CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — Sam Moore, the man behind “Soul Man'' and “Hold On, I'm Comin','' has died. He was 89.
Spokesman Jeremy Westby said Moore died Friday morning of complications while recovering from surgery in Coral Gables, Florida. Additional details were not immediately available.
Moore, whose fans ranged from Al Green to Bruce Springsteen, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 along with Dave Prater.
“Heartbroken to hear of the passing of Sam Moore, one of America's greatest soul voices, on E Street,” Springsteen wrote on Instagram Saturday. “He is filled with stories from the halcyon days of soul music, and there was an edge of deep authenticity in his voice that left me amazed until the end.”
At Stax Records, based in Memphis, Tennessee, Moore and Prater ranked behind Otis Redding as the label's biggest stars. They turned the “call and response” of gospel music into a frenzied stage show, singing songs like “You Don't Know Like I Know,” “When Something is Wrong With My Baby,” and “Thank You.”
Most of their hits were written and produced by the team of Isaac Hayes and David Porter, and featured Stax's house band, Booker T. and the MGs, whose guitarist Steve Cropper says that Sam and Dave are playing “Steve” in the middle of “Soul Man”.
American soul and R&B duo Sam & Dave perform on the Stax Records television special “Gettin' It All Together” on March 20, 1969 in New York City. They are Sam Moore (left) and Dave Prater. (Don Paulsen/Michael Ochs Archive/Getty Images)
Like many 60's soul acts, Sam and Dave disappeared after the decade ended. However, “Soul Man'' re-entered the charts in the late 1970s when John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd of the “Blues Brothers'' recorded it with many of the same musicians. Moore had mixed feelings about the hit being associated with the “Saturday Night Live” star, and recalled that young people believed the hit came from the Blues Brothers.
The 2008 film Soul Men portrayed two aging, estranged singers who bore more than a passing resemblance to Sam and Dave. Mr. Moore lost his lawsuit because the similarities were too close.
He also spent years suing Mr. Prater even after he hired replacements and toured as the New Sam & Dave. Mr. Prater died in a car accident in Georgia in 1988.
In 1993, Moore was one of a number of artists who filed legal claims accusing the record industry of defrauding them of their severance pay. Moore and other artists sued multiple record companies and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.
Moore told The Associated Press in 1994 that despite his million-selling record, he decided to engage in legal action after learning his pension was only $2,285, which he could receive in a lump sum or in monthly payments of $73. He said he did.
“Two thousand dollars for the rest of my life?'' Moore said then. “If you're making money on me, share it with me. Don't give me cornbread and don't tell me it's biscuits.”
Moore also became involved in politics. He wrote a song called “Dole Man”, modeled after “Soul Man”, for Republican Bob Dole's 1996 presidential campaign. In 2017, he was one of the few entertainers to perform at Republican President Donald Trump's inauguration. Eight years ago, Moore objected to Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's campaign's use of “Hold on, I'm coming.”
Moore was born in Miami on October 12, 1935, and began singing in church.
He and Prater had performed in soul and R&B clubs in the 1950s, but did not meet until 1961, when they met in Miami. Moore helped coach Prater's song lyrics, and they quickly became a popular local duo. After signing with Atlantic Records in 1965, producer Jerry Wexler sent them to the label's Stax subsidiary in Memphis.
Moore and Prater often argued, and Moore told The Associated Press in 2006 that his drug habit, which he quit in 1981, contributed to the band's woes and later made entertainment executives reluctant to give him a fresh start. spoke. Although the duo broke up in 1970 and neither had any further big hits, Moore worked frequently with Springsteen, and Moore called him one of his best friends. They performed on stage together and sang on each other's albums, including the high-energy duet “Real World.”
Sam Moore of Sam and Dave, Diamond Awards Festival, Sports Palace, Antwerp, Belgium, December 10, 1994. (Gie Knaeps/Getty Images)
“Rest in peace Sam Moore,” Springsteen sideman Steve Van Zandt posted on X. A great person with important justice. ”
He married his wife, Joyce, in 1982, and she helped him treat his addiction, which he credits with saving his life.
“I've done a lot of cruise ship shows, a lot of oldies shows,” he says with difficulty, adding that he once opened for an Elvis impersonator group.
“It's funny when I look back on it now. And I've done a lot of shows where if you're going to do an oldies show, you actually have to audition,” he said. “But you know what? You shut your mouth, you get up there, you sing hard, you play hard, you try to get a little money and keep doing your thing and pay those bills. It's funny now, but back then it was really serious.”
Moore continued to record and sing. He frequently appears at the Kennedy Center Honors and has sung for Obama, among other presidents.
Moore is survived by his wife, Joyce; daughter Michelle; and two grandchildren.
