Soul singer/songwriter Isaac Hayes celebrated his 56th birthday with a concert

Thursday night at the Life club in New York as performers from the Persuaders

to Martha Wash sang Hayes' own work in a retrospective of his career. About

900 people turned out for "A Tribute to Soul," which included performances by vocalist

Alison Williams, the Weather Girls' Wash, flute legend Herbie

Mann and Denise Williams, who sang the gospel song "His Eyes on the

Sparrow" -- one of the few tunes not written or performed by Hayes. Proceeds from the

event benefited the World Literacy Crusade, a child- and adult-literacy program founded

in 1992 and based on the teachings of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard.