In Coral Gables, Florida– The passing of Sam Moore, one half of the renowned 1960s duo Sam & Dave, has left music fans mourning. The duo was famous for iconic hits like “Soul Man” and “Hold On, I’m Comin’.” Moore was 89 years old at the time of his death.
Jeremy Westby, the publicist, revealed that Moore passed away on a Friday morning in Coral Gables, Florida, after experiencing complications during his recovery from surgery. Unfortunately, no further details were provided at that time.
Moore, whose admirers ranged from Al Green to Bruce Springsteen, was inducted with Dave Prater into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.
At Stax Records in Memphis, Tennessee, Moore and Prater were second in popularity only to Otis Redding. Their electrifying stage performances, influenced by gospel music’s “call and response” style, captivated audiences. The duo’s discography features timeless soul classics such as “You Don’t Know Like I Know,” “When Something is Wrong With My Baby,” and “I Thank You.”
Most of their hits were written and produced by the team of Isaac Hayes and David Porter and featured the Stax house band Booker T. & the MGs, whose guitarist Steve Cropper received one of music’s most famous shoutouts when Sam & Dave called “Play it, Steve” midway through “Soul Man.”
Like many ’60s soul acts, Sam & Dave faded after the 1960s. But “Soul Man” hit the charts again in the late 1970s when “Blues Brothers” John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd recorded it with many of the same musicians. Moore had mixed feelings about the hit becoming associated with the “Saturday Night Live” stars, remembering how young people believed it originated with the Blues Brothers.
In 2008, the movie “Soul Men” depicted a pair of aging, estranged singers who bore more than a little resemblance to Sam & Dave. Moore lost a lawsuit claiming the resemblance was too close.
He also spent years suing Prater after Prater hired a substitute and toured as the New Sam & Dave. Prater died in a 1988 car crash in Georgia.
In 1993, Moore was among numerous artists who pressed legal claims that the record industry had cheated them out of retirement benefits. Moore and other artists sued multiple record companies and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.
Moore told The Associated Press in 1994 that he joined the legal effort after learning, despite his million-selling records, his pension amounted to just $2,285, which he could take as a lump sum or in payments of $73 monthly.
“Two thousand dollars for my lifetime?” Moore said then. “If you’re making a profit off of me, give me some too. Don’t give me cornbread and tell me it’s biscuits.”
Moore also became involved in politics. He wrote the song “Dole Man,” modeled on “Soul Man,” for Republican Bob Dole’s presidential campaign in 1996. In 2017, he was among the few entertainers who performed for Republican President Donald Trump’s inaugural festivities. Eight years earlier, Moore had objected when Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama’s campaign used “Hold On, I’m Comin’.”
Moore was born Oct. 12, 1935, in Miami and got his start singing in church.
He and Prater performed in soul and R&B clubs in the 1950s, but didn’t meet until 1961 in Miami. Moore helped coach Prater on the lyrics of a song and they quickly became a popular local duo. In 1965, after signing with Atlantic Records, producer Jerry Wexler sent them to the label’s Stax subsidiary in Memphis.
Moore and Prater argued often and Moore told the AP in 2006 that a drug habit, which he kicked in 1981, played a part in the band’s troubles and later made entertainment executives leery of giving him a fresh start. The duo broke up in 1970 and neither had another major hit, though Moore did work often with Springsteen, whom Moore would call one of his closest friends. They performed together on stage and sang on each other’s albums, including on the high energy duet “Real World.”
“RIP Sam Moore,” Springsteen sideman Steve Van Zandt posted on X. “One of the last of the great Soul Men. Him and Dave Prater were the inspiration for me and Johnny to start Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes. An important righteous wonderful man.”
He married his wife, Joyce, in 1982, and she helped him get treatment for his addiction that he credited with saving his life.
“I did a lot of cruise ships, I did a lot of oldies shows,” during those struggles, he said, adding that he once opened for a group of Elvis impersonators.
“That’s funny to think back to it now. And I did a lot of shows where if I did a show with an oldie show, I had to actually audition,” he said. “But you know what? You keep your mouth shut and you get up there and you sing as hard and perform as hard as you can, and get the little money and go on about your business and try and pay those bills. I’m laughing about it now, but at that time, man, it was really serious.”
Moore kept recording and singing. He was a frequent performer at the Kennedy Center Honors and sang for Obama among other presidents.
Moore is survived by his wife, Joyce; daughter, Michell; and two grandchildren.
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