Charles Skip Pitts was never a household name, but he created one of the most recognizable guitars riffs in the history of pop music; Pitts played the sharply rhythmic wah-wah guitar pattern that opened Isaac Hayes' "Theme from Shaft," and while it was a landmark moment in the history of 1970s funk, it was just one of many notable recordings that made use of his talents. Charles Pitts was born in Washington, D.C. on April 7, 1947. Pitts began learning to play guitar when he was 11, and got some early pointers from Bo Diddley, who lived in the neighborhood and became something of a mentor to young Pitts. Before long, Pitts began playing for spare change on street corners, and he met a number of leading R&B stars through his uncle, who owned a hotel next door to Washington, D.C.'s celebrated Howard Theater and played host to many respected soul music figures on tour.

Pitts got his first big break when he was 17, playing on Gene Chandler's hit single "Rainbow '65," and after touring with Chandler he became guitarist with Wilson Pickett's road band. Pitts also backed up the Isley Brothers (playing on their 1969 hit "It's Your Thing"), and after touring with Sam Dave, Pitts relocated to Memphis in 1970, where he played on a number of sessions for Stax Records and became part of Isaac Hayes' studio crew and touring band. Pitts claimed that he came up with the opening riff for "Theme from Shaft" while tuning up and testing his effects pedals, but Hayes knew the sound had the driving rhythm the tune needed, and Pitts' guitar work helped to make the song a Top Ten hit and earn the tune an Academy Award for Best Song. Pitts and Hayes were collaborators for over 30 years, and Pitts was still playing live gigs with Hayes when the singer and composer died in 2008.

In 1998, producer Scott Bomar assembled a supergroup of Memphis session musicians to play music in the classic Southern soul style, and Pitts was recruited to join the combo, named the Bo-Keys; after playing a number of high-profile live shows, they cut an album in 2011, Got to Get Back! Pitts also performed on latter-day albums by Al Green, Cyndi Lauper, and Axelle Red, and contributed to the soundtrack of the movie Black Snake Moan. In addition, Pitts helped teach music to at-risk youth in Memphis, and lent his voice to a series of commercials designed to encourage youth to steer clear of street crime. Lung cancer claimed Pitts' life on May 1, 2012. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi