Its the burrrish evening of Wednesday, January 6th, and I'm at my sister's house visiting with family. My dad is in town, visiting from Americus, and he, of course, brings his photo collections. Its always a joy to look through his work. Especially his photos from the 70s. The quality, the coloring, the moods of the photographs....so I came across this ONE particular photo. A photo that my dad took of Helen Washington...
Photo courtesy of: Frank Wiley Photography, Americus, GA
Yes, my father took this photo of the amazing Helen Washington at an Isaac Hayes concert at the UGA coliseum in Athens, GA in 1972. She first caught my attention because all I could think of was Amber Rose when I looked at her...it made me want to learn more about her. So I'll share a little bit with you guys...I will also dig & find some interesting Amber Rose shots to prove to you guys that Helen Washington, fmr lead dancer to the late ISaac Hayes, looked JUST LIKE AMBER ROSE when she was the EXACT same age in the 70s!!

Amber has a new beau these days, Wiz Kalifah. Helen Washington spent the majority of her childhood, scamming people with an adult woman who she referred to as "Aunt" and found herself in and out of jail. At the age of 25, after spending nearly five years in Nashville at the Tennessee State Prison, Isaac hayes fired off a letter to the warden to release Helen. He told the warden, Martha K. Linder, that he would help her straighten out her life and would be responsible for her. the warden, very familiar with Isaac Hayes' love and care for humankind, agreed to do this.

Kanye and then girlfriend, Amber strike a pose as the late Isaac and Helen do the same back in the day.
Diehard fans of Isaac Hayes know who David Porter is. David Porter was Isaac Hayes go-to, friend & music genius who often combined minds with Hayes to create huge hits back then like, "Hold on, I'm comin" and an array of other hits. Anywho, that's Helen's uncle, who was the ultimate reason why the two linked in the first place. Helen became lead dancer of 7 others who assisted Hayes in creating spectacular shows. She was his music's onstage personification.

Though Amber and Kanye arent an item anymore, when they were, they made their stamp on style.
This soulful, beautiful woman, who shaved off all of her hair after hearing Hayes say that he wondered what it would be like to have a girl just like him, who felt music like him, and have a bald head, was signed with STAX Records as a writer. She was once married to a man who had 11 children by 11 different women, all whom demanded more and more money of him, thinking she was well off because of her status alongside Isaac Hayes. She said one day, he flipped out and grabbed a .38 pistol and started shooting in the air. She was shot in the arm. When police arrived, Helen was standing on the porch, telling them that her husband was inside threatening to kill himself...

Both Helen & Amber, in two different days in age, enjoying a good time! I have a verse dedicated to the infamous night Kanye walked onstage and snatched the mic from Taylor Swift. Song: Where They Get That From? By: Esselle Blaize
Before the Police even stepped onto the porch, there was a loud bang. Inside, Helen's husband lay inside, lifeless, with a gunshot to his chest. He had committed suicide. Helen professed her love for him and gave him credit for most of her successses.
This is the most recent pic of Helen Washington I could find, taken in 2001.
Helen Washington experienced sooo much heartache and tribulation. Her story just goes to show you that, all it takes is for ONE person to care about you enough to guide to to a better place in your life. There isnt much togetherness these days and people are more concerned with the root of all evil than uplifting others. The world would be a better place with more people like Isaac Hayes. Period. God Rest His soul.
Helen Washington came into my life because of a photo my father took. Her story motivated and set my confidence to an all-time high. All it takes is a simple gesture to change someone's life.
But HOT DAYUM! Doesnt Amber Rose look like young Helen Washington ALL OVER AGAIN?!