He’s known for hits such as “Soul Man” and “Hold On, I’m Coming,” Sam Moore, the last surviving member of the famed soul duo Sam and Dave has passed away.
Sam Moore was born October 12, 1935, in Miami, Florida. He began singing at a young age with various local gospel groups.
In 1961, he met David Prater who eventually became his music partner. Sam and Dave quickly signed to the Memphis, Tennessee-based music label STAX Records. They racked up an impressive number of hits with songs written and produced by Isaac Hayes and David Porter along with music backed by Booker T & the M.G.’s, Known as Double-Dynamite, the Grammy Award-winning Sam and Dave were some of soul music’s biggest stars in their heyday.
Although the duo broke up (for the first time) in 1970, it was reported that even with their strong stage show, off-stage was a different story. They were not friends and apparently didn’t speak often unless they had a show.
The Sam and Dave hit, “Soul Man,” was featured in a Saturday Night Live sketch turned film series, “The Blues Brothers.” The series starred Dan Aykroyd & John Belushi, who eventually recorded Soul Man and it became a hit of their own in 1978.
Sam and Dave were very successful and charted ten Top-10 songs on the Soul Singles Chart. Tragically in 1988, David Prater died in a car accident.
Sam & Dave were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. Years later, in 2007, the duo was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame and in 2018, the Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame. Also, in 2018, Soul Man was selected by the National Recording Registry for preservation at the Library of Congress.
Sam Moore went on to have a successful solo career in the latter half of his life. He sang for six presidents which include Donald Trump, Barak Obama, George W. Bush, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and the recently departed Jimmy Carter. He also performed at inaugurations and events like The Kennedy Center Honors.
Sam Moore was most recently featured on the HBO documentary, STAX: Soulsville, USA in 2024.
Sam Moore died Friday, January 10th, 2025 due to complications from a recent surgery. He was 89 years old.
