®*!* ^loriianh (Observer
M ay 9, 2012
Page 15
Cameron Whitten
for M ayorof Portland
— .‘/ B
Charles ‘Skip’ Pitts was responsible for the unforgettable wah-wah pedal guitar sound on Hayes'
"Theme from S haft."
Guitarist Helped Define Soul
‘Theme from
Shaft’ musician
remembered
(AP) — Charles "Skip" Pitts,
the longtime guitarplayerforlsaac
Hayes whose distinctive sound
helped define soul and make
"Shaft" cool, is being remembered
after his death from cancer on
May 1 at the age of 65.
Pitts was responsible for the
unforgettable wah-wah pedal
guitar sound on Hayes' "Theme
fro m
S h a ft,"
th e
'7 0 s
Blaxploitation film that remains
a memorable moment in Ameri
can popular culture — mostly
due to the enduring popularity of
the song.
Pitts' 1971 riff was angry and
bristling with menace, capturing
a dangerous vibe that tran
scended the screen and trans
lated to the streets of a tense
nation.
He also was responsible the
guitar line from The Isley Broth
ers' "It's Your Thing," also a
distinctive, influential moment in
American music.
Schooled by neighbor Bo
Diddley while growing up in
Washington, D.C., Pitts first re
corded when he was 15 and had
a long, historic run in Memphis
after moving there tojoin Hayes.
He played with the deep-voiced
soul singer for nearly four de
cades, worked as a session mu
sician for Stax Records where
som e o f A m erica's greatest
music was made and logged time
with many significant soul and
blues acts, including A1 Green,
Wilson Pickett,* Sam & Dave,
Rufus Thomas and Albert King.
Late in his career, he made
ap p earances in m ovies like
"Black Snake Moan," to which
he also c o n trib u te d th ree
soundtrack entries, and "Soul
Men" and performed on the score
for "Hustle and Flow."
Most recently he appeared on
Green's "I Can't Stop" and Cy ndi
Lauper's "Memphis Blues," both
of which were nominated for
Grammy Awards. He also re
leased an album last fall with his
band The Bo-Keys.
The Change
that Portland deserves.
www.cameronwhittenforunity.com
northby
northeast
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