Hayes, Isaac 1942–

PERSONAL

Full name, Isaac Lee Hayes, Jr.; born August 20, 1942, in Covington, TN; son of Isaac, Sr., and Eula Hayes; married, c. 1960 (divorced); married second wife (divorced); married Mignon Harley (divorced, 1986); married Adjowa, May 2005; children: (first marriage) two daughters; (second marriage) three; (third marriage) two; and four other children. Religion: Scientologist.

Addresses: Agent—International Creative Management, 8942 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90211. Manager—Saffron Management, 8899 Beverly Blvd., Suite 812, West Hollywood, CA 90048.

Career: Musician, songwriter, and actor. Formed music group Sir Isaac and the Doo-Dads, Memphis, TN, c. 1963; Mar-Keys (music group), saxophonist, 1964; Stax-Volt Records, Memphis, session musician, composer, and producer, 1964–67; released first solo record, 1967; began working as an actor, 1973; signed to Polydor Records, 1977; KISS-FM, New York City, disc jockey, 1996; composer of more than 200 songs with songwriter David Porter. Appeared in and provided voices for television commercials, including Fogdog. com, 2000, Nite at Nite, 2001, and Lays potato chips, 2006. World Literacy Crusade, spokesperson, 1993–. Also worked in a meat-packing plant and as a cotton picker.

Awards, Honors: Grammy Award nomination (with David Porter), best rhythm and blues recording, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, 1967, for "Soul Man" (recorded by Sam and Dave); Academy Award, best song, Grammy Awards (with Johnny Allen), best instrumental arrangement and best engineered recording, 1971, for "Theme from Shaft"; Academy Award nomination, best music—original dramatic score, Golden Globe Award, best original score, Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music nomination, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, Grammy Award, best original score written for a motion picture or a television special, and Grammy Award nomination, album of the year, all 1971, for Shaft; Grammy Award, best pop instrumental performance by an arranger, composer, orchestra, and/or choral leader, 1972, for Black Moses; Grammy Award nomination, best rhythm and blues instrumental, 1972, for "Let's Stay Together"; Grammy Award nomination, best male rhythm and blues vocal, 1975, for Chocolate Chip; Grammy Award nomination, best composer, 1978, for "Deja Vu" (performed by Dionne Warwick); Grammy Award nomination, best male rhythm and blues performance, 1978; Grammy Award nomination, best male rhythm and blues vocal, 1979, for "Don't Let Go"; BMI TV Music Award (with David Porter), 1998, for Soul Man; Image Award nomination, outstanding lead actor in a comedy series, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, 1999, for South Park; Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, inductee, 2002; Songwriter Hall of Fame, inductee, 2005; Screen Actors Guild Award nomination (with others), outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture, 2006, for Hustle & Flow.

CREDITS

Film Appearances:

Himself, Soul in Cinema: Filming Shaft on Location, 1971.

Himself, Save the Children, 1973.

Himself, Wattstax, 1973.

Himself, The Black Moses of Soul, 1973.

Lee Stevens, Three Tough Guys (also known as Tough Guys, Les durs, and Uomini duri), Paramount, 1974.

Title role, Truck Turner (also known as Black Bullet), American International Pictures, 1974.

Moriarty, It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time (also known as Good Idea), Ambassador, 1975.

The Duke of New York, Escape from New York (also known as John Carpenter's "Escape from New York'), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1981.

Jamal, Mace (also known as Dead Aim), Vestron, 1987.

Willy, Nightstick (also known as Calhoun), ITC Entertainment Group, 1987.

Ballard, Escuadron (also known as Counterforce and Escuadron: Counterforce), 1987.

Hammer, I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists, 1988.

Medium Rare, 1989.

Hitek leader and himself, Feuer, eis, und dynamit (also known as Fire, Ice, and Dynamite), 1990.

Captain Thompkins, Prime Target, Hemdale, 1991.

Aloysius, Guilty As Charged, IRS Releasing, 1991.

Lieutenant Herb Jefferson, Final Judgment, 1992.

Lieutenant Johanson, Deadly Exposure, Kushner-Locke Company, 1993.

