Charles “Skip” Pitts,
one of the architects of soul, R&B, and funk guitar and a member of the
Bo-Keys, passed away this morning at the age of 65. Pitts is best known for
creating two of the signature guitar riffs of all time: The Isley Brothers’
“It’s Your Thing” and the wah-wah on Isaac Hayes’ “Theme From Shaft.”
Getting tips from his
neighbor Bo Diddley, Pitts learned to play guitar at age 11 on the street
corners of his childhood home of Washington, D.C. Meanwhile, Pitts’ uncle owned
a hotel next to the prestigious Howard Theater, where he met a who’s who of
soul and rhythm and blues legends, including James Brown and Otis Redding. He
was soon on stage himself, performing with Sam & Dave, Wilson Pickett, and
performing and recording with the Isley Brothers and Rufus Thomas.
He first recorded at
the age of 15 on Gene Chandler's "Rainbow 65." Following this time
with the Isley Brothers' backing band The Midnight Movers, Pitts experienced
the longest collaboration of his career with Isaac Hayes, staying with him from
1971 to 2008. After the success of “Shaft,” he appeared in the concert film
“Wattstax” and started recorded with other Stax artists, holding his own with
Albert King, among others. (He is associated so deeply with the wah-wah pedal
that he is interviewed in a new documentary “Cry Baby: The Pedal That Rocks The
World” alongside Slash, Buddy Guy, Eddie Van Halen, Kirk Hammett.)
When not on the road or
in the studio with Hayes, Pitts was a session player at Stax, and played on
many hit recordings by artists such as Albert King and Rufus Thomas. More
recently, he has performed on the score for the Academy Award-winning film
"Hustle and Flow" with The Bo-Keys and performed on the Grammy-nominated
Al Green record, "I Can't Stop," produced by Willie Mitchell.
Pitts’ accomplishments
continue deep into the 21st century; alongside the Bo-Keys, he performed on
Cyndi Lauper’s GRAMMY-nominated 2010 album ‘Memphis Blues’ and backed her on
the Late Show with David Letterman (CBS). He has also given back to his Memphis
community, teaching at-risk youth in Memphis at the Stax Music Academy. He is
heavily featured on the Bo-Keys' 2011 release 'Got To Get Back!,' which earned
year-end best status from the Associated Press and several Blues Music Award
nominations. Guitar Player Magazine did a feature on Pitts. Click here to read
it.
Pitts' classic guitar
riffs have been sampled by hip hop royalty such as Dr. Dre with Snoop Dogg,
Beastie Boys, Massive Attack, Eazy-E, and DJ Shadow with Cut Chemist.
In addition to music,
Pitts also delved into acting in his latter years, appearing in the
award-winning "Forty Shades of Blue," "Black Snake Moan"
and appeared with the Bo-keys along with Samuel L Jackson and Bernie Mac in
"Soul Men."
He passed away this
morning at Methodist Hospital in Memphis, TN. A burial is planned in
Washington, D.C. He is survived by his wife.
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