Did You Know

Black Movie Soundtracks and Films

Black movie soundtracks from the 1970s, recorded and produced by black labels;

Shaft Enterprise 5002 , a division of Stax Records and released in 1971. Achieved one positions on both Billboard R&B and Pop album chart listings and was multi platinum success. The single; “Theme From Shaft” was certified gold for millions sold in America according to RIAA (Record Industry Association of America).The soundtrack sold over quarter million copies in the UK and received gold certification from BPI.( British Phonographic Industry ) By 1971 Isaac achieved international fame with the sound track album “Shaft”, moving him to a god-like status and a very important figure in the black community internationally. The album became Pop album number one, the first for Stax Records.

The album and single received grammy awards for;

Best Instrumental Arrangement ; Theme from Shaft , for Isaac Hayes &

Johnny Allen, for arrangements at the 1972 , 15^th Annual Grammy ceremony also received at the same ceremony Best Original Score Written For a Motion Picture or a Television Special for Isaac Hayes, composing of Shaft.

Curtis Mayfield was next recording artist to produced a successful movie soundtrack on his own record label, Curtom Records based in Chicago during the early 1970s. It is interest to note that he produced several movie albums and singles soundtracks. The first is Mayfield’s greatest achievement was probably his creation of an outstanding soundtrack album, “Superfly”, that peaked at number one on the Billboard Pop album charts, selling in the process over two million copies. In addition two singles from the album, “Superfly” and “Freddie’s Dead”, both went gold and generated $20 million for the recording industry.

Mayfield was involved in other creative projects that produced gold and platinum records for a range of recording artists in the R&B field. There was a gold record for Aretha Franklin on Atlantic records called “Sparkle”, including a number one R&B single on the Billboard listing entitled “Something He Can Feel”, which stayed at number one for four weeks starting 26th June 1976. It was written and produced by Curtis Mayfield at his Curtom Studios, and then recorded by En Vogue in the early 1990s, resulting in another R&B number one single and platinum album for the group on Atlantic records.

Curtis also achieved success with the Staple Singers on the film soundtrack of “Let’s Do It Again” in 1975. The film starred Sidney Poitier (who also directed the movie) and Bill Cosby. The single achieved number one position on the R&B and pop Billboard lists during 1975, turning into a gold single in the process. Another creative partnership of great significance was the “Claudine” soundtrack, featuring Gladys Knight and The Pips. The soundtrack attracted black audiences, with the first of several singles “On and On” obtaining certified gold status and the album also certified gold for over half a million copies sold in the Untied States

“Superfly”: Pop number 1, September 9^th 1972, Platinum certification,

“Curtom 8014

Curtis Mayfield

“Freddie’s Dead”: R&B number 2, Pop number 4, 1972, Curtom CR-1975

“Superfly”: R&B number 3, Pop number 8, 1972, Curtom CR-1978

Aretha Franklin

“Sparkle”: Pop number 18, July 4^th 1976, Gold certification, Atlantic 18176

The Staple Singers

“Let’s Do It Again”: R&B number 1, (2 weeks), November 22^nd 1975,

Pop number 1, (1 week), December 27^th 1975, Curtom 0109

Gladys Knight and the Pips

“On and On”: R&B number 2, Pop number 5, 1974, Buddah 423

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