Sam Moore, half of the iconic soul duo Sam & Dave, known for "Soul Man," has died at 89 due to complications from surgery.
Sam Moore, the surviving member and higher vocal half of the 1960s duo Sam & Dave recognized for such defining hits of the era as “Soul Man” and “Hold On, I'm Comin’,” has passed away. He had reached the age of 89.
Publicist Jeremy Westby conveyed that Moore died Friday morning in Coral Gables, Florida, due to complications encountered while recovering from a surgical procedure. No further specifics were immediately provided.
Moore, who exerted influence on musicians including Michael Jackson, Al Green, and Bruce Springsteen, was inducted along with Dave Prater into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.
At the Memphis, Tennessee-based Stax Records, Moore and Prater held a position second only to Otis Redding. They transformed the “call and response” structure of gospel music into an energetic stage presentation and recorded some of soul music’s most enduring hits, which additionally featured “You Don’t Know Like I Know,” “When Something is Wrong With My Baby,” and “I Thank You.”
The majority of their hits were composed and produced by the team of Isaac Hayes and David Porter and showcased the Stax house band Booker T. & the MGs, whose guitarist Steve Cropper received one of music’s most celebrated shoutouts when Sam & Dave called out “Play it, Steve” midway through “Soul Man.”
Similar to numerous 1960s soul acts, Sam & Dave experienced a decline in prominence after the 1960s. However, “Soul Man” re-entered the charts in the late 1970s when the Blues Brothers, John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, recorded it with a significant number of the same musicians. Moore held ambivalent feelings regarding the hit becoming associated with the “Saturday Night Live” stars, recalling how young individuals believed its origin lay with the Blues Brothers.
In 2008, the film “Soul Men” portrayed a duo of aging, estranged singers who bore a considerable resemblance to Sam & Dave. Moore was unsuccessful in a lawsuit claiming the resemblance was excessively close.
He also spent years engaged in legal action against Prater after Prater hired a replacement and toured as the New Sam & Dave. Prater tragically died in a 1988 automobile accident in Georgia.
Moore additionally pursued legal claims that the recording industry had defrauded him of retirement benefits. Moore and other artists initiated legal action against multiple record companies and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists in 1993.
Moore disclosed to The Associated Press in 1994 that he joined the legal effort after discovering, despite his million-selling records, his pension totaled a mere $2,285, which he could receive as a single payment or in installments of $73 monthly.
“Two thousand dollars for my lifetime?” Moore inquired at that time. “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 authored the song “Dole Man,” modeled after “Soul Man,” for Republican Bob Dole’s presidential campaign in 1996. In 2017, he was among a limited number of entertainers who performed for Republican President Donald Trump’s inaugural festivities. Eight years prior, Moore had voiced objections when Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama’s campaign utilized the song “Hold On, I’m Comin’.”
Moore was born on Oct. 12, 1935, in Miami and commenced his career singing in church.
He and Prater performed in soul and R&B clubs throughout the 1950s but did not meet until 1961 in Miami. Moore assisted Prater with the lyrics of a song, and they rapidly became a popular local duo. In 1965, following their signing with Atlantic Records, producer Jerry Wexler sent them to the label’s Stax subsidiary in Memphis.
Moore and Prater frequently argued, and Moore informed the AP in 2006 that a drug dependency, which he overcame in 1981, contributed to the band’s difficulties and subsequently made entertainment executives wary of providing him with a fresh opportunity. The duo disbanded in 1970, and neither achieved another significant hit.
He married his wife, Joyce, in 1982, and she aided him in obtaining treatment for his addiction, which he credited with saving his life.
“I did a lot of cruise ships, I did a lot of oldies shows," during those struggles, he recounted, adding that he once served as the opening act for a group of Elvis impersonators.
“That’s humorous to consider in retrospect now. And I performed in numerous shows where if I was on a bill with an oldies show, I actually had to audition," he stated. "But you know what? You remain silent, and you get up there, and you sing as powerfully and perform as diligently as you are able, and you obtain the modest sum of money and proceed with your affairs and attempt to pay those bills. I’m laughing about it currently, but at that juncture, it was truly serious.”
Moore continued recording and singing. He was a frequent performer at the Kennedy Center Honors and performed for presidents, including Obama.
Moore is survived by his wife, Joyce, daughter, Michell, and two grandchildren.