Sam Moore, Half of ‘Soul Man’ Duo Sam & Dave, Dies at 89

Sam Moore, one half of the duo Sam & Dave, passed away on Friday, January 10th. He was 89 years old.

The celebrated R&B singer died following surgery in Coral Gables, Florida, his wife and longtime manager Joyce Moor confirmed. The New York Times.

Moore was born in Miami on October 12, 1935. He began singing professionally in the late 1950s when he met his future partner Dave Prater. By 1961, they met again at the King of Hearts club in Miami and soon began performing together as a musical group. By 1964, Atlantic Records had watched the two perform and then offered them a contract.

Sam & Dave in New York on March 20, 1969.

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During the 1960s they were at their best, with the pair releasing R&B hits including “Hold On, I’m Comin,” “I Thank You” and “Soul Man.” The latter topped the charts and was #2 on the pop charts in 1967. The song also won a Grammy for Best Performance by a Rhythm & Blues Group, Vocal or Instrumental.

The two parted ways in 1970 and Moore recorded a solo album, Lots of good lovewhich was published in 2002.

During their career, they broke up several times and reunited when their solo careers did not achieve the desired success.

Sam Moore on November 14, 1998 in Antwerp, Belgium.

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“It was a duo,” Moore said in a 1998 book Sam and Dave: An Oral History. “But it wasn’t a partnership.”

The couple last performed together on New Year’s Eve in 1981 in San Francisco, and after they left the stage, they never spoke again, The New York Times. Around the same time, they both struggled with heroin addiction. After meeting Joyce McRae, she eventually became his manager and invited him to participate in opiate treatment trials. By 1983, he went public with his addiction and volunteered with people struggling with the same problem.

Sam Moore and Dave Prater Jr.

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During his solo career, Moore toured with several artists, including Bruce Springsteen. Meanwhile, Prater recruited a new partner, Sam Daniels, and they worked together and called themselves Sam & Dave, despite Moore’s objections. The original duo was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. Six years later, Prater was killed in a fatal car accident.

In 2019, the duo received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Moore is survived by his wife Joyce, their daughter Michelle and grandchildren Tash and Misha.

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