The late soul singer Isaac Hayes was friends with prominent Republicans and wouldn’t have had a problem with Donald Trump using his song, an attorney for the former president has claimed in court.
Hayes even performed at the 20-year high school reunion of one-time Republican National Committee Chairman Lee Atwater, the submission says, adding that Hayes performed on an album with Atwater, who was a keen guitarist as well as campaign strategist for Ronald Reagan and George Bush Sr.
The singer’s estate is trying to stop the Trump campaign from using the Isaac Hayes song “Hold On, I’m Coming,” saying they hadn’t received permission to use the 1966 track. The song was played at Trump rallies and Hayes’ son, Isaac Hayes III, wrote a social media post showing that he had sent a cease and desist letter to the Trump campaign, along with a demand for $3 million in royalties and $150,000 for each additional time Trump uses the song.
Donald Trump dances to “Hold On I’m Coming,” a song co-authored by Isaac Hayes, on February 24, 2024, in National Harbor, Maryland. Hayes’ son is seeking an emergency injunction to prevent Trump using the song.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
He is now seeking an emergency injunction from a federal court in Atlanta, Georgia, to prevent Trump from using the song again.
Trump lawyer William Bradley Carver Sr. filed a response at the weekend in which he rejected any claim that Hayes “would have been antipathetic to the use of the song by a Republican political campaign.”
Newsweek sought email comment on Tuesday from the Trump campaign and from the Hayes estate.
Hayes co-wrote Hold On I’m Coming and signed over the rights to Stax Records. The song was a major 1966 hit for soul duet Sam and Dave.
Carver’s court submission includes a letter from Sam Moore, the 88-year-old surviving member of Sam and Dave.
In his letter, Moore told the court Isaac Hayes was friends with prominent Republicans.
“I wish to bring to the Court’s attention that there is good reason for it to reject the presumptions suggested by the plaintiffs concerning the political views of Isaac Hayes.”
“In fact, during his life Isaac Hayes, my wife Joyce and I traveled to Columbia, South Carolina to perform at the 20th High School Reunion of Lee Atwater when he was Chairman of the Republican National Committee.”
“Isaac also participated in an album project for Lee Atwater with Billy Preston, Chuck Jackson, Carla Thomas and myself. Isaac did not view Republicans or the Republican Party negatively while he was alive.”
Moore added: “If this Court were to impose the injunction sought by plaintiffs here, I might be prohibited and possibly forever foreclosed from appearing personally and performing ‘Hold On, I’m Coming’ live at a Trump event, during or after the election.”
Moore played at Trump’s pre-inauguration party in January, 2021 and said he could not understand why people were so opposed to Trump becoming president.
“I swear out of the 61 years I was in the business and I’m 81 now, I’ll be 82 this year, I have never in my life thought I would see something like this. This is mind-boggling,” Moore told Tucker Carlson on Fox News. “You don’t know the man.”
