On this day in music history: November 20, 1971 - Theme From Shaft by Isaac Hayes hits #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 2 weeks, also peaking at #2 on the R&B singles chart on the same date. Written and produced by Isaac Hayes, it is the biggest hit for the Memphis, TN born singer, songwriter and producer. Composed for the Gordon Parks directed film starring Richard Roundtree in the title role, the track features musical backing by The Movement, which feature Bar-Kays members James Alexander (bass) and Michael Toles (guitar), and female background vocalists Telma Hopkins, Pat Lewis, Rose Williams. The main rhythmic pulse of the song is held down by drummer Willie Too Big Hall and guitarist Charles Skip Pitts. The single and its accompanying soundtrack are huge critical and commercial successes, paving the way for the blaxploitation film phenomenon of the 70s. Theme From Shaft will win Hayes two Grammy Awards, and becomes the first African American composer in history to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Held at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, CA on April 10, 1972, one of the highlights 44th Annual Academy Awards ceremony will be Isaac Hayes performance of the song on the live telecast. Wheeled out on stage behind the piano, the singer is an immediately striking presence, draped in thick gold chains, wearing dark shades and a vest made of gold chainmail. The performance will be iconic, and lauded as one of the most memorable in Oscar history. When he graciously accepts his award, Hayes will dedicate it his grandmother, the woman who raised him after the death of his mother and his father abandoned the family while he was still a child.
Posted on: Thu, 20 Nov 2014 23:15:08 +0000
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