Sam Moore, 'Soul Man' singer, dies at 89
Special guest "Soul Man" Sam Moore performs with Collective Soul at the Dow Live Earth Run for Water, an initiative to help combat the global water crisis, on April 18, 2010 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Lyle A. Waisman/WireImage)
Sam Moore, part of the 1960s duo Sam & Dave known for hits like "Soul Man" and "Hold On, I’m Comin’," has died. He was 89.
His publicist confirmed his death to the Associated Press Friday. He said Moore died Friday in Coral Gables, Florida, due to complications while recovering from surgery.
Moore, a 1992 Rock Hall of Fame inductee, influenced musicians including Michael Jackson, Al Green and Bruce Springsteen.
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At the Memphis, Tennessee-based Stax Records, Moore and Prater were second only to Otis Redding. They transformed the "call and response" of gospel music into a frenzied stage show and recorded some of soul music’s most enduring hits, which also included "You Don’t Know Like I Know," "When Something is Wrong With My Baby" and "I Thank You."
"Soul Man" and the Blues Brothers
Sam & Dave faded after the 1960s, but "Soul Man" was revived in the late 1970s when the 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.
Moore also pressed legal claims that the record industry had cheated him out of retirement benefits. Moore and other artists sued multiple record companies and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists in 1993.
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.
Moore and politics
Moore 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 the song "Hold On, I’m Comin’."
Early life
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.
Later life
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.
Moore kept 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.