that he had suffered a stroke in 2006 and he was still recovering. Isaac had a tight band with him and he played some of his hits, including a funky "Soulsville", a beautifully drawn out "I Stand Accused", and of course, a pulsating "Shaft." He played keyboards and sang beautifully, but he didn't have a horn section to punch the grooves which was disappointing.

***Juicy Fruit (Discon Freak) (1976) signed by Isaac***

After the show, Erin and I headed backstage with a couple of albums. I guessed (correctly!) that Isaac would want to greet Erin first, a consistent pattern through the years with other soul men like James Brown, Solomon Burke, and Barry White. The door to Isaac's dressing room opened, and Erin was greeted warmly and she had him sign his opus, Hot Buttered Soul, and ...To Be Continued. She gave him a big hug and returned to me, waiting just outside his dressing room. She showed me her spoils and said, "He's right there, why don't you get another one signed?" So I did. I slid inside the slightly ajar door and I handed him Juicy Fruit (Disco Freak). I told Isaac it was one of my favorite album covers. The front cover shows Isaac surrounded in a pool by six lovely ladies dressed like Carmen Miranda with assorted fruits and bananas as head pieces, and not much else. The back cover shows Isaac bursting through the water, arms raised triumphantly while his lovelies look on. Jim McCrary, the house photographer for A&M Records, shot the photos. McCrary was responsible for some iconic photos over the years, including Joe Cocker's Mad Dogs & Englishmen, the Nudie western wear of Gram Parsons on The Flying Burrito Brothers, Carole King's Tapestry ...and his real masterpiece, Ike's Juicy Fruit (Disco Freak). Unfortunately, the music is more like disco dreck, a pastiche of drum machines and syncopated beats to nowhere with eminently forgettable lyrics. But the album cover remains transcendent. Isaac asked me my name to personalize the signature. I told him I was a big fan and it looked like he had a bunch of fans with him in the pool. He smiled, a Cheshire cat smile, and he signed the album and handed it back to me. The inscription read "To a Fan, Isaac Hayes."

***Juicy Fruit (Disco Freak) (1976) back cover***

Isaac Hayes: Oscar and Grammy winner, singer, songwriter, fashion style setter, innovator, cultural icon. And no one rocked a crushed velour purple tuxedo harder at the Academy Awards. Ever!

I am a big fan.