Isaac Lee Hayes, Jr. (August 20, 1942 – August 10, 2008) was an American
soul singer, songwriter, actor, producer and voice artist. 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, Porter,
Bill Withers, the
Sherman Brothers,
Steve Cropper, and
John Fogerty were inducted into the
Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005 in recognition of writing scores of notable songs for themselves, the duo
Sam & Dave,
Carla Thomas, and others. Hayes is also a 2002 inductee into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.