Shaft theme creator Isaac Hayes dies at 65

ISAAC HAYES, one of the giants of soul music in the ’60s and ’70s, has died at the age of 65 of a suspected heart attack.

The soul singer and arranger, who won Grammy awards and an Oscar for the theme from the 1971 action film Shaft, died at his home in Memphis, Tennessee.

An imposing figure, accented by his shaven head and omnipresent sunglasses, Hayes was a most distinctive figure in music, earning the tag Black Moses.

Born on August 20, 1942, in Covington, Tennessee, his parents died during his infancy and he was raised by his grand-parents. After making his debut singing in church at the age of five, he taught himself piano, organ and saxophone. In 1964 Hayes began playing sax with the Mar-Keys, which resulted in his association with Stax Records. After playing on sessions for Otis Redding, Hayes played keyboards in the Stax house band, and established a partnership with songwriter David Porter.

Under the name the Soul Children, the duo composed some 200 songs, for Stax luminaries like Sam & Dave (When Something Is Wrong With My Baby, Soul Man, and Hold On, I’m Comin’), Carla Thomas (B-A-B-Y), and Johnnie Taylor (I Got to Love Somebody’s Baby).

With the release of 1969’s landmark Hot Buttered Soul, he made his commercial breakthrough.