Sam & Dave
Encyclopedia
Sam & Dave were an American soul and rhythm and blues (R&B) duo who performed together from 1961 through 1981. The tenor (higher) voice was Samuel David Moore (born Samuel David Hicks on October 12, 1935 in Winchester, Georgia), and the baritone/tenor (lower) voice was Dave Prater
(May 9, 1937, Ocilla, Georgia
– April 9, 1988, Sycamore, Georgia
).
Sam & Dave are members of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Grammy Hall of Fame, the Vocal Group Hall of Fame
, and are Grammy Award
and multiple gold record award winning artists. According to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Sam & Dave were the most successful soul duo, and brought the sounds of the black gospel church to pop music with their call-and-response records. Recorded primarily at Stax Records
in Memphis, Tennessee, from 1965 through 1968, these included "Soul Man", "Hold On, I'm Comin", "I Thank You", "When Something is Wrong with My Baby", "Wrap It Up", and many other Southern Soul classics. Other than Aretha Franklin, no soul act during Sam & Dave's Stax years (1965–1968) had more consistent R&B chart success, including 10 consecutive top 20 singles and 3 consecutive top 10 LPs. Their crossover charts appeal (13 straight appearances and 2 top 10 singles) helped to pave the way for the acceptance of soul music by white pop audiences, and their song "Soul Man" was one of the first songs by a black group to top the pop charts using the word "soul", helping define the genre. "Soul Man" was a number one Pop Hit (Cashbox: November 11, 1967) and has been recognized as one of the most influential songs of the past 50 years by the Grammy Hall of Fame, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Rolling Stone
magazine, and RIAA Songs of the Century. "Soul Man" was featured as the soundtrack and title for a 1986 film and also a 1997–1998 television series, and Soul Men was a 2008 feature film.
Nicknamed "Double Dynamite", "The Sultans of Sweat", and "The Dynamic Duo" for their gritty, gospel-infused performances, Sam & Dave were one of the greatest live acts of the 1960s. They were an influence on many future musicians, including Bruce Springsteen
, Al Green
, Tom Petty
, Phil Collins
, Michael Jackson
, Elvis Costello
, Teddy Pendergrass
, Billy Joel
and Steve Winwood
. The Blues Brothers
, who helped create a resurgence of popularity for soul
, R&B
, and blues in the 1980s, were influenced by Sam & Dave - their biggest hit was a cover of "Soul Man
", and their act and stage show had many similarities to the duo.
and Sam Cooke
as influences on their styles, and Moore was also influenced by Little Willie John
, whom he and Dave opened for often in the early 1960s.
Sam & Dave met working the gospel music circuit, and later in small clubs in Miami during amateur nights in 1961 according to Dave. They sang together one night at the King of Hearts club, and started working together immediately thereafter, developing a live act featuring gospel-inspired call-and-response. Soul singer and record producer Steve Alaimo
discovered them while performing on the same show with them at the King of Hearts nightclub in Miami and signed them to Marlin Records
.
After two singles in early 1962 were released on the local Marlin label owned by Miami's Henry Stone
, Stone helped sign them to Roulette Records
in New York
. They released six 45s from 1962–1964 (two were re-releases of Marlin recordings) with Roulette, and one single on Stone and Alaimo's Alston Label. A few of the singles received regional airplay, but did not achieve national chart success. The songs, some of which were produced by Steve Alaimo
and some of which were produced by Henry Glover
,were similar in many ways to r&b recordings by Sam Cooke, Jackie Wilson and Little Willie John. Prater was the lead vocalist on most of these singles, with Moore singing harmony and alternate verses.
In summer 1964, Stone introduced the duo to Atlantic Records
' Jerry Wexler
, who signed them to Atlantic. Wexler asked Memphis, Tennessee
-based Stax Records
, which Atlantic distributed nationally, to work with Sam & Dave. Wexler wanted the Southern roots and gospel style of their live performances, so the pair were loaned to Stax to record, although they remained Atlantic Records
artists. According to Wexler's autobiography Rhythms & Blues, "Their live act was filled with animation, harmony and seeming goodwill. I put Sam in the sweet tradition of Sam Cooke or Solomon Burke, while Dave had an ominous Four Tops' Levi Stubbs-sounding voice, the preacher promising hellfire."
and songwriters including the MGs' guitarist Steve Cropper
, who wrote or co-wrote four of their first eight recordings. The duo then moved to relative newcomer writers and producers Isaac Hayes
and David Porter
. Hayes and Porter wrote and produced the duo's biggest hits (although they did not receive production credits until the Soul Men LP and singles). According to Moore and Prater, they also greatly influenced the duo's singing style, and had them shift their recording style from the style of their Roulette records to a more live, more energetic gospel, call-and-response feel and beat driven soul style the group is known for today.
Sam & Dave's Stax records also benefited from the musicians and engineering at Stax. The Stax house band, Booker T. & the M.G.'s
, and the Stax horn section, the Mar-Keys
had world-class musicians who co-wrote (often without credit) and contributed to recordings—the same musicians who recorded with Otis Redding
, Wilson Pickett
, Carla Thomas
and other soul artists. Sam & Dave's Stax recordings through 1967 were engineered by Stax founder Jim Stewart
, who created the Memphis Sound by recording live in a single take. Stewart is credited for instrumental mixes that allowed for instrumental separation and the distinct contribution of each instrument to the overall feel of the song. Hayes and Porter are in the Songwriters Hall of Fame, The Mar-Keys are in the Musicians Hall of Fame, and Booker T. & the MG's, Jim Stewart, Isaac Hayes and Sam & Dave are all in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
While the first two Stax singles failed to chart, the third, the Hayes/Porter composition (with similarities, including the title, to a gospel standard) "You Don't Know Like I Know" hit #7 R&B in 1966. This was the first of 10 consecutive Top Twenty R&B chart hits over three years, and 14 R&B chart appearances during their career.
" (R&B#1/Pop#21), released in March 1966, was a monster R&B hit for Sam & Dave, and also their first single to break into the Top 40 Pop charts. The song was named the #1 song of the year for 1966 by the Billboard R&B charts, and spent 20 weeks on the R&B charts in 1966, peaking at #1 in June. In 1988, Rolling Stone
named it one of the best 100 songs of the past 25 years. "Hold On, I'm Comin'" received a belated RIAA gold record
for one million sales in 1995, 29 years after its release. "Hold On, I'm Comin'" has since been recorded by over 28 other artists.
"Hold On, I'm Comin" was also the first recording on which Moore took lead on the first verse and the deeper, rougher voiced Prater was given the response role and second verse at Hayes and Porter's suggestion. The duo used this format, or singing dual leads, on most of their songs. The song was created when Hayes called to Porter, who was in the bathroom. Porter supposedly said "Hold on, man, I'm comin'", and Hayes and Porter had the song written in 10 minutes. "Hold On, I'm Comin'
", when released, received objections from radio stations over the suggestive title. This resulted in a name change by Stewart and quick re-recording and re-release, and nearly all the original U.S. copies of the single bear the title "Hold On, I'm A-Comin'".
The LP Hold On, I'm Comin (4/66) reached #1 during 19 weeks on the R&B album charts in 1966. After Sam & Dave's chart success, Roulette quickly released the album Sam & Dave in 1966 as well, a collection of the A & B sides of their six Roulette 45s, which did not chart.
In the later part of 1966, Sam & Dave also charted with the top 10 R&B hits "Said I Wasn't Gonna Tell Nobody", and "You Got Me Hummin". These three singles, along with other tracks, were compiled on Double Dynamite (12/66), Sam & Dave's second LP on Stax. The LP peaked at #7 R&B and #118 Pop.
" (R&B #1/Pop #2), was released in August 1967. It was the number #1 song in the US according to Cashbox magazine Pop charts in November 1967. Sam & Dave won the Grammy Award
in 1967 for "Best Performance - Rhythm & Blues Group" for "Soul Man", their first gold record. "Soul Man" was voted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. The song helped popularize the term to describe the emerging music genre "Soul Music" that would be so popular in the late 1960s. According to co-writer Isaac Hayes, the title was inspired by news reports of soul pride that emerged after the 1967 race riots, where stories that painting the word "soul" on your door was a message for looters to bypass your house. Hayes-Porter extrapolated that to "I'm a soul brother, I'm a soul man.". It has been recognized as one of the best or most influential songs of 50 years by the Grammy Hall of Fame, The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Rolling Stone, and R.I.A.A. Songs of the Century. "Soul Man" was used as the soundtrack and title for a 1986 film, a 2008 film Soul Men, a 1997–1998 television series.
The Soul Men
LP (October 1967) was Sam & Dave's third Stax LP, reaching #5 on the R&B charts and #68 Pop. Musicologist Rob Bowman called Soul Men "One of the greatest soul music albums of all time." "Don't Knock It" from the LP was released as a single in France, but other songs were not released as U.S. singles due to the long run by "Soul Man" on the Pop charts (15 weeks), by which time "I Thank You/Wrap it Up" was ready for release. "May I Baby", the b-side of "Soul Man", is also regarded as a classic non-hot 100 song on the LP by Whitburn's "Top Pop Singles" guide, and was a popular live song performed frequently by Sam & Dave.
. Sam & Dave were so busy touring at this point that Hayes & Porter travelled to Europe where Sam & Dave were touring to record the vocal track on "Wrap it Up" so they could release the single. Due to the end of the distribution agreement between Stax and Atlantic Records
in May 1968, "I Thank You" was Sam and Dave's final single on Stax. Although they continued to work at Stax with Hayes/Porter, as of May 1968, the duo's work was released on Atlantic Records. "I Thank You" sold over one million copies, and was another to earn gold disc status.
Sam and Dave's first 1968 single for Atlantic was "You Don't Know What You Mean To Me", written by Eddie Floyd
and Steve Cropper
. Sam and Dave said it was their favorite of their songs, and the single charted #48 Pop and #19 R&B. Sam & Dave also released "Can't You Find Another Way (of Doing It)" which charted at #54 Pop and #20 R&B, but which was not included in the I Thank You LP. Their final single of 1968, "Everybody Got To Believe In Somebody", charted in the lower levels of the pop charts and ended Sam and Dave's streak at ten straight R&B top 20 singles.
Though on Atlantic, the I Thank You LP (10/68) included 1968 singles initially on both Stax and Atlantic. The LP peaked at #38 on the R&B charts, and was the only LP of their Stax recordings not to chart on the Pop LP charts.
article reads: "Of all the R & B cats, nobody steams up a place like Sam & Dave ... weaving and dancing (while singing!), they gyrate through enough acrobatics to wear out more than 100 costumes per year." Jerri Hershey described in Nowhere to Run: They carried red suits, white suits, three piece lime green suits, all with matching patent boots and coordinated silk hankies woefully inadequate to absorb a soul man's nightly outpourings. Both Sam & Dave talk a lot about sweat. To Dave, its proof that he's worked for his pay. For Sam its essential, almost mystical. He says he cannot work without it. "Unless my body reaches a certain temperature, starts to liquefy, I just don't feel right without it." Wayne Jackson said Sam & Dave left puddles of sweat onstage by the end of a performance.
In March 1967, Sam and Dave were co-headliners for the Stax/Volt Revue in Europe
, which included Booker T & the MGs, The Mar-Keys
, Eddie Floyd
, Carla Thomas
, Arthur Conley
and headliner Otis Redding
. For Sam & Dave, it was their first time in Europe, largely to all-white audiences, sometimes up to 2,000 people. Although Redding headlined the tour, many agreed Sam & Dave stole the show on many nights. According to Redding's and Sam & Dave's manager Phil Walden, Redding refused to be booked on the same bill with Sam & Dave again, not wanting to have to follow their explosive act. A live version of Sam and Dave's Double Dynamite LP track "Soothe Me" was recorded in Paris during the '67 tour. Released as a single in mid-1967, it continued Sam & Dave's string of top 20 U.S. R&B hits and was their first in the UK Top 40.
After the tour, Sam & Dave worked as headliners in the U.S. and in Europe in during the Fall of 1967, Fall 1968 and January 1970, and in Japan
in 1969 and 1970. Their band grew to 16 pieces and a 35-person entourage with a plane and bus, and they continued to be in demand even as record sales began to drop in late 1969 and 1970. They were doing an average 280 shows per year from 1967 through 1969 and in 1967 only took ten days off for the year. Other high points included headlining the Montreal World's Fair
in 1967, performing at the tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr at Madison Square Garden
in June 1968, being the first black Soul act to headline the Fillmore East
in December 1968, and headlining the Texas International Pop Festival
for two nights in August 1969. Sam & Dave also performed on U.S. and European television, including two appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show
in 1969, appearing on The Tonight Show
and American Bandstand
in 1967, and performing on The Mike Douglas Show
in 1969 and 1970. Moore frequently recalls the Sullivan Show performances as a career highlight.
tried producing Sam & Dave in New York, with Atlantic songwriters and musicians. It took eight months to issue the first Atlantic single in August 1969, "Ooh, Ooh, Ooh", a long time in that era. It was not a very good record, by Sam's own admission, and the first time in four years that a Sam & Dave single failed to chart.
Two more singles followed in 1970, "Baby, Baby, Don't Stop Now", and "One Part Love, Two Parts Pain". The first was a leftover Hayes-Porter recording from Stax; the second was produced by Wexler and Dowd in New York, and was written by Stax executive Al Bell
and Allen Jones. Both failed to hit the US R&B charts or the Hot 100. According to Wexler, "We just made some shit-ass records with them. I never really got into their sensibilities as a producer". Wexler then sent the duo south to Muscle Shoals and Miami to work with producers Brad Shapiro and Dave Crawford for their next single "Knock It Out The Park", which failed to chart.
Sam & Dave split up in June 1970, according to Moore as a result of Moore's dissatisfaction with the duo and his desire to pursue a career solo. According to Prater, they broke up because "[Moore] decided to do what he wanted to do on his own." Moore recorded three solo singles (none of which charted) for Atlantic over the next year and was preparing an album produced by King Curtis, which was shelved after Curtis was stabbed to death in 1971. Prater recorded a single for Alston. Neither was commercially successful as a solo act, and they reunited in August 1971.
In October 1971, their last Atlantic single, "Don't Pull Your Love", was a cover of a hit by Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds
. This Shapiro/Crawford production was a minor hit (R&B #36/Pop #102), but not a substantial enough commercial success to keep the duo signed to the label. Sam & Dave made their final Atlantic recordings in August 1972, four songs never released by the label. Their contract with Atlantic expired shortly thereafter.
and The Mike Douglas Show
. According to Sam, most U.S. shows in the 70s were small clubs, oldies shows, and whatever they could get. Sam & Dave's poor relationship with each other and rumours of drug use at this point were well known within the music industry and contributed to the limited ability to get high quality bookings, also, according to Sam. According to Jerri Hirshey, who saw them many times in the 1970s, their shows could range anywhere from incredible to horrible.
Sam and Dave returned to the studio in 1974-5, recording an album of new songs titled Back at Cha for United Artists. The album – their first album of new material in 7 years – was produced by Steve Cropper
, and featured the MGs and The Memphis Horns and had a minor R&B single, "A Little Bit of Good" (R&B #89). Songwriters included Cropper, Allen Toussaint, and Jimmy Cliff. Although the LP received positive reviews, it failed to chart. In a side project, they provided vocals on "Come On, Come Over" for Jaco Pastorius
for his debut album on Epic in 1976.
In 1976-77, Sam & Dave recorded songs in the UK with producer John Abbey. Two singles were released on Abbey's Contempo label in the UK and Germany, with limited success. Ironically, given the duo's disputes, one of the last singles by Sam & Dave was a cover of The Beatles
"We Can Work It Out". Sam & Dave also briefly retired in 1977, with Dave working at a Pontiac dealership in New Jersey and Sam working at an Austin, Texas, law firm as a process server.
In 1978, Sam & Dave re-recorded old hits for the LP Sweet & Funky Gold (Gusto), and re-recorded songs and other soul hits during this period in Nashville for an album for K-Tel Records, The Original Soul Man. In Summer 1978, they toured Germany for two weeks.
In 1979, Sam & Dave enjoyed a significant resurgence of interest as a result of Dan Aykroyd
's and John Belushi
's sketch characters in the cult film The Blues Brothers
, and The Blues Brothers' 1979 top 40 cover of "Soul Man". Moore stated they were offered an opportunity to perform onstage with Belushi and Aykroyd on ' 'SNL' ' but turned it down when Belushi said Sam & Dave had to perform the intro, then the Blues Brothers would take over. The Blues Brothers' personas and stage act were influenced by Sam & Dave, according to an April 1988 interview with Aykroyd in the Chicago Sun-Times
. Aykroyd saw Sam & Dave as a teenager at the Montreal Expo in 1967, and said they were one of his biggest influences. Aykroyd got director John Landis
to include the Jake and Elwood Blues characters listening to "Hold On, I'm Comin'" and "Soothe Me" while riding in the Bluesmobile during the film as a tribute to Sam & Dave.
Also in 1979, Sam and Dave opened shows for The Clash
on their U.S. tour, including at the Palladium
in New York City. In 1980, the duo performed in Paul Simon
's film One Trick Pony and on Saturday Night Live
. In 1980, they also were featured in a U.S. tour opening for the 50s band Sha Na Na
.
In 1981, they re-recorded many hits along with Sam Cooke
and Otis Redding
covers for LPs titled Soul Study Vol. 1 and Soul Study Vol. 2 (Odyssey). The pair last performed on New Year's Eve, 1981, at the Old Waldorf in San Francisco. According to Moore, when they walked off stage it was the last time they spoke to each other.
In 1985, Prater and Sam Daniels released a newly-sung medley of Sam & Dave hits recorded in The Netherlands, which peaked at #92 R&B and was credited to "Sam & Dave". Sam Moore got the record company to recall the single for using the "Sam & Dave" name without permission, and the record was re-labelled and re-issued by "The New Sam & Dave Revue".
Prater had his last performance with Sam Daniels on April 3, 1988 at a Stax Reunion at the Atlanta Civic Center which also featured Isaac Hayes, Eddie Floyd, and Rufus and Carla Thomas. Six days later, on April 9, 1988, Prater died in a car crash in Sycamore, Georgia, while driving to his mother's house.
See more details on his career under his Dave Prater
Wikipedia bio.
article.)
-"I Thank You", The Fabulous Thunderbirds
-"Wrap It Up", James & Bobby Purify
-"I Take What I Want", Linda Ronstadt
featuring Aaron Neville
-"When Something is Wrong with my Baby", Chuck Jackson
& Maxine Brown
-"Hold On, I'm Comin'", and Lydia Pense
& Cold Blood -"I Take What I Want". A diverse group of other successful artists also recorded Sam & Dave covers including: Aretha Franklin
, Elvis Costello
, Peter Frampton
, The Temptations
, Bonnie Raitt
, Jackie Wilson
, The Eurythmics, Rory Gallagher
, Tom Jones
, The Band
, Martha Reeves & the Vandellas, Michael Bolton
, Patti LaBelle
& Travis Tritt
, Bryan Ferry
, Marilyn McCoo
& Billy Davis Jr., The Hollies
, Paul Butterfield
, Taj Majal, Guy Sebastian
, and Eric Clapton
& B.B. King.
In 2003, the Stax Museum
of American Soul Music opened in Memphis and Sam & Dave are in the film made for the Museum, titled Soulsville, and have a permanent wall and video display.
Barack Obama
used "Hold On, I'm Comin'" as a theme song on the campaign trail, until Sam Moore requested that he stop using it. Eleven months later Sam Moore performed "Soul Man" with Sting and Elvis Costello at one of Obama's inaugural parties. A parody of "Soul Man" created by Moore, "I'm a Dole Man", was used in the 1996 Bob Dole
presidential campaign until the copyright owners objected and requested the campaign stop using it. Sam & Dave released the rare single "Hold on, Edwin's Coming" in 1982 to support Louisiana Governor Edwin Edwards
' third run for Governor. Another parody, "I'm a Suns Fan", was recorded by Moore and used for the Phoenix Suns
basketball games.
Sam & Dave songs have been frequently used in movie & TV soundtracks and commercials, including "Hold On, I'm Comin'" on the soundtrack of the 2007 hit film American Gangster. "Hold On, I'm Comin'" and "Soothe Me" played on the radio in the Bluesmobile during the 1980 hit movie and cult classic, The Blues Brothers
. Jay Leno
used "Hold on I'm Comin" while driving his AC Cobra on his 2009 Super Bowl commercial to announce his show's move to 10pm. "Wrap it Up" is used as a transition to commercial break for The O'Reilly Factor
. "Soul Man" was used as the title and title track in the 1986 movie featuring C. Thomas Howell, and also the 1997–1998 television series featuring Dan Aykroyd. The movie Tapeheads
, released in 1988 and starring John Cusack
and Tim Robbins
, featured Sam Moore and Junior Walker as a fictitious, legendary soul duo called "The Swanky Modes". The movie Soul Men, released in November 2008, was a comedy featuring Bernie Mac
and Samuel L. Jackson
as two feuding soul singers called "The Real Deal". In February 2009, Moore filed suit against the film production company and the producers for infringing on the marks Soul Man and Soul Men, claiming the movie is based on the careers of Sam & Dave, and damaged both Moore's reputation and career.
Note: The original Stax and Atlantic albums are also available on CD(Rhino)
Dave Prater
Dave Prater was an American Southern Soul and Rhythm & Blues singer who was the deeper, baritone and second tenor vocalist of the soul vocal duo Sam & Dave from 1961 until his death in 1988...
(May 9, 1937, Ocilla, Georgia
Ocilla, Georgia
Ocilla is a city in Irwin County, Georgia, United States. The population was 3,270 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Irwin County.Ocilla is part of the Fitzgerald Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
– April 9, 1988, Sycamore, Georgia
Sycamore, Georgia
Sycamore is a city in Turner County, Georgia, United States. The population was 496 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Sycamore is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
).
Sam & Dave are members of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Grammy Hall of Fame, the Vocal Group Hall of Fame
Vocal Group Hall of Fame
The Vocal Group Hall of Fame was organized to honor outstanding vocal groups throughout the world. It is headquartered in Sharon, Pennsylvania, United States. It includes a theater and a museum....
, and are Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
and multiple gold record award winning artists. According to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Sam & Dave were the most successful soul duo, and brought the sounds of the black gospel church to pop music with their call-and-response records. Recorded primarily at Stax Records
Stax Records
Stax Records is an American record label, originally based in Memphis, Tennessee.Founded in 1957 as Satellite Records, the name Stax Records was adopted in 1961. The label was a major factor in the creation of the Southern soul and Memphis soul music styles, also releasing gospel, funk, jazz, and...
in Memphis, Tennessee, from 1965 through 1968, these included "Soul Man", "Hold On, I'm Comin", "I Thank You", "When Something is Wrong with My Baby", "Wrap It Up", and many other Southern Soul classics. Other than Aretha Franklin, no soul act during Sam & Dave's Stax years (1965–1968) had more consistent R&B chart success, including 10 consecutive top 20 singles and 3 consecutive top 10 LPs. Their crossover charts appeal (13 straight appearances and 2 top 10 singles) helped to pave the way for the acceptance of soul music by white pop audiences, and their song "Soul Man" was one of the first songs by a black group to top the pop charts using the word "soul", helping define the genre. "Soul Man" was a number one Pop Hit (Cashbox: November 11, 1967) and has been recognized as one of the most influential songs of the past 50 years by the Grammy Hall of Fame, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine, and RIAA Songs of the Century. "Soul Man" was featured as the soundtrack and title for a 1986 film and also a 1997–1998 television series, and Soul Men was a 2008 feature film.
Nicknamed "Double Dynamite", "The Sultans of Sweat", and "The Dynamic Duo" for their gritty, gospel-infused performances, Sam & Dave were one of the greatest live acts of the 1960s. They were an influence on many future musicians, including Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
, Al Green
Al Green
Albert Greene , better known as Al Green, is an American gospel and soul music singer. He reached the peak of his popularity in the 1970s, with hit singles such as "You Oughta Be With Me", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Love and Happiness", and "Let's Stay Together"...
, Tom Petty
Tom Petty
Thomas Earl "Tom" Petty is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is the frontman of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and was a founding member of the late 1980s supergroup Traveling Wilburys and Mudcrutch. He has also performed under the pseudonyms of Charlie T...
, Phil Collins
Phil Collins
Philip David Charles "Phil" Collins, LVO is an English singer-songwriter, drummer, pianist and actor best known as a drummer and vocalist for British progressive rock group Genesis and as a solo artist....
, Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
, Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
, Teddy Pendergrass
Teddy Pendergrass
Theodore DeReese "Teddy" Pendergrass was an American R&B/soul singer and songwriter. Pendergrass first rose to fame as lead singer of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes in the 1970s before a successful solo career at the end of the decade...
, Billy Joel
Billy Joel
William Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to...
and Steve Winwood
Steve Winwood
Stephen Lawrence "Steve" Winwood is an English international recording artist whose career spans nearly 50 years. He is a songwriter and a musician whose genres include soul music , R&B, rock, blues-rock, pop-rock, and jazz...
. The Blues Brothers
The Blues Brothers
The Blues Brothers are an American blues and soul revivalist band founded in 1978 by comedy actors Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi as part of a musical sketch on Saturday Night Live...
, who helped create a resurgence of popularity for soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
, R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
, and blues in the 1980s, were influenced by Sam & Dave - their biggest hit was a cover of "Soul Man
Soul Man (song)
"Soul Man" is a 1967 song written by Isaac Hayes and David Porter, first successful as a #2 hit single by Atlantic Records soul duo Sam & Dave.-Song history and background:...
", and their act and stage show had many similarities to the duo.
Early years
Sam Moore and Dave Prater's early musical backgrounds involved listening to and singing gospel music in their homes and churches, and in Dave's case, also singing gospel in the choir in his church. Dave later sang with his older brother JT Prater in the gospel group The Sensational Hummingbirds, which recorded the record "Lord Teach Me" in the 1950s. Sam recorded "Nitey-Nite"/"Caveman Rock" in 1954 with the doo-wop group The Majestics, and later sang with the gospel groups The Gales and The Mellonaires. Moore and Prater listed Jackie WilsonJackie Wilson
Jack Leroy "Jackie" Wilson, Jr. was an American singer and performer. Known as "Mr. Excitement", Wilson was important in the transition of rhythm and blues into soul. He was known as a master showman, and as one of the most dynamic singers and performers in R&B and rock history...
and Sam Cooke
Sam Cooke
Samuel Cook, , better known under the stage name Sam Cooke, was an American gospel, R&B, soul, and pop singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. He is considered to be one of the pioneers and founders of soul music. He is commonly known as the King of Soul for his distinctive vocal abilities and...
as influences on their styles, and Moore was also influenced by Little Willie John
Little Willie John
William Edward John was better known by his stage name Little Willie John. Many sources erroneously give his second name as Edgar...
, whom he and Dave opened for often in the early 1960s.
Sam & Dave met working the gospel music circuit, and later in small clubs in Miami during amateur nights in 1961 according to Dave. They sang together one night at the King of Hearts club, and started working together immediately thereafter, developing a live act featuring gospel-inspired call-and-response. Soul singer and record producer Steve Alaimo
Steve Alaimo
Steve Alaimo was an American teen idol pop singer in the early 1960s who later became record producer and label owner, but he is perhaps best known for hosting and co-producing Dick Clark's Where the Action Is in the late 1960s...
discovered them while performing on the same show with them at the King of Hearts nightclub in Miami and signed them to Marlin Records
Marlin Records
Marlin Records was one of the record labels set-up by Henry Stone before he launched the successful TK Records....
.
After two singles in early 1962 were released on the local Marlin label owned by Miami's Henry Stone
Henry Stone
Henry Stone is an American record company executive and producer whose career spans the era from R&B in the early 1950s through the disco boom of the 1970s to the present day. He is best known as co-owner and president of TK Records....
, Stone helped sign them to Roulette Records
Roulette Records
Roulette Records is an American record label, which was founded in late 1956, by George Goldner, Joe Kolsky, Morris Levy and Phil Khals, with creative control given to producers and songwriters Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore. Levy was appointed as director...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. They released six 45s from 1962–1964 (two were re-releases of Marlin recordings) with Roulette, and one single on Stone and Alaimo's Alston Label. A few of the singles received regional airplay, but did not achieve national chart success. The songs, some of which were produced by Steve Alaimo
Steve Alaimo
Steve Alaimo was an American teen idol pop singer in the early 1960s who later became record producer and label owner, but he is perhaps best known for hosting and co-producing Dick Clark's Where the Action Is in the late 1960s...
and some of which were produced by Henry Glover
Henry Glover
Henry Glover was an American songwriter, arranger, record producer and trumpet player. In the music industry of the time, Glover was one of the more successful, and influential, black executives. He gained eminence in the late 1940s, primarily working for the independent King label...
,were similar in many ways to r&b recordings by Sam Cooke, Jackie Wilson and Little Willie John. Prater was the lead vocalist on most of these singles, with Moore singing harmony and alternate verses.
In summer 1964, Stone introduced the duo to Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
' Jerry Wexler
Jerry Wexler
Gerald "Jerry" Wexler was a music journalist turned music producer, and was regarded as one of the major record industry players behind music from the 1950s through the 1980s...
, who signed them to Atlantic. Wexler asked Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
-based Stax Records
Stax Records
Stax Records is an American record label, originally based in Memphis, Tennessee.Founded in 1957 as Satellite Records, the name Stax Records was adopted in 1961. The label was a major factor in the creation of the Southern soul and Memphis soul music styles, also releasing gospel, funk, jazz, and...
, which Atlantic distributed nationally, to work with Sam & Dave. Wexler wanted the Southern roots and gospel style of their live performances, so the pair were loaned to Stax to record, although they remained Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
artists. According to Wexler's autobiography Rhythms & Blues, "Their live act was filled with animation, harmony and seeming goodwill. I put Sam in the sweet tradition of Sam Cooke or Solomon Burke, while Dave had an ominous Four Tops' Levi Stubbs-sounding voice, the preacher promising hellfire."
Arrival at Stax and early Stax singles
When Sam & Dave arrived at Stax, they worked with producer & engineer Jim StewartJim Stewart (music)
Jim Stewart is a former record company executive and producer who co-founded Stax Records.- Biography :Raised on a farm in Middleton, Tennessee, Stewart moved to Memphis in 1948, after graduating from high school. He worked at Sears, at First National Bank, and then was drafted into the United...
and songwriters including the MGs' guitarist Steve Cropper
Steve Cropper
Steve Cropper , also known as Steve "The Colonel" Cropper, is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the guitarist of the Stax Records house band, Booker T...
, who wrote or co-wrote four of their first eight recordings. The duo then moved to relative newcomer writers and producers Isaac Hayes
Isaac Hayes
Isaac Lee Hayes, Jr. was an American songwriter, musician, singer and actor. Hayes was one of the creative influences behind the southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served both as an in-house songwriter and as a record producer, teaming with his partner David Porter during the...
and David Porter
David Porter (musician)
David Porter is an American soul musician. Porter is best known as the songwriting and production partner of Isaac Hayes at Stax Records during the 1960s...
. Hayes and Porter wrote and produced the duo's biggest hits (although they did not receive production credits until the Soul Men LP and singles). According to Moore and Prater, they also greatly influenced the duo's singing style, and had them shift their recording style from the style of their Roulette records to a more live, more energetic gospel, call-and-response feel and beat driven soul style the group is known for today.
Sam & Dave's Stax records also benefited from the musicians and engineering at Stax. The Stax house band, Booker T. & the M.G.'s
Booker T. & the M.G.'s
Booker T. & the M.G.'s is an instrumental R&B band that was influential in shaping the sound of southern soul and Memphis soul. Original members of the group were Booker T. Jones , Steve Cropper , Lewie Steinberg , and Al Jackson, Jr....
, and the Stax horn section, the Mar-Keys
Mar-Keys
The Mar-Keys, formed in 1958, were an American studio session band for the Stax label from Memphis, Tennessee, in the 1960s. As the first house band for the label, their backing music formed the foundation for the early 1960s Stax sound.-Career:...
had world-class musicians who co-wrote (often without credit) and contributed to recordings—the same musicians who recorded with Otis Redding
Otis Redding
Otis Ray Redding, Jr. was an American soul singer-songwriter, record producer, arranger and talent scout. He is considered one of the major figures in soul and R&B...
, Wilson Pickett
Wilson Pickett
Wilson Pickett was an American R&B/Soul singer and songwriter.A major figure in the development of American soul music, Pickett recorded over 50 songs which made the US R&B charts, and frequently crossed over to the US Billboard Hot 100...
, Carla Thomas
Carla Thomas
Carla Thomas is an American singer, who is often referred to as the Queen of Memphis Soul. She is the daughter of Rufus Thomas.-Childhood:...
and other soul artists. Sam & Dave's Stax recordings through 1967 were engineered by Stax founder Jim Stewart
Jim Stewart (music)
Jim Stewart is a former record company executive and producer who co-founded Stax Records.- Biography :Raised on a farm in Middleton, Tennessee, Stewart moved to Memphis in 1948, after graduating from high school. He worked at Sears, at First National Bank, and then was drafted into the United...
, who created the Memphis Sound by recording live in a single take. Stewart is credited for instrumental mixes that allowed for instrumental separation and the distinct contribution of each instrument to the overall feel of the song. Hayes and Porter are in the Songwriters Hall of Fame, The Mar-Keys are in the Musicians Hall of Fame, and Booker T. & the MG's, Jim Stewart, Isaac Hayes and Sam & Dave are all in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
While the first two Stax singles failed to chart, the third, the Hayes/Porter composition (with similarities, including the title, to a gospel standard) "You Don't Know Like I Know" hit #7 R&B in 1966. This was the first of 10 consecutive Top Twenty R&B chart hits over three years, and 14 R&B chart appearances during their career.
"Hold On, I'm Comin'" single and Hold On, I'm Comin LP
"Hold On, I'm CominHold On, I'm Comin'
Hold On, I'm Comin' is the 1966 debut album by Atlantic Records soul duo Sam and Dave, issued on the Atlantic-distributed Stax label in 1966....
" (R&B#1/Pop#21), released in March 1966, was a monster R&B hit for Sam & Dave, and also their first single to break into the Top 40 Pop charts. The song was named the #1 song of the year for 1966 by the Billboard R&B charts, and spent 20 weeks on the R&B charts in 1966, peaking at #1 in June. In 1988, Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
named it one of the best 100 songs of the past 25 years. "Hold On, I'm Comin'" received a belated RIAA gold record
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
for one million sales in 1995, 29 years after its release. "Hold On, I'm Comin'" has since been recorded by over 28 other artists.
"Hold On, I'm Comin" was also the first recording on which Moore took lead on the first verse and the deeper, rougher voiced Prater was given the response role and second verse at Hayes and Porter's suggestion. The duo used this format, or singing dual leads, on most of their songs. The song was created when Hayes called to Porter, who was in the bathroom. Porter supposedly said "Hold on, man, I'm comin'", and Hayes and Porter had the song written in 10 minutes. "Hold On, I'm Comin'
Hold On, I'm Comin'
Hold On, I'm Comin' is the 1966 debut album by Atlantic Records soul duo Sam and Dave, issued on the Atlantic-distributed Stax label in 1966....
", when released, received objections from radio stations over the suggestive title. This resulted in a name change by Stewart and quick re-recording and re-release, and nearly all the original U.S. copies of the single bear the title "Hold On, I'm A-Comin'".
The LP Hold On, I'm Comin (4/66) reached #1 during 19 weeks on the R&B album charts in 1966. After Sam & Dave's chart success, Roulette quickly released the album Sam & Dave in 1966 as well, a collection of the A & B sides of their six Roulette 45s, which did not chart.
When Something is Wrong, Double Dynamite LP and singles
Sam & Dave's next huge R&B hit was "When Something is Wrong With My Baby", their only ballad single, which was released in January 1967. Stax author Rob Bowman called this "One of the most sublime records in soul music's history", and Mar-Keys trumpet player Wayne Jackson called it the greatest song he has ever heard. This was the only Sam & Dave hit where Dave sang the first verse solo; their other hits started with Sam & Dave together or Sam singing the first verse. "When Something is Wrong With My Baby" has since become an often recorded and performed duet for male and female singers performing together.In the later part of 1966, Sam & Dave also charted with the top 10 R&B hits "Said I Wasn't Gonna Tell Nobody", and "You Got Me Hummin". These three singles, along with other tracks, were compiled on Double Dynamite (12/66), Sam & Dave's second LP on Stax. The LP peaked at #7 R&B and #118 Pop.
"Soul Man" single and Soul Men LP
Sam and Dave's biggest hit and best remembered song, "Soul ManSoul Man (song)
"Soul Man" is a 1967 song written by Isaac Hayes and David Porter, first successful as a #2 hit single by Atlantic Records soul duo Sam & Dave.-Song history and background:...
" (R&B #1/Pop #2), was released in August 1967. It was the number #1 song in the US according to Cashbox magazine Pop charts in November 1967. Sam & Dave won the Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
in 1967 for "Best Performance - Rhythm & Blues Group" for "Soul Man", their first gold record. "Soul Man" was voted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. The song helped popularize the term to describe the emerging music genre "Soul Music" that would be so popular in the late 1960s. According to co-writer Isaac Hayes, the title was inspired by news reports of soul pride that emerged after the 1967 race riots, where stories that painting the word "soul" on your door was a message for looters to bypass your house. Hayes-Porter extrapolated that to "I'm a soul brother, I'm a soul man.". It has been recognized as one of the best or most influential songs of 50 years by the Grammy Hall of Fame, The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Rolling Stone, and R.I.A.A. Songs of the Century. "Soul Man" was used as the soundtrack and title for a 1986 film, a 2008 film Soul Men, a 1997–1998 television series.
The Soul Men
Soul Men (album)
Soul Men, released in 1967, was the third album by R&B duo Sam & Dave. The album reached #5 on the Billboard "Black Album" chart in 1967 and #62 on the "Pop Album" chart in 1968. It launched the hit single "Soul Man" which ranked #1 on the "Black Singles" charts and #2 on the Pop Singles charts...
LP (October 1967) was Sam & Dave's third Stax LP, reaching #5 on the R&B charts and #68 Pop. Musicologist Rob Bowman called Soul Men "One of the greatest soul music albums of all time." "Don't Knock It" from the LP was released as a single in France, but other songs were not released as U.S. singles due to the long run by "Soul Man" on the Pop charts (15 weeks), by which time "I Thank You/Wrap it Up" was ready for release. "May I Baby", the b-side of "Soul Man", is also regarded as a classic non-hot 100 song on the LP by Whitburn's "Top Pop Singles" guide, and was a popular live song performed frequently by Sam & Dave.
"I Thank You" single and I Thank You LP
The first single for Sam & Dave in 1968 was "I Thank You/Wrap it Up" (R&B #4/Pop #9). It is one of many gospel-inspired tunes and was a hit on both charts. Critics commented that the B side "Wrap it Up" could have been a separate successful single, which it later became for The Fabulous ThunderbirdsThe Fabulous Thunderbirds
The Fabulous Thunderbirds are an American, Grammy-nominated Blues rock band, formed in 1974.-Career:After performing for several years in the Austin, Texas blues scene, the band won a recording contract with Takoma/Chrysalis Records, and later on signed with Epic Records.Their first two albums,...
. Sam & Dave were so busy touring at this point that Hayes & Porter travelled to Europe where Sam & Dave were touring to record the vocal track on "Wrap it Up" so they could release the single. Due to the end of the distribution agreement between Stax and Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
in May 1968, "I Thank You" was Sam and Dave's final single on Stax. Although they continued to work at Stax with Hayes/Porter, as of May 1968, the duo's work was released on Atlantic Records. "I Thank You" sold over one million copies, and was another to earn gold disc status.
Sam and Dave's first 1968 single for Atlantic was "You Don't Know What You Mean To Me", written by Eddie Floyd
Eddie Floyd
Eddie Lee Floyd is an American soul/R&B singer and songwriter, best known for his work on the Stax record label in the 1960s and 1970s and the song "Knock on Wood".-Biography:...
and Steve Cropper
Steve Cropper
Steve Cropper , also known as Steve "The Colonel" Cropper, is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the guitarist of the Stax Records house band, Booker T...
. Sam and Dave said it was their favorite of their songs, and the single charted #48 Pop and #19 R&B. Sam & Dave also released "Can't You Find Another Way (of Doing It)" which charted at #54 Pop and #20 R&B, but which was not included in the I Thank You LP. Their final single of 1968, "Everybody Got To Believe In Somebody", charted in the lower levels of the pop charts and ended Sam and Dave's streak at ten straight R&B top 20 singles.
Though on Atlantic, the I Thank You LP (10/68) included 1968 singles initially on both Stax and Atlantic. The LP peaked at #38 on the R&B charts, and was the only LP of their Stax recordings not to chart on the Pop LP charts.
Sam & Dave's live performances
Sam & Dave's live act earned them the nickname "Double Dynamite". Phil Walden, Otis Redding's manager, said "I think Sam and Dave will probably stand the test of time as being the best live act that there ever was. Those guys were absolutely unbelievable. Every night they were awesome." An October 1968 TimeTime (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
article reads: "Of all the R & B cats, nobody steams up a place like Sam & Dave ... weaving and dancing (while singing!), they gyrate through enough acrobatics to wear out more than 100 costumes per year." Jerri Hershey described in Nowhere to Run: They carried red suits, white suits, three piece lime green suits, all with matching patent boots and coordinated silk hankies woefully inadequate to absorb a soul man's nightly outpourings. Both Sam & Dave talk a lot about sweat. To Dave, its proof that he's worked for his pay. For Sam its essential, almost mystical. He says he cannot work without it. "Unless my body reaches a certain temperature, starts to liquefy, I just don't feel right without it." Wayne Jackson said Sam & Dave left puddles of sweat onstage by the end of a performance.
In March 1967, Sam and Dave were co-headliners for the Stax/Volt Revue in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, which included Booker T & the MGs, The Mar-Keys
Mar-Keys
The Mar-Keys, formed in 1958, were an American studio session band for the Stax label from Memphis, Tennessee, in the 1960s. As the first house band for the label, their backing music formed the foundation for the early 1960s Stax sound.-Career:...
, Eddie Floyd
Eddie Floyd
Eddie Lee Floyd is an American soul/R&B singer and songwriter, best known for his work on the Stax record label in the 1960s and 1970s and the song "Knock on Wood".-Biography:...
, Carla Thomas
Carla Thomas
Carla Thomas is an American singer, who is often referred to as the Queen of Memphis Soul. She is the daughter of Rufus Thomas.-Childhood:...
, Arthur Conley
Arthur Conley
Arthur Lee Conley was an American soul singer, best known for the 1967 hit "Sweet Soul Music".-Career:...
and headliner Otis Redding
Otis Redding
Otis Ray Redding, Jr. was an American soul singer-songwriter, record producer, arranger and talent scout. He is considered one of the major figures in soul and R&B...
. For Sam & Dave, it was their first time in Europe, largely to all-white audiences, sometimes up to 2,000 people. Although Redding headlined the tour, many agreed Sam & Dave stole the show on many nights. According to Redding's and Sam & Dave's manager Phil Walden, Redding refused to be booked on the same bill with Sam & Dave again, not wanting to have to follow their explosive act. A live version of Sam and Dave's Double Dynamite LP track "Soothe Me" was recorded in Paris during the '67 tour. Released as a single in mid-1967, it continued Sam & Dave's string of top 20 U.S. R&B hits and was their first in the UK Top 40.
After the tour, Sam & Dave worked as headliners in the U.S. and in Europe in during the Fall of 1967, Fall 1968 and January 1970, and in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in 1969 and 1970. Their band grew to 16 pieces and a 35-person entourage with a plane and bus, and they continued to be in demand even as record sales began to drop in late 1969 and 1970. They were doing an average 280 shows per year from 1967 through 1969 and in 1967 only took ten days off for the year. Other high points included headlining the Montreal World's Fair
Expo 67
The 1967 International and Universal Exposition or Expo 67, as it was commonly known, was the general exhibition, Category One World's Fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, from April 27 to October 29, 1967. It is considered to be the most successful World's Fair of the 20th century, with the...
in 1967, performing at the tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
in June 1968, being the first black Soul act to headline the Fillmore East
Fillmore East
The Fillmore East was rock promoter Bill Graham's rock venue on Second Avenue near East 6th Street in the East Village neighborhood of the Manhattan borough of New York City. It was open from 1968 to 1971, and featured some of the biggest acts in rock music at the time...
in December 1968, and headlining the Texas International Pop Festival
Texas International Pop Festival
The Texas International Pop Festival was a music festival held at Lewisville, Texas, on Labor Day weekend, August 30-September 1, 1969. It occurred two weeks after Woodstock...
for two nights in August 1969. Sam & Dave also performed on U.S. and European television, including two appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan....
in 1969, appearing on The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. It is the longest currently running regularly scheduled entertainment program in the United States, and the third longest-running show on NBC, after Meet the Press and Today.The Tonight Show has been hosted by...
and American Bandstand
American Bandstand
American Bandstand is an American music-performance show that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989 and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as producer...
in 1967, and performing on The Mike Douglas Show
The Mike Douglas Show
The Mike Douglas Show is an American daytime television talk show hosted by Mike Douglas that aired in syndication from 1961 to 1982, distributed by Westinghouse Broadcasting and for much of its run, originated from studios of two of the company's TV stations.The program featured light banter with...
in 1969 and 1970. Moore frequently recalls the Sullivan Show performances as a career highlight.
Best of LP, Stax recorded singles (1969)
The year 1969 started well, with the Atlantic release of The Best of Sam & Dave LP in January. It contained all their Stax A sides except "A Place Nobody Can Find" and several B-sides, and peaked at #24 on the R&B LP charts and #89 on the Billboard LP charts. Their first single of the year, "Soul Sister, Brown Sugar", returned Sam and Dave to the R&B top 20, and was a #15 hit in the UK. The follow-up "Born Again", reached the lower levels of the charts, and was the last single Sam and Dave recorded at Stax.Atlantic produced records, first break-up, and reunion (1969–1972)
Jerry Wexler with co-producer Tom DowdTom Dowd
Tom Dowd was an American recording engineer and producer for Atlantic Records. He was credited with innovating the multi-track recording method. Dowd worked on a virtual "who's who" of recordings that encompassed blues, jazz, pop, rock and soul records.- Early years :Born in Manhattan, Dowd grew...
tried producing Sam & Dave in New York, with Atlantic songwriters and musicians. It took eight months to issue the first Atlantic single in August 1969, "Ooh, Ooh, Ooh", a long time in that era. It was not a very good record, by Sam's own admission, and the first time in four years that a Sam & Dave single failed to chart.
Two more singles followed in 1970, "Baby, Baby, Don't Stop Now", and "One Part Love, Two Parts Pain". The first was a leftover Hayes-Porter recording from Stax; the second was produced by Wexler and Dowd in New York, and was written by Stax executive Al Bell
Al Bell
Al Bell is an American record producer, songwriter, and record executive. Bell is best known as one of the key figures behind and a co-owner of Memphis, Tennessee-based Stax Records during the latter half of the label's nineteen-year existence...
and Allen Jones. Both failed to hit the US R&B charts or the Hot 100. According to Wexler, "We just made some shit-ass records with them. I never really got into their sensibilities as a producer". Wexler then sent the duo south to Muscle Shoals and Miami to work with producers Brad Shapiro and Dave Crawford for their next single "Knock It Out The Park", which failed to chart.
Sam & Dave split up in June 1970, according to Moore as a result of Moore's dissatisfaction with the duo and his desire to pursue a career solo. According to Prater, they broke up because "[Moore] decided to do what he wanted to do on his own." Moore recorded three solo singles (none of which charted) for Atlantic over the next year and was preparing an album produced by King Curtis, which was shelved after Curtis was stabbed to death in 1971. Prater recorded a single for Alston. Neither was commercially successful as a solo act, and they reunited in August 1971.
In October 1971, their last Atlantic single, "Don't Pull Your Love", was a cover of a hit by Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds
Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds
Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds was a 1970s AM soft rock trio from Los Angeles. The original members were Dan Hamilton , Joe Frank Carollo , and Tommy Reynolds , all of whom had previously played in The T-Bones, a 1960s band noted for the instrumental hit "No Matter What Shape ".The group first hit...
. This Shapiro/Crawford production was a minor hit (R&B #36/Pop #102), but not a substantial enough commercial success to keep the duo signed to the label. Sam & Dave made their final Atlantic recordings in August 1972, four songs never released by the label. Their contract with Atlantic expired shortly thereafter.
Later years (1972–1981)
Despite inability to attract a major label after Atlantic, there was still demand for public performances, especially in Europe. They toured Turkey in Spring 1972 and England in Spring 1973. Sam & Dave also continued to be visible in the U.S., performing on TV shows including The Midnight SpecialThe Midnight Special (TV series)
The Midnight Special is an American musical variety series that aired on NBC during the 1970s and early 1980s, created and produced by Burt Sugarman. It premiered as a special on August 19, 1972, then began its run as a regular series on February 2, 1973; its last episode was on May 1, 1981...
and The Mike Douglas Show
The Mike Douglas Show
The Mike Douglas Show is an American daytime television talk show hosted by Mike Douglas that aired in syndication from 1961 to 1982, distributed by Westinghouse Broadcasting and for much of its run, originated from studios of two of the company's TV stations.The program featured light banter with...
