The singer Sam Moorefrom the legendary duo of the 60s Sam & Daveknown for songs like ‘Hold On, I’m Comin” or ‘Soul Man’ died this past Friday at the age of 89 after suffering problems resulting from surgery, according to his publicist Jeremy Westby.
Born in Miami in 1935, Moore began singing in churches and when he saw Jackie Wilson perform at a local club he decided to follow in her footsteps and become a soul and rhythm’n’blues singer. She met David Prater in 1961 at a talent show, when they tried to sing together they saw that their voices matched well and they began to give concerts until they were discovered by Atlantic/Stax in 1965. They signed a record contract and debuted with ‘Hold On, I’m Comin’ in 1966, the year in which they also released their second album ‘Double Dynamite’.
But it was the album ‘Soul Men’ in 1967 which catapulted them to fame, winning a Grammy for Best R&B Vocal or Instrumental Group. In it was the hit ‘Soul Man’, composed (like almost all of their repertoire) by Isaac Hayes and David Porter, fundamental pieces of the duo’s soul machine along with other collaborators such as Steve Cropper, Booker T. & the MG’s The Memphis Horns.
The success and the flow of money did not sit well with Moore, who He ended up getting hooked on alcohol and heroin. until he was able to overcome it with the help of his wife Joyce McRae. But it was too late: in 1970, his disagreements with Stax led to the end of the project.
Sam & Dave would never again enjoy the popularity they had in the sixties, but they reunited on several occasions during the seventies and in 1979, they returned to the limelight thanks to the film ‘Blues Brothers’, where their ‘Soul Man’ occupied a prominent place. That same year They opened for The Clash during their American tour, but as they entered the eighties, they broke up and Dave formed a new duo with another singer. Moore continued his solo career, making great collaborations including one in 1986 in which he re-recorded ‘Soul Man’ with Lou Reedand two years later, his former partner David Prater died in a traffic accident.
Throughout his career, Moore performed for several United States presidents: Jimmy Carter, George HW Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump. In 2006, he published his last solo album, ‘Overnight Sensational’, in which prominent artists such as Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi participated, great fans like Michael Jackson, Eric Clapton and Tom Jones.
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