Time Tunnel Featured Artist – “Black Moses” – Isaac Hayes

Isaac Hayes had a great influence over the music of the 1960's and 1970's, probably more than most.  His highly successful solo career came before disco and the evolution of rap music.
Isaac Hayes made his public debut singing in church when he was five years old;  he taught himself to play the piano, organ, and saxophone.  It all really began to come together for him with the release of his landmark album in 1969, Hot Buttered Soul, making him one of most distinctive musicians in music. In 1971, there was an explosion on the music scene for sountracks/sountrack composers - - SHAFT - -.  The album not only won an Academy Award for Best Score for Isaac Hayes, who by the way was the first African American composer to receive such an honor, but the single, Theme from Shaft, became a number one hit.
There were numerous albums released between 1971 and 1986, after which, Isaac Hayes dropped out of music to focus on his acting career.  In 1995, he became known as one of the forefathers of hip-hop, and converted to Scientology.  While juggling simultaneous careers as actor, composor, and humanitarian, Isaac Hayes made a come back with two concurrent releases, and under the official name of Nene Katey Ocansey I, he served as a member of the royal family of the African nation of Ghana.
In 1997, he became the voice of Chef McElroy, the animated character on South Park, and was an instant hit.  It was to be a one-time character, but because of its popularity, Chef became a regular character on the show; this made him highly visible and cemented his status as an icon with a new generation.
Isaac Hayes appeared in the remake of Shaft in 2000, and supported Alicia Keys as musician and arranger on her debut album, Songs in A Minor.  He appeared in more films than he did recording in the 2000's, to include Hustle and Flow in 2004.
Four years later, Isaac Hayes became ill, collapsed in his home, and died of a stroke due to high blood pressure.  "Black Moses", Isaac Hayes, will always be remembered for his musical contributions.