0
William Bell
William Bell
American soul singer and songwriter
1
Booker T. & the M.G.'s
Booker T. & the M.G.'s
American musical group; R& B/funk band
2
David Porter
David Porter
American record producer, songwriter and singer
3
Samuel David Moore
Samuel David Moore
American musician
4
The Mar-Keys
The Mar-Keys
studio session band
5
The Soul Children
The Soul Children
band that plays jazz
6
Carla Thomas
Carla Thomas
American singer
7
Johnnie Taylor
Johnnie Taylor
American soul-blues and pop singer
8
Sam & Dave
Sam & Dave
American soul and R&B duo
9
The Memphis Horns
The Memphis Horns
American horn section
10
Bar-Kays
Bar-Kays
American band
11
Booker T. Jones
Booker T. Jones
American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, record producer and arranger
12
J. Blackfoot
J. Blackfoot
singer
13
Steve Cropper
Steve Cropper
American guitarist, songwriter and record producer
14
Otis Redding
Otis Redding
American singer, songwriter and record producer
15
Floyd Newman
Floyd Newman
American musician
16
Lisa Marie Presley
Lisa Marie Presley
American singer-song-writer and daughter of Elvis Presley
17
Sweet Inspirations
Sweet Inspirations
American R&B vocal group
18
Eddie Floyd
Eddie Floyd
American singer
19
The Mad Lads
The Mad Lads
20
Mayer Hawthorne
Mayer Hawthorne
American musician
21
Al Green
Al Green
American singer
22
Rufus Thomas
Rufus Thomas
American singer (1917-2001)
23
Luther Ingram
Luther Ingram
American R&B and soul singer-songwriter
24
The Emotions
The Emotions
American vocal group from Chicago, Illinois
25
Maurice White
Maurice White
American musician, founder of Earth, Wind & Fire
26
Mavis Staples
Mavis Staples
American singer
27
24-Carat Black
24-Carat Black
American soul and funk band
28
Big Star
Big Star
American rock band
29
Albert King
Albert King
American blues guitarist and singer
30
Delaney & Bonnie
Delaney & Bonnie
American husband and wife music duo
31
Al Jackson Jr.
Al Jackson Jr.
American musician and record producer
Isaac Hayes
American singer-songwriter, arranger, record producer, and actor (1942-2008)

Isaac Hayes

Intro
American singer-songwriter, arranger, record producer, and actor (1942-2008)
Awards Received
IAS Freedom Medal
Nominated For
Academy Award for Best Original Dramatic Score
News
Member of, past and present
Broadcast Music, Inc.

Broadcast Music, Inc.

Isaac Lee Hayes Jr. (August 20, 1942 – August 10, 2008) was an American singer, songwriter, actor, and producer. Hayes was one of the creative forces behind the Southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served both as an in-house songwriter and as a session musician and record producer, teaming with his partner David Porter during the mid-1960s. Hayes and Porter were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005 in recognition of writing scores of songs for themselves, the duo Sam & Dave, Carla Thomas, and others. In 2002, Hayes was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

"Soul Man", written by Hayes and Porter and first performed by Sam & Dave, was recognized as one of the most influential songs of the past 50 years by the Grammy Hall of Fame. It was also honored by The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, by Rolling Stone magazine, and by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) as one of the Songs of the Century. During the late 1960s, Hayes also began a career as a recording artist. He had several successful soul albums such as Hot Buttered Soul (1969) and Black Moses (1971). In addition to his work in popular music, he worked as a composer of musical scores for motion pictures.

Hayes was known for his musical score for the film Shaft (1971). For the "Theme from Shaft", he was awarded the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1972. He became the third black person after Hattie McDaniel and Sidney Poitier, to win an Oscar in any competitive field covered by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He also won two Grammy Awards for that same year. Later, he was given his third Grammy for his music album Black Moses.

In 1992, Hayes was crowned honorary king of the Ada region of Ghana in recognition of his humanitarian work there. He acted in motion pictures and television, such as in the movies Truck Turner and I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, and as Gandolf "Gandy" Fitch in the TV series The Rockford Files (1974–1980). He voiced the character Chef from the animated Comedy Central series South Park from its debut in 1997 until 2006. His influences were Percy Mayfield, Big Joe Turner, James Brown, Jerry Butler, Sam Cooke, Fats Domino, Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding, and psychedelic soul groups like The Chambers Brothers and Sly and the Family Stone.

On August 5, 2003, Hayes was honored as a BMI Icon at the 2003 BMI Urban Awards for his enduring influence on generations of music makers. Throughout his songwriting career, Hayes received five BMI R&B Awards, two BMI Pop Awards, two BMI Urban Awards and six Million-Air citations. As of 2008, his songs generated more than 12 million performances.