rfg XXX - "Didn't know he would really go"

As you no doubt heard, Isaac Hayes died on Sunday.

In light of the news, the show I was setting up for this week was junked to make way for a full-length tribute to the Black Moses himself. On a prior flll-in for Shake a Tail Feather, I played a good chunk of songs from the Truck Turner soundtrack, which has easily become one of my favourite scores over time. Rather than dip too heavily from that earlier show, there was a track or two I hadn't played before, which fit right in.

I tried looking for a mix of well-known and lesser heard tracks with a good flow, along with picking up a fresh copy of Hot Buttered Soul. Digging through the Stax collection of songs he wrote, I was floored by how many bona fide hits he wrote, even before he became a star on his own. No Chef, sadly; though you can hit up YouTube for What's a Prostitute? and Love. The official version of Chocolate Salty Balls remains elusive.

Here's some additional video:

• Isaac Hayes at Wattstax and introduced by Jesse Jackson (bonus footage: Richard Pryor on what Wattstax meant).
• The Look of Love and Never Can Say Goodbye from a live show in Atlanta 1973.
• Isaac Hayes on "The Rockford Files".
• And for silliness, Shaft as performed by a Ukulele Orchestra or by Father Ted.

And in one of those additional facts about Hayes I never knew: he was part-owner of the American Basketball Association's Memphis Sounds for a year or so. The team sported some of the funkiest uniforms ever, though the rest of the ABA teams could hold a similar claim.

Rest in peace, Duke of New York.

Playlist follows: