Thanks Top Ten: I Thank You (#7)

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A new week dawns with another song that mentions “thanks” in the title. Speaking of that, a big thank-you to John for all his suggestions for countdown themes. He didn’t directly suggest this one, but he inspired it with the idea of doing a countdown to thank the truck drivers (as I’ve already done a trucking top ten, I went with the “thanks” part). Unlike radio stations, I do take requests! Here’s today’s song. #7: I Thank You - Sam & Dave I learn something new every day. This time around, it’s the fact that the old gold-chain wearing bad mutha-shut-yo-mouth, Isaac Hayes, co-wrote one of the great soul classics of the 60s. (For the kids, Hayes did music before he was the voice of Chef on South Park, including the “Theme from Shaft.”) That’s where Hayes started, actually: as a staff songwriter for Stax Records. This Sam & Dave classic is just one of his many compositions. And it’s just one of the greats from the soul duo of Sam (Moore) and Dave (Prater). While their time as superstars was relatively brief (the bulk of their success came in the window of 1965-69), the impact was long lasting. In the late 70s Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi’s music group the Blues Brothers brought back Sam & Dave’s popularity (including the Blues Brothers’ biggest hit, “Soul Man,” which featured many of the same musicians who’d played on the Sam & Dave original). Other acts who grew up steeped in the blues and/or R&B have kept the legacy of Sam & Dave alive. Rockers may remember ZZ Top doing this song in the late 70s as well. It’s one of the great hits from a legendary duo. I Thank You Written by David Porter and Isaac Hayes Recorded by Sam & Dave From I Thank You, 1968 (Also famously covered by the likes of ZZ Top and Bonnie Raitt) I had to holler for help: