Sam Moore, who found fame as part of the Sam & Dave duo that delivered the “Soul Man” hit, has died. According to Sam Moore’s publicist, the singer passed away last Friday after complications surrounding a recent surgery procedure.
Sam Moore was born Samuel David Hicks on October 12, 1935, in Miami, Fla. After his mother married his stepfather, Charlie Moore, he took the surname. Moore began singing in church choirs as a young man and joined doo-wop groups but gospel music was where he was a notable force. Moore would be discovered alongside his future Sam & Dave partner and fellow gospel singer, the late Dave Prather, in 1961 at Miami’s King Of Hearts Club and subsequently signing with Roulette Records, a label with reported New York mob ties and was home to acts such as Pearl Bailey and Frankie Lymon among others.
As was customary during this time, Sam & Dave signed with Atlantic Records in 1964 and were contracted out to Stax Records to construct and release records. The fruitful union spawned hits such as “Hold On! I’m Comin’,” “I Thank You,” and perhaps the duo’s best-known hit, “Soul Man” which was written by Isaac Hayes and David Porter. Booker T. & The M.G.’s, which provided backing instrumentation for several Sam & Dave tracks, was also on hand for the hit.
England’s The Times revealed in their obituary that Moore broke personal ties with his partner after Prather shot his wife in 1968. The pair would continue to perform together but officially split ways for good in 1981. The Times also notes that Moore fathered several children with multiple women and worked as a pimp and conman, some of which was mentioned in an autobiography, For the Record 3: Sam and Dave by Dave Marsh.
After kicking a heroin addiction, Moore would see a late-career resurgence, even re-recording “Soul Man” alongside Lou Reed for the 1986 film of the same name. He remained an active touring and recording musician up until 2022, joining Bruce Springsteen on the New Jersey rocker’s R&B and soul cover album, Only The Strong Survive.
As mentioned at the top of the article, Moore passed after complications from surgery in Coral Gables, Fla. but details are scant beyond that. It isn’t known the exact number of children and no obituaries that we’ve seen gave an accurate number.
Sam Moore was 89.
[h/t Associated Press]
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Photo: Getty
