Isaac Hayes
Reflecting back to January 1971, a deeper conversation with Isaac Hayes about his formative years, particularly his childhood experiences with cotton picking and poverty, would have been invaluable. During our meeting in his striking Stax Records office in Memphis, a space buzzing with the success of Hot Buttered Soul and To Be Continued, Hayes, perched in a distinctive egg-shaped chair, shared his vision for Black Moses. This double album, released later that year, was to feature a memorable cruciform fold-out design.
Hayes envisioned Black Moses as a grand production, drawing inspiration from George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass. He suggested a foundation rooted in gospel music and spirituals, yet with a commercial appeal. “I hope I haven’t waited too long to do it, because sometimes the trend changes so fast and I feel I can really get right to the roots of it,” he explained, emphasizing the influence of “those small country churches… where people didn’t have no piano or anything, just feet on the floor. It’s so beautiful, man, and things like that are what I’m going to try and capture.” This ambition hinted at an album deeply connected to his personal history and the raw essence of spiritual songs.
Inquiring about work songs from his Covington upbringing, Hayes recalled, “Yeah, I can vaguely remember… I’m sure my grandmother would know them, because her mother was a slave. She tells me about those experiences.” His early musical journey included singing spirituals across Mississippi, Tennessee, and Arkansas, and a foray into blues with “Valentino and the Swing Cats.” He painted a vivid picture of Friday evenings: “everybody’s coming in from the fields, they fry the fish here and they’re gambling there and selling corn liquor there and drinking wine right across the tracks… We’d play right out in the porches of the stores, those country blues.” These experiences were to inform his upcoming album, a blend of spirituals and a broader musical spectrum, aiming to create a comprehensive “picture.”
However, Black Moses took a different path. Despite his fame as half of the prolific songwriting duo with David Porter in the 1960s, Hayes’s solo artistry thrived on reinterpreting songs by other songwriters. His signature style involved extended, sensuous renditions of pop songs, notably Jimmy Webb’s “By the Time I Get to Phoenix” and Bacharach and David’s “The Look of Love” and “Walk On By.” These covers, rather than gospel or spirituals, became the core of the double album crafted between March and October. These iconic Isaac Hayes Songs showcased his unique ability to transform popular music into soulful epics.
Isaac Hayes’s multifaceted musicality is brilliantly captured in The Spirit of Memphis 1962-76, a four-CD anthology that thoughtfully compiles his work for the Stax labels. The first disc presents 26 tracks highlighting his early contributions as a writer, producer, and keyboardist for Stax. This collection features songs for Carla Thomas, Sam and Dave, Johnnie Taylor, and William Bell. Standouts include Mable John’s “Your Real Good Thing,” the Soul Children’s “The Sweeter He Is,” and Judy Clay’s powerful “You Can’t Run Away From Your Heart.” These early Isaac Hayes songs demonstrate his foundational role in shaping the Stax sound.
Disc two showcases Hayes’s own hit singles for Volt and Enterprise, featuring “Phoenix” and the iconic theme from Shaft. These tracks represent his breakthrough as a solo artist, blending soul, funk, and orchestral elements into his distinctive sound. The Shaft soundtrack, in particular, cemented his status as a musical innovator and a leading voice in soul music.
The third disc opens with more cover versions, leading into a significant portion dedicated to a previously unreleased set from a 1972 Operation PUSH concert in Chicago. Here, Hayes powerfully revisits his blues, R&B, and gospel roots. Highlights include a big-band rendition of “Stormy Monday,” an expansive “If Loving You Is Wrong,” and a deeply personal piano and vocal performance of “His Eye Is on the Sparrow.” His spoken introduction to the latter song echoes his earlier conversation, recalling his grandfather singing this gospel classic. These live performances reveal the raw emotional depth within Isaac Hayes songs.
The fourth disc gathers largely unreleased funk jams featuring his band, the Movement, including Willie Hall, James Alexander, Sidney Kirk, Lester Snell, Michael Toles, Harold Beane, and Skip Pitts. Tracks like the 19-minute “Groove-a-thon” and the 33-minute version of “Do Your Thing,” expanded from the Shaft soundtrack, highlight Hayes’s place alongside Norman Whitfield’s psych-soul and Miles Davis’s psych-jazz. This era celebrated musical exploration and extended improvisation, and Isaac Hayes songs were at the forefront of this movement. This anthology serves as a testament to the breadth and innovation of Isaac Hayes songs, from his early songwriting to his solo hits and expansive live performances.