Owner, CB4, Universal Studios Home Entertainment, 1993.

Cable, Posse, Gramercy, 1993.

Asneeze, Robin Hood: Men in Tights (also known as Sacre Robin des bois), Twentieth Century-Fox, 1993.

Buster, Oblivion, Paramount Home Video, 1993.

Angel Dupree, It Could Happen to You (also known as Cop Gives Waitress $2 Million Tip! and Cop Tips Waitress $2 Million), TriStar, 1994.

Out of Sync, LIVE Entertainment, 1995.

Voice of mad face, Magic Island, Paramount Home Video, 1995.

Preacher Hurn, Once upon a Time … When We Were Colored, IRS Releasing, 1995.

Buster, Oblivion 2: Backlash (also known as Backlash and Backlash: Oblivion 2), Full Moon, 1996.

George, Illtown, Shooting Gallery, 1996.

Sheriff Buck Cowan, Flipper, Universal, 1996.

Bill Bennet, Six Ways to Sunday, Stratosphere Entertainment, 1997.

Member of Louisiana Gator Boys band, Blues Brothers 2000, Universal, 1998.

Jed Crowley, Uncle Sam, Solomon International, 1998.

Woo, New Line Cinema, 1998.

Tippytoe, Ninth Street, Jaguar Entertainment, 1999.

Voice of Jerome "Chef" McElroy, South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut (also known as South Park and South Park: BLU), Warner Bros., 1999.

Zook, Reindeer Games (also known as Deception), Dimension Films, 2000.

Isaac Hayes, Dead Dog, Regent Entertainment, 2000.

(Uncredited) Mr. H., Shaft (also known as Shaft-Noch Fragen?), Paramount, 2000.

Voice of Possum, Dr. Doolittle 2 (also known as DR.2 and DR2), Twentieth Century-Fox, 2001.

(Uncredited) Voice of man in elevator, Chelsea Walls (also known as Chelsea Hotel), Lions Gate Films, 2001.

Himself, Only the Strong Survive (documentary), Miramax, 2002.

Himself, Soulsville (documentary short film), Stax Museum of American Soul Music, 2003.

Himself, Return to "Escape from New York' (documentary short film), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Home Entertainment, 2003.

Detective John Wade, Dodge City: A Spaghetto Western, 2004.

Yoshi, Dream Warrior (also known as A Man Called Rage), ThinkFilm, 2004.

Arnel, Hustle & Flow, MTV Films, 2005.

Himself, United (short film), ITN Distribution, 2005.

Charlie, Return to Sleepaway Camp (also known as Nightmare V and Sleepaway Camp V: The Reunion), 2006.

Television Appearances; Series:

Voice of Jerome "Chef" McElroy, South Park (animated), Comedy Central, 1997–2006.

Television Appearances; Movies:

Frank Moreno, Betrayed by Innocence (also known as Jailbait: Betrayed by Innocence), CBS, 1986.

Detective Stubbs, Acting on Impulse (also known as Eyes of a Stranger, Roses Are Dead, Secret Lies, and Secret Lives), Showtime, 1993.

Jonah Parks, Book of Days, PAX, 2003.

Television Appearances; Specials:

Himself, Burt Bacharach: Close to You, ABC, 1972.

Himself, Jack Benny's First Farewell Show, NBC, 1973.

The Osmond Special, CBS, 1974.

Himself, American Bandstand's 25th Anniversary, ABC, 1977.

"Hammer," Wilson, Hammer, Slammer, and Slade, ABC, 1990.

Host, "Delta Blues 911!" A&E Stage, Arts and Entertainment, 1992.

Prophet, "Hallelujah," American Playhouse, PBS, 1993.

Himself, Children of Africa, 1993.

LIFEbeat Benefit Concert—The Beat Goes On 2, VH1, 1995.

Vernon Holland, The Soul Survivors, BBC, 1995.

Himself, Burt Bacharach … This Is Now, PBS, 1996.

Host, Music in the Movies '97, ABC, 1997.

After New Year's Eve, ABC, 1998.

