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Isaac Hayes photo by John Mathew Smith

Top 10 Fascinating Facts about Isaac Hayes

Isaac Lee Hayes Jr. was an American singer, actor, songwriter, and composer who lived from August 20, 1942, to August 10, 2008. He collaborated with his partner David Porter in the mid-1960s to co-found the Southern soul music label Stax Records, where he worked as an in-house songwriter as well as a session guitarist and record producer. In recognition of penning numerous songs for themselves, the band Sam & Dave, Carla Thomas, and others, Hayes and Porter were elected into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005. Hayes was admitted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2002. 

Hayes was well-known for writing the soundtrack for the movie Shaft (1971). He won the 1972 Academy Award for Best Original Song for “Theme from Shaft.” After Sidney Poitier and Hattie McDaniel, he was now the third black person to get an Oscar in a highly competitive category recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. During that same year, Hayes also took home two Grammy Awards. He later received his third Grammy for his album of music, Black Moses.

Here are the Top 10 Fascinating Facts about Isaac Hayes

1. Hayes briefly left school to support his family 

Isaac Lee Hayes Jr. was born on August 20, 1942, in Covington, Tennessee. Due to his mother Willie Wade’s death in 1953 after a six-month fight with coronary heart disease and the fact that Hayes’ father abandoned the family when he was a little child, the family was reared by his maternal grandparents.

In order to make money, he did odd things like pick cotton, trim lawns, transport food and wood to homes, shine shoes on Beale Street, and wash bricks for 2 cents each.

Despite being intelligent and a star student, Hayes missed a few weeks of school because of his remorse over his financial circumstances. Despite receiving numerous scholarship offers for his music because of his outstanding talent, Hayes chose to remain at home with his family and support them by working in factories and giving performances in nightclubs.

He completed his high school education there, and when the state gave him a memorial in his honor, he had it put up there.

2. He participated in charitable activities 

In order to enable people to reach completeness, he established the Isaac Hayes Foundation in 1999. Through it, he hopes to raise the self-esteem of underprivileged people and promote reading, music education, nutritional education, and creative projects.

A number of other human rights organizations, most notably the well-known “One Campaign,” saw Hayes’ involvement. Hayes has got praised for his humanitarian efforts in Ghana. In October 2005, he and regional businessman Jack Hall donated $2,600 to the Tipton County Education Foundation.

3.  He stopped singing when he entered adolescent

Hayes began singing at an early age but stopped when he was a teenager. A few years later, he started over again, and when a guidance counselor persuaded him to participate in the school’s talent show, he was an instant success.

He developed proficiency in the piano, keyboard, Hammond organ, trombone, flute, and saxophone. He also sang in a number of bands that played in Memphis-area bars.

4. Isaac Hayes was more than just a songwriter

Isaac Hayes photo by William Henderson

Hayes held a variety of positions at Stax Records, one of which he assisted in founding. There, he worked with Dave Porter to write “Soul Man,” which was performed by Sam & Dave and recognized as one of the Grammy Hall of Fame’s most significant songs from the preceding half-century as well as one of the Recording Industry Association of America’s Songs of the Century.

He and Porter collaborated on the writing of numerous more soul hits, including “Hold On, I’m Comin’.” Hayes became well-known as a musician thanks to the releases of the albums Hot Buttered Soul (1969) and Black Moses (1971). He had a successful acting career as well, making appearances in series like “South Park,” “The A-Team,” and “The Rockford Files.”

5. Hayes was compelled to declare bankruptcy as a result of several disagreements with Stax Record Ownership

Hayes almost lost everything he owned as a result of his bankruptcy, including the rights to all future income from his recorded compositions. However, after joining Polydor Records, Hayes released albums like “For the Sake of Love” and “New Horizon” which fared much better in the marketplace. With the release of his second album, “Don’t Let Go,” Hayes was able to reenter the Top 40.

6. Hayes started his career as a session musician for ”Stax Records”

There, Hayes and David Porter worked together on a number of well-known songs for the band “Sam & Dave,” including the No. 2 hit “Soul Man,” “You Don’t Know like I Know,” “Hold On, I’m Coming,” and “When Something is wrong with my Baby.” By 1968, Hayes had already released two albums, “Presenting Isaac Hayes” and “Hot Buttered Soul,” the latter of which was credited with being essential in keeping “Stax Records” afloat after it had lost a sizable amount of its collection to Atlantic Records. On the CD, Dionne Warwick’s song “Walk on By,” which was highly successful, was also revived.

7. He has won a Grammy three times

Isaac Hayes photo by John Mathew Smith

Hayes won an Oscar, a Golden Globe, and three Grammys for his work on the soundtrack CD for the 1971 Hollywood film “Shaft.” During this period, he also started his acting career. Hayes also composed the music for later films including “Truck Turner” and “Three Tough Guys.” The song is also used in Quentin Tarantino’s “Kill Bill” films. He was granted entry into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.

8. His Acting  success was very good

Hayes began his career as a guest star on TV shows like The Rockford Files, Miami Vice, and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. He appeared in several films, including I’m Gonna ‘Git You, Sucka, Guity as Charged, and Hustle & Flow, and enjoyed great success as an actor. He also provided the South Park character Chef with a voice.  was on the show until 2006 when he resigned due to a disagreement over how Hayes’ line of work as a Scientologist was satirized.

9. Isaac Hayes was married 4 times

His first marriage took place in 1960 with Dancy Hayes. In 1965, Hayes married Emily Ruth Watson after they got divorced. They got a divorce after seven years of marriage. Mignon Harley, Hayes’ third wife, lived with him for 13 years before divorcing him in 1986. Hayes was going through a lot of financial difficulties at the same time. He eventually got married to an Adjowa. He has had 12 kids in total from his marriages.

10. His Humanitarian efforts earned him the Title of King in Ghana

Isaac Hayes photo by William Henderson

Hayes was made a member of the royal family and made an honorary king of Ghana’s Ada coastal region in 1992 in celebration of his dedication to humanitarian activities. He was known as Nene Katey Ocansey I and held the position of Chief for Development. Instead of building a castle, Hayes was best recognized for creating the 8,000-square-foot educational complex NekoTech.

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