Musician. A guitarist, he is best known for his association with Isaac Hayes. He learned to play the guitar on the street corners of Washington, D.C. and was further mentored by the legendary Bo Diddley, whom he had the fortune of being a neighbor to. He also had the opportunity to meet the likes of James Brown and Otis Redding who stayed at his uncle's hotel, when they were in town performing at the Howard Theatre. Pitts cut his teeth as a recording artist when he contributed musically to Gene Chandler's "Rainbow 65" (1965) and he would become a member of the Stax Record group of sessions musicians. He scored another accomplishment as he added his guitar sound to the Isley Brothers' 1969 hit "It's Your Thing." By the early 1970s, he settled in Memphis and began a lengthy and successful collaboration with soul singer/songwriter Isaac Hayes (which lasted until Hayes' death in 2008). From his body of work, Pitts may perhaps be best remembered for his guitar riffs hear throughout Hayes' Grammy and Academy Award-winning hit "Theme from Shaft" (1971). Pitts was a co-founder of the music ensemble The Bo-Keys in 1998 and contributed to the movie soundtracks "Hustle and Flow" (2005) and "Soul Men" (2008). He died following a lengthy battle with cancer.
Musician. A guitarist, he is best known for his association with Isaac Hayes. He learned to play the guitar on the street corners of Washington, D.C. and was further mentored by the legendary Bo Diddley, whom he had the fortune of being a neighbor to. He also had the opportunity to meet the likes of James Brown and Otis Redding who stayed at his uncle's hotel, when they were in town performing at the Howard Theatre. Pitts cut his teeth as a recording artist when he contributed musically to Gene Chandler's "Rainbow 65" (1965) and he would become a member of the Stax Record group of sessions musicians. He scored another accomplishment as he added his guitar sound to the Isley Brothers' 1969 hit "It's Your Thing." By the early 1970s, he settled in Memphis and began a lengthy and successful collaboration with soul singer/songwriter Isaac Hayes (which lasted until Hayes' death in 2008). From his body of work, Pitts may perhaps be best remembered for his guitar riffs hear throughout Hayes' Grammy and Academy Award-winning hit "Theme from Shaft" (1971). Pitts was a co-founder of the music ensemble The Bo-Keys in 1998 and contributed to the movie soundtracks "Hustle and Flow" (2005) and "Soul Men" (2008). He died following a lengthy battle with cancer.
Bio by: C.S.
Family Members
Spouse
Advertisement
See more Pitts memorials in:
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
