ISAAC HAYES HAD JUST WRAPPED A CONCERT WHEN photographer Norman Seeff shot this session for the soul legend’s 1977 album, New Horizon. “We rented a beautiful studio in San Francisco,” recalls Seeff, “and didn’t begin shooting until 1 a.m. I told him, ‘I’m concerned; you must be exhausted.’ He said, ‘No, no, I’m fine.’” Hayes sang for Seeff and his team. “Everyone was transfixed,” says Seeff. “There was an energy in the room. Isaac felt it, too—sensed everyone’s appreciation. At one point he stopped and went, ‘Wow!’” Hayes was obviously depleted. “He just looked so tired,” says Seeff. “I set up a table and placed something soft on top, so he could lie there and relax. As things wound down he was looking at me with these big, tired eyes. Eventually he drifted off.” It was a satisfying session for Seeff. “I wanted to capture this other side of Isaac,” he says, “the deeply sensitive artist and writer. We had a wonderful creative connection.”

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