Died On This Date (August 15, 2008) Jerry Wexler / Legendary Producer & Label Head
themusicsover Jerry Wexler
January 10, 1917 – August 15, 2008
Jerry Wexler was best known as a music producer who was responsible for some of the greatest music from the 1950s through the 1980s. He also coined the phrase “rhythm and blues” while he was editor of Billboard magazine before he became a partner of Atlantic Records in 1953. While at Atlantic he either produced or signed some of the all time greats of popular music. That list includes Wilson Pickett, Led Zeppelin, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Bob Dylan and the Allman Brothers. He retired from the music business in the late ’90s, and passed away of congestive heart failure in 2008.
Thanks to the Jeff Ballenberg for the assist.
Joe Tex was an American soul singer and songwriter who is best remembered for his four hit singles in the ’60s and ’70s. 1965’s “Hold What You’ve Got” sold over a million copies and reached #5 on the Billboard singles chart. His “Skinny Legs And All,” released in 1967 also sold more than a million copies, while 1972’s “I Gotcha” peaked at #2 on the pop charts. And 1977, Tex released “Ain’t Gonna Bump No More (With No Big Fat Woman),” his last sizable hit, which went to #12 on the charts. He had a unique style of singing at the time, a preacher-style of talking over the songs – he called it “rap” and many music historians agree that it was one of the early foundations of rap and hip hop. In the mid ’60s, Tex converted to the Muslim religion and changed his name to Yusuf Hazziez, and in the ’80s, he more or less retired from music and devoted his time to his religion. Joe Tex died of after a heart attack at the age of 48.
Isaac Hayes was a Tennessee-born musician, singer, songwriter and producer who had a hand in some of the greatest soul songs ever produced. Hayes began his music career as a session musician for Stax Records in Memphis where he began writing songs for the label’s roster of artists. With songwriting partner, David Porter, Hayes co-wrote such R&B staples as “You Don’t Know Like I Know,” and “Soul Man,” which has been called one of the most influential songs of the 20th century. By the late ’60s, Hayes started making his own albums, which included the monumental, Hot Buttered Soul, Black Moses, and most famously, the soundtrack to the blaxploitation film, Shaft!. Then title song would become one of the most beloved songs of the era. In later years, Hayes found a new audience as the voice of Chef in the popular animated series, South Park. In 1998, “Chocolate Salty Balls” as performed on the show by Chef became a #1 hit in the UK. And in 2002, Hayes was elected into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. Isaac Hayes died of an apparent stroke after being found by his wife lifeless on the floor next to his treadmill which was still running. He was 65 years old.
Esther Phillips was one of the premier female R&B singers of the 1950s. It was R&B impresario 
