1971
THEME FROM SHAFT * ISAAC HAYES * ENTERPRISE 9038 * USA
The title track from the MGM film Shaft, based upon the book by Ernest Tidyman, was produced by Roger Lewis and stared actor Richard Roundtree as detective John Shaft. Isaac Hayes wrote and performed the film score for the film and The Theme From Shaft earned him an Academy Award for Best Original Song for a Motion Picture. The record sold well in both the US and the UK reaching # 1 in the States on the Pop charts, though surprisingly only # 10 on the R&B, and number four on the British charts. The Theme From Shaft being a vocal track should not really be on this page, but as, for me, the opening extended funky Wah, Wah guitar break makes such an impact I always think of it as primarily an Instrumental.