An African American Salute to the Academy Awards, syndicated, 1998.

Host, Comedy Central's Hi-Fi Party, Comedy Central, 1998.

The Goodwill Games Opening Celebration, TBS, 1998.

Interviewee, Inside Scientology, Arts and Entertainment, 1998.

Song performer, Sinbad's Summer Jam 4: 70's Soul Music Festival, HBO, 1998.

Song performer, Wrestlemania Rage Party, UPN, 1999.

Himself, Goin' Down to South Park, 1999.

Academy Awards Pre-Show, E! Entertainment Television, 1999.

Host and narrator, It's Only Rock and Roll, VH1, 2000.

Hollywood Rocks the Movies: The Early Years (1955–1970), AMC, 2000.

Himself, Acapulco Black Film Festival, Black Starz, 2000.

The 100 Greatest Rock & Roll Moments on TV, VH1, 2000.

Half Past Autumn: The Life and Times of Gordon Parks, HBO, 2000.

Himself, Top Ten Comedy Records, 2000.

Himself, Comedy Central Presents: The N.Y. Friars Club Roast of Rob Reiner, Comedy Central, 2000.

Dionne Warwick: Don't Make Me Over, Arts and Entertainment, 2001.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum: 17th Annual Induction Ceremony, VH1, 2002.

Himself, Baadassssss Cinema, Independent Film Channel, 2002.

Himself, The Last Poets, Bravo, 2002.

Sounds of Memphis, 2002.

(Uncredited) Himself, Hollywood Rocks the Movies: The 1970s, 2002.

Himself, Soul Comes Home, PBS, 2003.

Himself, I Love the '70s, VH1, 2003.

Himself, Soul Man: Isaac Hayes, BBC, 2003.

Himself, The Jacksons: America's First Family of Music, 2003.

Himself, AFI's 100 Years … 100 Songs: America's Greatest Music in the Movies, CBS, 2004.

Introducing Graham Norton, Comedy Central, 2004.

Host, My Music: Funky Soul Superstars, PBS, 2005.

Television Appearances; Awards Presentations:

Himself, The 44th Annual Academy Awards, NBC, 1972.

Himself, The 21st Annual Grammy Awards, CBS, 1979.

Himself, The 22nd Annual Grammy Awards, CBS, 1980.

Himself, The 1st Annual Soul Train Music Awards, 1987.

Himself, The 26th Annual American Music Awards, ABC, 1998.

The 15th Annual Soap Opera Awards, NBC, 1999.

Presenter, The 26th Annual American Music Awards, ABC, 1999.

Presenter, The 30th NAACP Image Awards, Fox, 1999.

The 72nd Annual Academy Awards Presentation, ABC, 2000.

Presenter, My VH1 Music Awards, VH1, 2001.

(Uncredited) Himself, The 75th Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 2003.

Himself, The 2004 Trumpet Awards, TBS, 2004.

Television Appearances; Pilots:

Detective Marcus, Fastlane, 2002.

Elegant man, Anonymous Rex, Sci-Fi Channel, 2004.

Television Appearances; Episodic:

Himself, The Music Scene, 1969.

Himself, Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (also known as Laugh-In), 1972.

Gandolph Fitch, "The Hammer of C Block," The Rockford Files (also known as Jim Rockford, Private Investigator), NBC, 1976.

Gandolph Fitch, "Just Another Polish Wedding," The Rockford Files (also known as Jim Rockford, Private Investigator), NBC, 1977.

Gandolph Fitch, "The Second Chance," The Rockford Files (also known as Jim Rockford, Private Investigator), NBC, 1977.

C. J. Mack, "The Heart of Rock n' Roll," The A-Team, 1985.

Jerome "Typhoon" Thompson, "The Return of Typhoon Thompson," Hunter, NBC, 1986.

Holiday, "Child's Play," Miami Vice, 1987.

Himself, Golden Age of Rock'n'Roll, 1991.

"Revenge Is the Nuts," Tales from the Crypt (also known as HBO's "Tales from the Crypt'), 1994.

Minister, "Wedding Show (Psyche!)," The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, NBC, 1995.

