Isaac Hayes
Isaac Hayes (
August 20,
1942) is a influential
soul singer. He began his recording career in
1962, soon playing
saxophone for The Mar-Keys. After a period of activity with
Stax Records, Hayes released
Presenting Isaac Hayes, a moderate success recorded immediately following a wild party.
Hot Buttered Soul (
1969) was a breakthrough success, and established his image (gold jewelry, sunglasses, etc) which eventually became a template for much of the fashion of
gangsta rap and similar trends in the
1980s and
90s. Hayes' biggest hit was
1971's
soundtrack to
Shaft, the title track of which clearly presaged
disco.
Black Moses (
1971) became almost as successful.
By 1975, Hayes left Stax Records and formed his own label called Hot Buttered Soul Records. A series of unsuccessful albums led to Hayes' bankruptcy in 1976. The late 1970s saw a major comeback for Hayes, following the release of A Man and a Woman (1977, with Dionne Warwick). In spite of moderate success as a singer, Hayes' records did not sell very well. By the late 1990s, he was best known as the voice of Chef on South Park.