SPOTLIGHT of THE WEEK
"THE BEST OF ISSAC HAYES"
(Los Angeles, CA) - Singer, composer, producer, and actor Isaac Hayes was a pivotal figure
in Soul and R&B, whose innovative work in front of the microphone, as well as behind the scenes, forever shaped the musical
landscape. Now, Stax Records and Craft Recordings reflects on Hayes' most prolific period
as a solo artist with a brand-new compilation, "The Best Of Isaac Hayes." Set for release on June
6, 2025 the ten-track album introduces the artist through the single versions of his biggest hits of the late '60s and '70s,
including the Grammy and Academy Award-winning "Theme From Shaft," "Walk on By," and "Never Can Say
Goodbye."
Featuring newly remastered
audio by Grammy winning engineer Paul Blakemore, The Best Of Isaac Hayes will be available on 1-LP, standard digital, hi-res
digital, and Dolby Atmos®. This marks the first time that Hayes' music will be available on Dolby Atmos®, giving fans
a new opportunity to listen to his groundbreaking orchestrations in superb spatial audio. Fans can also find a limited-edition
pressing on "Red Smoke" vinyl exclusively via the Stax Records store and a limited-edition pressing on "Electric
Smoke" vinyl exclusively at Target.
Grammy
and Academy Award-winning singer, composer, producer, and actor Isaac Hayes (1942 - 2008) revolutionized soul music, breaking
the mold with extended cuts, orchestration and concept albums during the era of three-minute, radio-driven tracks. Exemplifying
the American dream, Hayes was born in rural Tennessee, where he sang in his church's choir and showed promise on a variety
of instruments, including the piano and organ. As a young adult, he relocated to Memphis, where he spent his days working
in meatpacking plants and his nights performing at local clubs.
By the turn of the '60s, Hayes had set his sights on Stax Records: a new Memphis label that was quickly becoming
a force in the soul scene. After two failed auditions, he finally had his shot when house keyboardist Booker T. Jones left
his post to attend college. Before long, Hayes had become a force at the label, not only backing sessions for stars like Otis
Redding, Wilson Pickett, and Albert King, but finding his niche as a songwriter and producer, alongside David Porter. Together,
the duo wrote a string of hits, including Sam & Dave's GRAMMY-winning "Soul Man" and "Hold On! I'm Comin',"
Carla Thomas' "B-A-B-Y," and Johnnie Taylor's "I Got to Love Somebody's Baby."
But Hayes was eager to step out in front of the microphone and forge his own solo
career. While his jazz-forward 1968 debut, Presenting Isaac Hayes, failed to chart, he refocused and emerged with a brand-new
sound and an iconic image-both of which were featured on his groundbreaking 1969 follow-up, Hot Buttered Soul. Bearing an
overhead view of the artist's shaved head, bare shoulders, and massive gold chains, the chart-topping album was a declaration:
Isaac Hayes had arrived.
In an era where three-minute,
radio-friendly singles were the standard, Hayes eschewed expectations with an album comprised of four sonic ruminations. His
signature baritone vocals alternated between spoken-word storytelling and emotive singing, all complimented by lush orchestral
arrangements. Two of those tracks-a nearly 19-minute cover of Jimmy Webb's "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" and a
12-minute rendition of the Burt Bacharach/Hal David-penned "Walk on By"-were edited down, both finding their way
to the Billboard Hot 100's Top 40. With these two singles, Hayes not only set the tone for his next decade of work but also
set new rules for soul music.
With the dawn of the
'70s, Hayes entered his most prolific and successful era on the charts, beginning with a cover of Jerry Butler's "I Stand
Accused" (off 1970's The Isaac Hayes Movement) and another Bacharach/David number, "The Look of Love," from
his second album of the year, ...To Be Continued. His follow-up, however, would take him to new heights. Written by Clifton
Davis, "Never Can Say Goodbye," has long been associated with The Jackson 5, whose bouncy, youthful recording was
also released in the spring of 1971. But Hayes offered a different interpretation of the song, reimagining it as a seductive
slow jam. The sole single off his GRAMMY-winning album Black Moses (1971), Hayes' version shimmied its way to the R&B
Top 5, the Easy Listening Top 20, and peaked at No.22 on the Billboard Hot 100.
That same year, Hayes embarked on what would be a long and successful Hollywood career with
his score to the film Shaft. One of his most celebrated musical projects, the GRAMMY-winning 1971 soundtrack topped the Billboard
200, while the supremely funky "Theme From Shaft" (featuring a distinctive and oft-sampled wah-wah guitar intro),
became an instant classic-hitting No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earning an Academy Award. Hayes' enduring soundtrack spawned
a second hit single as well, the Latin-tinged "Do Your Thing," which broke the R&B Top 5.
In addition to a handful of other films (including 1974's Truck Turner
and Tough Guys), Hayes also scored projects for TV. His high-energy instrumental theme for ABC's The Men fared better than
its short-lived namesake, landing in the R&B Top 20 and the Billboard Hot 100's Top 40 in 1972. The mid-'70s also found
the artist continuing to seduce the R&B charts with singles like "Joy, Part 1" (off 1973's Joy, which features
an unedited, nearly 16-minute version of the supremely sultry jam). 1974's up-tempo "Wonderful," a non-album track
in which Hayes sings the praises of his new love, rounds out The Best Of Isaac Hayes.
While Isaac Hayes left us in 2008, his presence continues to loom large. In addition to his
prolific catalog of music (which includes nearly two dozen solo albums and some of Stax Records' biggest hits), Hayes made
his mark as an actor in such blockbusters as Escape From New York (1981) and Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993), plus shows
like The A-Team and Miami Vice. Perhaps most famously, he voiced the beloved character of Chef in the long-running animated
series, South Park.
As one of the most sampled artists
of all time, Hayes' songs have continued to live on through hundreds of recordings, including those by Dr. Dre, Wu-Tang Clan,
TLC, and, more recently Brockhampton, Yung Gravy, and A-Reece. Among his many honors and awards, Hayes was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002 and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005. In 2004, he was named a BMI Icon for his prolific
and influential work as a songwriter, while in 2020, he was celebrated with a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award by the
Recording Academy.
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(Source: Craft Records)
