EASTNOR, ENGLAND - AUGUST 5: Isaac Hayes performs on the Open Air stage during the third day of the Big Chill music festival at Eastnor Castle Deer Park in the Malvern Hills on August 5, 2007 in Herefordshire, England. (Photo by Jim Dyson/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Isaac Hayes
With Elvis Week already in full swing, the Bluff City remembers the life and legacy of another local legend: Isaac Hayes, who passed away on this day in 2008 at the age of 65 from a stroke at his home in Memphis.
Born on August 20, 1942 in Covington, TN, Hayes would go on to be a driving creative force behind the Southern soul label, Stax Records, where he worked as a songwriter, musician, and producer.
Hayes, alongside David Porter, would go on to write the hit song “Soul Man” in 1967, which has since been recognized as one of the most influential songs over the past 50 years by the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Hayes would even earn an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1972 for his musical score in the cult classic, “Shaft.”
