David Wild: Isaac Hayes: I Thank You, Black Moses

I grew up in the 70s in a place called Tenafly, New Jersey -- an extremely white town that paradoxically became the title to a short-lived black detective TV series. Apparently some producer was driving down 9W towards New York City, and thought Tenafly sounded like Superfly. Ironically, I don't think there were any black students in my school until years later when the great guitarist and singer George Benson recorded "Breezin" and moved down the block. So clearly, I didn't exactly grow up in the shadow of Stax Records, but my world was opened up big time when I bought "Theme From Shaft" on eight track. I later bought Isaac Hayes' classic album Black Moses . This real sexy, funky, soul music forever blew my Caucasian mind, and led me to explore many of the greatest sounds ever made -- not only by Hayes, but contemporaries like Curtis Mayfield, Sly Stone, George Clinton, Barry White and countless other geniuses of soul during that era. As a writer, producer, artist and even voice over talent on ... (link)