"Theme from Shaft," written and recorded by Isaac Hayes, is the
soul and funk-styled theme song to the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film,
Shaft. The song was well received by adult audiences, reaching
number six on Billboard’s Easy Listening chart.

The following year, "Theme from Shaft" won the Academy Award
for Best Original Song with Hayes becoming the first African
American to win that honor, or any Academy Award in a non-
acting category, as well as the first recipient of the award to
both write and perform the winning song.

Isaac Lee Hayes, Jr.
(August 20, 1942 – August 10, 2008)

The song “Poor Side of Town” was a very important record for Johnny 
Rivers and represented a change from the Go Go musical style that
provided him with his early hits and acclaim. With this song, Rivers
moved into the pop-soul style sound.

Johnny Rivers turned 73 on November 7.

RCA Records received 1 million advance orders for “Love Me Tender”,
making it a gold record before it was even released.

The Beatles song “Yesterday” voted the No. 1 pop song of all time
by MTV and Rolling Stone magazine the following year. In 1997,
the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Broadcast
Music Incorporated (BMI) asserts that it was performed over seven
million times in the 20th century alone.  

“Yesterday”, featuring a string quartet, was the group’s first recorded
use of classical music elements and their first recording that involved
only a single band member, Paul McCartney with his acoustic guitar.

Sir James Paul McCartney turned 73 on June 18.

This song is the theme from James Clavell‘s 1967 film To Sir, with
Love. It was written by Don Black and Mark London, husband of
Lulu’s longtime manager Marion Massey.To Sir, with Love stayed
in the number-one position for five weeks. The single ranked No.
1 in Billboard’s year-end chart.

Lulu Kennedy-Cairns (Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie) will be 67
on November 3.