The Prime Oracle, "Obsession," Sliders, Fox, 1996.

Himself, "Barry White," Behind the Music, VH1, 1999.

The Man, "Daddy's Going to Hell," The Hughleys, 1999.

Himself, "Veronica's New Year," Veronica's Closet, NBC, 1999.

The Man, "Miracle on 135th and Avalon," The Hugh-leys, ABC, 1999.

Presenter: Heartbreakers, Top Ten, Channel 4, 2000.

Sound Effects, VH1, 2000.

Himself, The Rosie O'Donnell Show, syndicated, 2001.

"Night Train" Raymond, "Save the Country," The Education of Max Bickford, CBS, 2002.

Himself, V Graham Norton, Channel 4, 2002, 2003.

Eugene Childs, "Blood Is Thicker than Liquor," Girlfriends, UPN, 2003.

Eugene Childs, "The Wedding," Girlfriends, UPN, 2003.

Himself, Tavis Smiley, PBS, 2004.

Himself, "The Music Mac," The Bernie Mac Show, Fox, 2005.

Himself, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, NBC, 2005.

Tolok, "Reckoning: Parts 1 & 2," Stargate SG-1, Sci-Fi Channel, 2005.

Tolok, "Threads," Stargate SG-1, Sci-Fi Channel, 2005.

Himself, "Spread Your Wings," That '70s Show, Fox, 2006.

RECORDINGS

Albums:

Presenting Isaac Hayes, Stax, 1967.

Hot Buttered Soul, Stax, 1969.

Isaac Hayes Movement, Stax, 1970.

… To Be Continued, Stax, 1970.

Shaft (film soundtrack), Stax, 1971.

Black Moses, Stax, 1971.

Live at the Sahara Tahoe, Stax, 1973.

Joy, Stax, 1973.

Tough Guys (film soundtrack), Stax, 1973.

Truck Turner (film soundtrack), Stax, 1974.

Chocolate Chip, ABC/Hot Buttered Soul, 1975.

Groove-a-Thon, ABC/Hot Buttered Soul, 1975.

Juicy Fruit, ABC/Hot Buttered Soul, 1976.

New Horizon, Polydor, 1977.

(With Dionne Warwick) A Man and a Woman, Polydor, 1977.

For the Sake of Love, Polydor, 1978.

Hotbed, Stax, 1978.

Don't Let Go, Polydor, 1979.

(With Millie Jackson) Royal Rappin's, Polydor, 1979.

And Once Again, Polydor, 1980.

Enterprise—His Greatest Hits, Stax, 1980.

U-Turn, Polydor, 1986.

The Best of Isaac Hayes, Volume 1, Stax, 1986.

The Best of Isaac Hayes, Volume 2, Stax, 1986.

Love Attack, Columbia, 1988.

Greatest Hit Singles, Stax, 1991.

Branded, Pointblank/Virgin, 1995.

Raw and Refined, Pointblank/Virgin, 1995.

Ultimate Collection, 2000.

Other albums include (with Barry White) Back to Back; Branded, Raw, and Refined; Lifetime Thing; and (with Donald Dunn and Al Jackson, Jr.) Present.

Video Games:

Voice of J-Bone, Johnny Mnemonic: The Interactive Action Movie, 1995.

Voice of Jerome "Chef" McElroy, South Park, 1998.

Voice of Chef, South Park Rally, 1999.

Voice of Chef, South Park: Chef's Luv Shack, 1999.

Videos:

Himself, Oscar's Greatest Moments, 1992.

(Uncredited) Himself, Orientation: A Scientology Information Film, 1996.

This Is Scientology: An Overview of the World's Fastest Growing Religion, Church of Scientology International, 2004.

WRITINGS

Film Music:

Maidstone, Supreme Mix, 1970.

(And lyricist) Shaft, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1971.

(Uncredited) Shaft's Big Score!, 1972.

Three Tough Guys (also known as Tough Guys, Les durs, and Uomini duri), Paramount, 1974.

Truck Turner (also known as Black Bullet), American International Pictures, 1974.

Exit the Dragon: Enter the Tiger (also known as Bruce Lee: Star of Stars), 1976.

Mas que amor, frenesi (also known as Not Love, Just Frenzy), Jour de Fete Films, 1996.

Ninth Street, Jaguar Entertainment, 1999.

South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut, Warner Bros., 1999.

Bui Doi, 2001.

Television Music; Series:

Composer of theme "The Men," Assignment Vienna, 1972.

Composer, Shaft, 1973.

Stage Music:

Street Corner Symphony, Brooks Atkinson Theatre, New York City, 1997–98.

Books:

Cooking with Heart and Soul, Putnam, 2000.

OTHER SOURCES

Books:

Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, Schirmer, 2001.

Contemporary Black Biography, Vol. 20, Gale Group, 1998.

Periodicals:

Billboard, March 26, 1995, p. 23.

Entertainment Weekly, June 9, 1995, p. 59; September 22, 1995, p. 16; January 9, 2004, p. 65.

Interview, May, 1995, p. 24.

People Weekly, July 8, 1996, p. 101; November 17, 1997, p. 252.

Saturday Night, March, 1998, p. 10.

Isaac Hayes

1942–

Singer, composer

Musician Isaac Hayes' greatest fame rests on one composition, Theme from Shaft, which became an iconic soundtrack for the 1970s as the theme song to the Blaxploitation film Shaft, an African American-oriented police drama released in 1971. Music fans and observers also recalled his outlandish stage shows of the 1970s, in which the bald singer appeared amidst a phalanx of musicians and dancers in a cape, a fur-and-leather shirt, masses of gold jewelry, and black tights. His music career flagged after the momentum it had when Hayes was a top seller for the Stax label in the early 1970s. Yet Hayes remained active, seeking out new career opportunities and charitable work. By the late 1990s, Hayes had found celebrity yet again as the voice of Chef on the animated show South Park. In the early 2000s, Hayes's place in history remained firmly rooted in his musical influence on subsequent generations of African American musicians.

From the beginning of his career, Hayes was an innovator. In contrast with the gospel-derived, highly charged vocals of his soul compatriots at Stax, Hayes pioneered a cool vocal style; his relaxed baritone was conversational and romantic. The pillow talk of the 1970s and 1980s megastar Barry White was directly inspired by Hayes's style. The elaborate production and insistent four-beat of recordings such as "Theme from Shaft" prefigured the disco movement; Hayes himself had some success during the disco era. Years before the word "rap" had come to denote a musical style, Hayes was referring to the lengthy spoken interludes in his songs and performances as rapping. Modern hip-hop musicians testified to the depth of Hayes's influence by repeatedly sampling his recordings.

Struggled Out of Poverty

Isaac Hayes was born into poverty on a sharecropper's farm on August 20, 1942, in Covington, Tennessee. His mother died when he was a baby and he was raised by grandparents, who moved to Memphis when Hayes was seven. Hayes received little formal education and was forced to take jobs picking cotton, pumping gas, and helping out at a junkyard in order to survive. He persevered, however, and eventually graduated from high school. As a high school student, Hayes cultivated an interest in music that had begun when his grandparents encouraged him to sing in church at age five and had grown through the influence of another family member: "I can remember my aunt had a juke joint, and anybody who walked in the door could sing as good as B. B. King, Sonny Boy Williamson, Lightnin' Hopkins, Muddy Waters, or Howlin' Wolf," Hayes told Interview magazine. By sheer force of will, he learned to play the piano.

While working as a meat packer, Hayes fronted several bands that played in Memphis clubs in the early 1960s. Music became an integral part of his life in 1964 when he met saxophonist Floyd Newman, a member of the Mar-Keys and an early mainstay of Memphis's soul-music record label, Stax. Hayes was asked to replace the legendary Stax keyboardist Booker T. Jones on a session date, and was soon finding regular work as a Stax session musician. Many of Otis Redding's classic soul recordings for Stax featured Hayes at the keyboard.

Hayes also began to work with a lyricist friend, David Porter, and the pair had several spectacular successes as a songwriting team, most notably with the two big hits scored by the duo of Sam & Dave, "Soul Man" and "Hold On, I'm Coming." In 1967, Stax vice-president Al Bell invited Hayes to cut an album. The album, Presenting Isaac Hayes, sold poorly, but Hayes continued to refine his skills. When he received another opportunity to record an album in 1969, he was ready.

Found Fame with Music

The record that launched Isaac Hayes's career, Hot Buttered Soul, was a groundbreaking work that represented Stax's effort to respond to the musical experimentation pioneered by Motown during the late 1960s. Featuring elaborate arrangements with strings and backup vocals, the entire album contained only four songs, one of them an 18-minute, 40-second version of Jimmy Webb's country-pop hit, "By the Time I Get to Phoenix." Hayes extended songs through the use of introductory monologues, which he called "rapping," and by playing long instrumental interludes on the organ. The album sold over one million copies and reached number eight on the pop charts. It also marked Stax's most successful effort to cross over to popular audiences.

Hot Buttered Soul launched Hayes's solo career and he became one of the top-grossing concert acts of the early 1970s. Although he became extremely wealthy, he squandered most of his money and was forced to declare bankruptcy on two occasions. The speech-song mixtures from Hot Buttered Soul appeared in his famous Shaft theme, which featured a dialogue between Hayes and his ever-present female backup singers, and offered an unusual arrangement that included a flute and a rhythmic use of wah-wah guitar. The recording of "Shaft" reached number one on the pop charts and earned Hayes both Academy and Grammy awards. He also became the first African American composer to be honored with an Academy award.

At a Glance …

Born on August 20, 1942, in Covington, TN; son of Isaac and Eula Hayes; married three times (divorced three times); married fourth wife, Adowja Hayes; children: ten. Education: Memphis, high school graduate. Religion: Scientology.

Career : Soul music vocalist, 1962–; Stax Records, staff musician and songwriter, 1964–67; Stax Records, recording artist, 1967–75; ABC, recording artist, 1975; Polydor, recording artist, 1977; actor, 1976–; Point Blank, recording artist, 1995; South Park, voice of Chef, 1997–2006; Isaac Hayes Foundation, founder, 1999–; Isaac Hayes-Music-Food-Passion, restaurant owner, 2001–; cookbook author, 2000–.

Awards : Academy award, Best Song from a Motion Picture, and Grammy awards for Best Instrumental Arrangement and Best Original Score (all for music from Shaft), 1971; Grammy award, Best Pop Instrumental Performance (for Black Moses), 1972; two Grammy award nominations, 1978; Ghana, Ada district, coronated honorary king, 1992, for humanitarian work; Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, inductee, 2002; BMI Icon, 2003; Songwriters Hall of Fame, inductee, 2005.

Addresses: Web—www.isaachayes.com.

Even as his financial troubles mounted and the careers of his fellow Stax artists declined, Hayes forged ahead during the middle and late 1970s. Signing with the ABC label in 1975 and with Polydor in 1977, Hayes made a successful foray into disco with the 1976 album Juicy Fruit and its single "Juicy Fruit (Disco Freak)." He also recorded duet albums with Dionne Warwick (A Man and a Woman, 1977) and fellow proto-rapper Millie Jackson (Royal Rappin's, 1979). Hayes also realized his long-held dream of becoming an actor, appearing on the television program The Rockford Files and taking roles in several films, including the science-fiction thriller Escape from New York and I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, the Keenen Ivory Wayans parody of the Blaxploitation film genre.

After dropping out of sight for a time in the 1980s, Hayes re-emerged with the albums U-Turn in 1986 and Love Attack in 1988, both on the Columbia label. He released two albums for the Point Blank label in 1995, Branded and the instrumental Raw and Refined, which Interview writer Dimitri Ehrlich remarked "find him burrowing into jazzy, syncopated grooves, gracefully reveling in heightened realms of musicality and mojo." Interview estimated that Hayes's recordings had been sampled—digitally quoted—over 50 times by rappers and producers in 1993 alone, and the "gangsta" rap image plainly owed much to Hayes's grandiose stage productions.

Found New Audience as Chef

Hayes had sought voice over work for some time when his agent landed him an audition for a new animated show called South Park in the late 1990s. Hayes was cast as the voice of Chef, a school cook and "mentor" to the show's youthful main characters. Early on Hayes had his doubts that joining the show was a wise career move. "We started putting episodes in the can, and when the airdate was announced, I started thinking, 'I've ruined my career, man. I'm going to have to run out of town …,'" Hayes remembered to the San Francisco Chronicle in 2005. "But when the thing aired, the ratings went through the roof." By the early 2000s Hayes had gained considerable popularity as the voice of Chef, finding that he would be greeted at record signings by music fans as well as a number of fans wanting him to sign Chef dolls. "That's when I realized my fan base had spread from 6 to 96," he related to the San Francisco Chronicle. After a decade as the voice of Chef, Hayes abruptly quit the series in the spring of 2006 after an episode that mocked his religion, Scientology. In a statement quoted in the Chicago Defender, Hayes explained his reasoning: "Religious beliefs are sacred to people, and at all times should be respected and honored. As a civil rights activist of the past 40 years, I cannot support a show that disrespects those beliefs and practices." Hayes's comments provoked skeptics to point out that Hayes had participated in many South Park episodes that mocked other religions over the years. After Hayes left the show, South Park aired an episode in which Chef met with a gruesome demise.

The split with South Park did not seem to bother Hayes as he turned his attentions to other aspects of his career. He remained committed to his music, and began work on a new album. He continued hosting a soul music radio program; He had a six-year run on New York's KISS-FM radio station in 2002 before moving to Memphis' WRBO Soul Classics in 2000. He reaped rewards from the popularity of his memoir/cookbook, Cooking With Heart & Soul: Making Music in the Kitchen with Family and Friends, as it went into multiple printings after its publication in 2000, and his barbeque sauce brought in profits since its market introduction in 2000. He also held court on stage at his Isaac Hayes-Music-Food-Passion restaurants that he had opened in the early 2000s in Memphis and Chicago. And through his Isaac Hayes Foundation, which he set up in 1999, Hayes offered aid to people, especially children around the globe. Yet Isaac Hayes, a figure nearly universally recognized since his Shaft days, remained best known as a "music legend" and "icon," as he was often referred to in the press.

Selected works

Books

Cooking with Heart & Soul: Making Music in the Kitchen with Family and Friends, Putnam, 2000.

Selected discography

Presenting Isaac Hayes, Stax, 1967.
Hot Buttered Soul, Stax, 1969.
Isaac Hayes Movement, Stax, 1970.
Shaft (soundtrack), Stax, 1971.
Black Moses, Stax, 1971.
Tough Guys (soundtrack), Stax, 1973.
Chocolate Chip, ABC, 1975.
Juicy Fruit, ABC, 1976.
A Man and a Woman (with Dionne Warwick), Polydor, 1977.
Royal Rappin's (with Millie Jackson), Polydor, 1979.
Enterprise—His Greatest Hits, Stax, 1980.
U-Turn, Polydor, 1986.
Branded, Point Blank, 1995.
Raw and Refined, Point Blank, 1995.
Ultimate Isaac Hayes: Can You Dig It?, Stax, 2005.

Sources

Books

Contemporary Musicians, Volume 10, Gale, 1994.

Guralnick, Peter, Sweet Soul Music, Harper & Row, 1986.

Romanowski, Patricia, and Holly George-Warren, eds., The New Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll, Fireside, 1995.

Stambler, Irwin, The Encyclopedia of Pop, Rock & Soul, St. Martin's, 1989.

Periodicals

Billboard, March 25, 1995, p. 23.

Chicago Defender, March 15, 2006, p. 16.

Entertainment Weekly, June 9, 1995, p. 59.

Interview, May 1995, p. 24.

Newsweek, March 23, 1998; p. 60.

People, July 8, 1996, p. 101.

Rolling Stone, November 3, 2005, p. 1.

San Francisco Chronicle, December 4, 2005, p. 50.

On-line

Isaac Hayes, www.isaachayes.com (October 19, 2006).