. According to Sam, most U.S. shows in the 70s were small clubs, oldies shows, and whatever they could get. Sam & Dave's poor relationship with each other and rumours of drug use at this point were well known within the music industry and contributed to the limited ability to get high quality bookings, also, according to Sam. According to Jerri Hirshey, who saw them many times in the 1970s, their shows could range anywhere from incredible to horrible.
Sam and Dave returned to the studio in 1974-5, recording an album of new songs titled Back at Cha for United Artists. The album – their first album of new material in 7 years – was produced by Steve Cropper
Steve Cropper
Steve Cropper , also known as Steve "The Colonel" Cropper, is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the guitarist of the Stax Records house band, Booker T...
, and featured the MGs and The Memphis Horns and had a minor R&B single, "A Little Bit of Good" (R&B #89). Songwriters included Cropper, Allen Toussaint, and Jimmy Cliff. Although the LP received positive reviews, it failed to chart. In a side project, they provided vocals on "Come On, Come Over" for Jaco Pastorius
Jaco Pastorius
John Francis Anthony Pastorius III , known as Jaco Pastorius, was an American jazz musician and composer widely acknowledged as a virtuoso electric bass player....
for his debut album on Epic in 1976.
In 1976-77, Sam & Dave recorded songs in the UK with producer John Abbey. Two singles were released on Abbey's Contempo label in the UK and Germany, with limited success. Ironically, given the duo's disputes, one of the last singles by Sam & Dave was a cover of The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
"We Can Work It Out". Sam & Dave also briefly retired in 1977, with Dave working at a Pontiac dealership in New Jersey and Sam working at an Austin, Texas, law firm as a process server.
In 1978, Sam & Dave re-recorded old hits for the LP Sweet & Funky Gold (Gusto), and re-recorded songs and other soul hits during this period in Nashville for an album for K-Tel Records, The Original Soul Man. In Summer 1978, they toured Germany for two weeks.
In 1979, Sam & Dave enjoyed a significant resurgence of interest as a result of Dan Aykroyd
Dan Aykroyd
Daniel Edward "Dan" Aykroyd, CM is a Canadian comedian, actor, screenwriter, musician, winemaker and ufologist. He was an original cast member of Saturday Night Live, an originator of The Blues Brothers and Ghostbusters and has had a long career as a film actor and screenwriter.-Early...
's and John Belushi
John Belushi
John Adam Belushi was an American comedian, actor, and musician, best known as one of the original cast members of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, The Star of the Films National Lampoon's Animal House and the The Blues Brothers and for fronting the American blues and soul...
's sketch characters in the cult film The Blues Brothers
The Blues Brothers
The Blues Brothers are an American blues and soul revivalist band founded in 1978 by comedy actors Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi as part of a musical sketch on Saturday Night Live...
, and The Blues Brothers' 1979 top 40 cover of "Soul Man". Moore stated they were offered an opportunity to perform onstage with Belushi and Aykroyd on ' 'SNL' ' but turned it down when Belushi said Sam & Dave had to perform the intro, then the Blues Brothers would take over. The Blues Brothers' personas and stage act were influenced by Sam & Dave, according to an April 1988 interview with Aykroyd in the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
. Aykroyd saw Sam & Dave as a teenager at the Montreal Expo in 1967, and said they were one of his biggest influences. Aykroyd got director John Landis
John Landis
John David Landis is an American film director, screenwriter, actor, and producer. He is known for his comedies, his horror films, and his music videos with singer Michael Jackson.-Early life and career:...
to include the Jake and Elwood Blues characters listening to "Hold On, I'm Comin'" and "Soothe Me" while riding in the Bluesmobile during the film as a tribute to Sam & Dave.
Also in 1979, Sam and Dave opened shows for The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
on their U.S. tour, including at the Palladium
Palladium (music venue)
The Palladium was a concert hall and later a nightclub in New York City. It was located on the south side of East 14th Street, between Irving Place and 3rd Avenue....
in New York City. In 1980, the duo performed in Paul Simon
Paul Simon
Paul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.Simon is best known for his success, beginning in 1965, as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair's songs, including three that reached number one on the US singles...
's film One Trick Pony and on Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
. In 1980, they also were featured in a U.S. tour opening for the 50s band Sha Na Na
Sha Na Na
Sha Na Na is an American rock and roll group. The name is taken from a part of the long series of nonsense syllables in the doo-wop hit song "Get a Job", originally recorded in 1957 by the Silhouettes....
.
In 1981, they re-recorded many hits along with Sam Cooke
Sam Cooke
Samuel Cook, , better known under the stage name Sam Cooke, was an American gospel, R&B, soul, and pop singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. He is considered to be one of the pioneers and founders of soul music. He is commonly known as the King of Soul for his distinctive vocal abilities and...
and Otis Redding
Otis Redding
Otis Ray Redding, Jr. was an American soul singer-songwriter, record producer, arranger and talent scout. He is considered one of the major figures in soul and R&B...
covers for LPs titled Soul Study Vol. 1 and Soul Study Vol. 2 (Odyssey). The pair last performed on New Year's Eve, 1981, at the Old Waldorf in San Francisco. According to Moore, when they walked off stage it was the last time they spoke to each other.
Dave Prater and Sam Daniels (1982–1988)
In 1982, Prater started touring under the "Sam & Dave" name or as "The New Sam & Dave Revue" with Sam Daniels, who performed with Dave from October 1982 until Dave's death in 1988. Moore attempted to block Prater from using the group's name, but was largely unsuccessful. The Daniels & Prater incarnation played 100 shows per year over the next seven years, including in Europe, Japan and Canada.In 1985, Prater and Sam Daniels released a newly-sung medley of Sam & Dave hits recorded in The Netherlands, which peaked at #92 R&B and was credited to "Sam & Dave". Sam Moore got the record company to recall the single for using the "Sam & Dave" name without permission, and the record was re-labelled and re-issued by "The New Sam & Dave Revue".
Prater had his last performance with Sam Daniels on April 3, 1988 at a Stax Reunion at the Atlanta Civic Center which also featured Isaac Hayes, Eddie Floyd, and Rufus and Carla Thomas. Six days later, on April 9, 1988, Prater died in a car crash in Sycamore, Georgia, while driving to his mother's house.
See more details on his career under his Dave Prater
Dave Prater
Dave Prater was an American Southern Soul and Rhythm & Blues singer who was the deeper, baritone and second tenor vocalist of the soul vocal duo Sam & Dave from 1961 until his death in 1988...
Wikipedia bio.
Sam Moore solo career (1982-present)
Moore has continued to perform and record as a solo artist, and has also performed in numerous duets with other popular artists. (See the Sam MooreSam Moore
Samuel David Moore is an American Southern Soul and Rhythm & Blues singer who was the tenor vocalist for the soul vocal duo Sam & Dave from 1961 through 1981...
article.)
Conflict between Moore and Prater
Sam & Dave were also famous for having a very tumultuous partnership during most of their 21 years together. According to Moore, they did not speak to each other offstage for almost 13 years. During the 1970s, they broke up many times, and would typically show up separately for shows, require separate dressing rooms, not look at each other onstage, and communicate through intermediaries. They also had performances in the 1970s where only one of them would show up. Moore describes personal issues with Prater, drug use, touring fatigue, and a desire to do his own act with new material as contributing to their break-up. Prater attributed their rift and break-ups to Moore's frustrations in wanting to do his own act and diversify from having to perform the Sam & Dave song catalogue (which Moore has often stated that he does not like very much) over and over.Covers by other artists/use in pop culture
Sam & Dave songs have been recorded by other artists, including 29 covers of "Hold On, I'm Comin'". Others who charted with Sam & Dave songs include ZZ TopZZ Top
ZZ Top is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "That Little Ol' Band from Texas". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based boogie rock, has come to incorporate elements of arena, southern, and boogie rock. The band, from Houston Texas, formed in 1969...
