Jason
2025-01-11 12:42:42 UTC
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PermalinkLegendary soul man Sam Moore, whose distinctive tenor powered numerous
R&B classics from the 1960s, has died. He was 89.
According to a statement released by his representatives, Moore died
Friday morning in Coral Gables, Florida, while recovering from surgery.
Along with Dave Prater, Moore recorded timeless hits including “Soul
Man,” “Hold On, I’m Comin'” and “I Thank You” as the duo Sam & Dave.
The duo, which broke up in 1970, was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall
of Fame in 1992, a posthumous honor for Prater who died in 1988.
Moore was as regarded for his gleaming smile as his strong-yet-silken
voice, an instrument so potent that Bruce Springsteen frequently
referred to him as “the greatest living soul singer on the planet.”
Moore joined Springsteen as a backup singer on the rocker’s 1992 “Human
Touch” album as well as on 2023’s “Only the Strong Survive,” where he
shared vocals with Springsteen on covers of “Soul Days” and “I Forgot to
Be Your Lover.”
Born in 1935 in Miami, Moore grew up singing in churches in the city’s
Overtown and Liberty city neighborhood. While friends and family –
including fellow soul singer Sam Cooke – encouraged Moore to continue
singing gospel, Moore had other ideas after seeing Jackie Wilson play at
a local club: he wanted to be a pop star.
While working as the emcee and talent show host at the King O’ Hearts
Club in Miami in 1961, Moore met Prater, who was trying out for the
talent show. It was an immediate vocal match and the pair was soon
signed to a record deal.
But after Ahmet Ertegun, Tom Dowd and Jerry Wexler of the noted Atlantic
Records witnessed Sam & Dave performing at the King O’ Hearts in 1964,
they were offered a bigger deal with the label and subsequently “loaned
out” to Atlantic’s southern arm, Stax Records.
The hits that followed – "You Don't Know Like I Know,” “Hold On, I’m
Comin’,” “When Something is Wrong With My Baby” and, in 1967, “Soul Man”
– solidified their prowess. That song, with its insinuating brass and
molasses vocals, won a Grammy in 1967 for best performance, R&B group
and was voted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.
More than a decade later, with prominent placement on “Saturday Night
Live” from The Blues Brothers (Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi), “Soul Man”
continued to live in pop culture lore.
Moore endured struggles in the ‘70s, including a severe heroin addiction
and in the early ‘80s, his wife, Joyce McRae helped save his life by
entering him into a clinical trial of the anti-opiate Naltrexone.
Moore was a regular presence at the Kennedy Center and in 2014 performed
a moving rendition of “Take Me to the River” with Mavis Staples in
tribute to Al Green at the Kennedy Center Honors.
He also performed for presidents Jimmy Carter, George H. W. Bush, Bill
Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump and in 2002,
finally released his long-shelved solo album, “Plenty Good Loving,”
which was produced by saxophonist King Curtis, whose 1971 murder led to
the album’s demise at the time.
Moore’s final solo release, “Overnight Sensational,” arrived in 2006
with features from prominent music names including Springsteen, Sting
and Bon Jovi.
Moore is survived by McRae, daughter Michelle and grandchildren Tash and
Misha.