iReporters remember Hayes as 'electrifying'

(CNN) -- Eddie Thomas will never forget the day he played alongside a young man by the name of Isaac Hayes.

The legendary funk and soul musician, a winner of several Grammys and even an Oscar, died August 10 at age 65, and friends and family are mourning his loss Monday at a memorial service in Cordova, Tennessee. iReporters such as Thomas were asked to share their memories of this talented man.

Thomas says that his band, the Playboys, was accompanied by Hayes during an all-night recording session in Memphis, Tennessee's American Studio not long after they won a talent contest in 1963. "A fellow came in off the street. 'This guy plays organ,' the producer said. 'You mind if he plays along?' " That fellow was Hayes, who, according to "Rolling Stone" magazine, recorded his first single at that same studio.

"When he heard us play, he must have sensed [in] us a perfect match for where his writing and arranging was headed," says Thomas about that night. "He had a wonderful time. Tall and slender, full head of hair, extremely knowledgeable and confident about what he was doing."

After they finished the recording session around 5 a.m., Thomas' fellow band member Terry Lambert prepared to head home. "I was driving one of the cars, and we noticed he was coming out and sort of standing there, so Eddie said roll the window down and ask Isaac if he needs a ride... and I remember he said 'Yeah, man.' "

When they dropped Hayes off, they told him they would love to play with him again. Hayes wrote his phone number down on a card and Lambert kept it for years, but has long since misplaced it. However, he followed Hayes' career.

"When I think back, I remember the impression he made on us," says Lambert, who described himself as "emotional" when he learned of Hayes' passing. "I believe he probably helped and encouraged a lot of people in the music business and made a great impression." iReport.com: Read more of the Playboys' story

Another person Hayes impressed was iReporter Horace Henry, who first saw him perform in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1971, the same year the movie "Shaft" was released. The movie's title song would earn Hayes an Oscar for Best Original Song. Henry was in college and took his camera along as a last-minute thought. "The concert was phenomenal!" he says, and he was able to get several black-and-white photos of the event.

In 2004, Henry met Hayes at a conference in Atlanta where he was the official photographer. "I found him to be a nice down to earth guy. He didn't have to come up to me, but he took the time to work the room." iReport.com: Read Henry's story of Hayes through the years

By that time, Hayes was just as well known for voicing the character of Chef on "South Park," and he found a new generation of fans, such as iReporter Brandon Judkins. "I'm only 24, but I've loved his music since I was little," he says.

When Hayes performed at a Black History Month concert last year at Virginia State University, Judkins was thrilled to meet him, calling it "one of the best experiences I've had." iReport.com: See Judkins' appreciation of Hayes

iReporter Beverly Crockett of Memphis first saw Hayes in concert in 1972, and calls it "the most electrifying performance I've ever seen." She knew Hayes as a local Memphis resident. In fact, she spoke with him not long ago at a local market. "We were talking and laughing about who knows what. He was not Isaac Hayes the performer; he was a man who knew no strangers."

"Thank you, Mr. Hayes for sharing your life with us," she says. "Memphis folks will miss you." iReport.com: Read more of Crockett's tribute