TheWayoftheWeb

When it comes to changing the way we live, music has one of the biggest effects on our lives. Whether it’s the soundtrack to the memorable moments we encounter or a protest song that can help carry a movement for change, it’s capable of an immense amount.

I was lucky enough to get a good musical education thanks to my father, who has a huge collection of 1960’s soul music, including my favourite label, Stax Atlantic. But sadly we’ve lost quite a few of the stars of 50 years ago, and today we lost Isaac Hayes.

For those who only know him as the chef in South Park, he started out writing songs for other artists at Stax, with writing partner David Porter – songs which included ‘Soul Man’ and ‘Hold On I’m Coming’ (both recorded by Sam and Dave). As a solo artist, he released ‘Hot Buttered Soul’ for Stax, following the death of their biggest star, Otis Redding. His album helped to keep the company together and survive for a few years, until it finally fell foul of financial problems.

And obviously he’s also incredibly well known for creating the theme to Blaxploitation film ‘Shaft’ – which saw him become the first black musician to win an Academy Award.

So in tribute to Isaac Hayes, here’s his most famous song:

For more on Isaac Hayes, you can read up on Wikipedia, and more importantly, listen on Last.fm.