-"I Thank You", The Fabulous Thunderbirds
The Fabulous Thunderbirds
The Fabulous Thunderbirds are an American, Grammy-nominated Blues rock band, formed in 1974.-Career:After performing for several years in the Austin, Texas blues scene, the band won a recording contract with Takoma/Chrysalis Records, and later on signed with Epic Records.Their first two albums,...
-"Wrap It Up", James & Bobby Purify
James & Bobby Purify
James & Bobby Purify were an R&B singing duo, whose biggest hits were "I'm Your Puppet" in 1966, which reached #6 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and in a re-recorded version #12 in the UK Singles Chart , and "Let Love Come Between Us" in 1967, which reached #23 in the U.S.James Lee Purify was...
-"I Take What I Want", Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt is an American popular music recording artist. She has earned eleven Grammy Awards, two Academy of Country Music awards, an Emmy Award, an ALMA Award, numerous United States and internationally certified gold, platinum and multiplatinum albums, in addition to Tony Award and Golden...
featuring Aaron Neville
Aaron Neville
Aaron Neville is an American soul and R&B singer and musician. He has had four top-20 hits in the United States along with four platinum-certified albums...
-"When Something is Wrong with my Baby", Chuck Jackson
Chuck Jackson
Chuck Jackson is an R&B singer who was one of the first artists to record material by Burt Bacharach and Hal David successfully. He has performed with moderate success since 1961...
& Maxine Brown
Maxine Brown (soul singer)
Maxine Ella Brown is an American soul and R&B singer.-Background and career:Maxine Brown began singing as a child, performing with two New York based gospel groups called the Angelairs and the Royaltones when she was a teenager...
-"Hold On, I'm Comin'", and Lydia Pense
Lydia Pense
Lydia Pense is an American rock-soul-jazz singer who since 1969 has performed with the band Cold Blood...
& Cold Blood -"I Take What I Want". A diverse group of other successful artists also recorded Sam & Dave covers including: Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
, Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
, Peter Frampton
Peter Frampton
Peter Kenneth Frampton is an English musician, singer, producer, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist. He was previously associated with the bands Humble Pie and The Herd. Frampton's international breakthrough album was his live release, Frampton Comes Alive!. The album sold over 6 million copies...
, The Temptations
The Temptations
The Temptations is an American vocal group having achieved fame as one of the most successful acts to record for Motown Records. The group's repertoire has included, at various times during its five-decade career, R&B, doo-wop, funk, disco, soul, and adult contemporary music.Formed in Detroit,...
, Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Lynn Raitt is an American blues singer-songwriter and a renowned slide guitar player. During the 1970s, Raitt released a series of acclaimed roots-influenced albums which incorporated elements of blues, rock, folk and country, but she is perhaps best known for her more commercially...
, Jackie Wilson
Jackie Wilson
Jack Leroy "Jackie" Wilson, Jr. was an American singer and performer. Known as "Mr. Excitement", Wilson was important in the transition of rhythm and blues into soul. He was known as a master showman, and as one of the most dynamic singers and performers in R&B and rock history...
, The Eurythmics, Rory Gallagher
Rory Gallagher
William Rory Gallagher, ; 2 March 1948 – 14 June 1995, was an Irish blues-rock multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and bandleader. Born in Ballyshannon, County Donegal, Ireland, and raised in Cork, Gallagher recorded solo albums throughout the 1970s and 1980s, after forming the band Taste...
, Tom Jones
Tom Jones (singer)
Sir Thomas John Woodward, OBE , known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer.Since the mid 1960s, Jones has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, techno, soul and gospel – and sold over 100 million records...
, The Band
The Band
The Band was an acclaimed and influential roots rock group. The original group consisted of Rick Danko , Garth Hudson , Richard Manuel , and Robbie Robertson , and Levon Helm...
, Martha Reeves & the Vandellas, Michael Bolton
Michael Bolton
Michael Bolton is an American singer and songwriter. Bolton originally performed in the hard rock and heavy metal genres from the mid 1970s to the mid 1980s, both on his early solo albums and those recorded as the frontman of the band Blackjack...
, Patti LaBelle
Patti LaBelle
Patricia Louise Holte-Edwards , better known under the stage name, Patti LaBelle, is a Grammy Award winning American singer, author and actress who has spent over 50 years in the music industry...
& Travis Tritt
Travis Tritt
James Travis Tritt is an American country music singer from Marietta, Georgia. He signed to Warner Bros. Records in 1989, releasing seven studio albums and a greatest hits package for the label between then and 1999. In the 2000s, he released two albums on Columbia Records and one for the defunct...
, Bryan Ferry
Bryan Ferry
Bryan Ferry, CBE is an English singer, musician, and songwriter. Ferry came to public prominence in the early 1970s as lead vocalist and principal songwriter with the band Roxy Music, who enjoyed a highly successful career with three number one albums and ten singles entering the top ten charts in...
, Marilyn McCoo
Marilyn McCoo
Marilyn McCoo is an American singer, actress, and television presenter, who is best known for being the lead female vocalist in the group The 5th Dimension, as well as hosting the 1980s music countdown series Solid Gold...
& Billy Davis Jr., The Hollies
The Hollies
The Hollies are an English pop and rock group, formed in Manchester in the early 1960s, though most of the band members are from throughout East Lancashire. Known for their distinctive vocal harmony style, they became one of the leading British groups of the 1960s and 1970s...
, Paul Butterfield
Paul Butterfield
Paul Butterfield was an American blues vocalist and harmonica player, who founded the Paul Butterfield Blues Band in the early 1960s and performed at the original Woodstock Festival...
, Taj Majal, Guy Sebastian
Guy Sebastian
Guy Theodore Sebastian is an Australian pop, R&B, and soul singer-songwriter who was the first winner of Australian Idol in 2003. He is currently a judge on the Australian version of The X Factor. Sebastian has released six top ten platinum/multi platinum albums, including a number-one and...
, and Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
& B.B. King.
In 2003, the Stax Museum
Stax Museum
The Stax Museum of American Soul Music is a museum located in Memphis, Tennessee, at 926 McLemore Avenue, the former location of Stax Records. It is operated by Soulsville USA, which also operates the adjacent Stax Music Academy.-History:...
of American Soul Music opened in Memphis and Sam & Dave are in the film made for the Museum, titled Soulsville, and have a permanent wall and video display.
Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
used "Hold On, I'm Comin'" as a theme song on the campaign trail, until Sam Moore requested that he stop using it. Eleven months later Sam Moore performed "Soul Man" with Sting and Elvis Costello at one of Obama's inaugural parties. A parody of "Soul Man" created by Moore, "I'm a Dole Man", was used in the 1996 Bob Dole
Bob Dole
Robert Joseph "Bob" Dole is an American attorney and politician. Dole represented Kansas in the United States Senate from 1969 to 1996, was Gerald Ford's Vice Presidential running mate in the 1976 presidential election, and was Senate Majority Leader from 1985 to 1987 and in 1995 and 1996...
presidential campaign until the copyright owners objected and requested the campaign stop using it. Sam & Dave released the rare single "Hold on, Edwin's Coming" in 1982 to support Louisiana Governor Edwin Edwards
Edwin Edwards
Edwin Washington Edwards served as the Governor of Louisiana for four terms , twice as many terms as any other Louisiana chief executive has served. Edwards was also Louisiana's first Roman Catholic governor in the 20th century...
' third run for Governor. Another parody, "I'm a Suns Fan", was recorded by Moore and used for the Phoenix Suns
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...
basketball games.
Sam & Dave songs have been frequently used in movie & TV soundtracks and commercials, including "Hold On, I'm Comin'" on the soundtrack of the 2007 hit film American Gangster. "Hold On, I'm Comin'" and "Soothe Me" played on the radio in the Bluesmobile during the 1980 hit movie and cult classic, The Blues Brothers
The Blues Brothers (film)
The Blues Brothers is a 1980 musical comedy film directed by John Landis and starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd as "Joliet" Jake and Elwood Blues, characters developed from a musical sketch on the NBC variety series Saturday Night Live. It features musical numbers by R&B and soul singers James...
. Jay Leno
Jay Leno
James Douglas Muir "Jay" Leno is an American stand-up comedian and television host.From 1992 to 2009, Leno was the host of NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Beginning in September 2009, Leno started a primetime talk show, titled The Jay Leno Show, which aired weeknights at 10:00 p.m. ,...
used "Hold on I'm Comin" while driving his AC Cobra on his 2009 Super Bowl commercial to announce his show's move to 10pm. "Wrap it Up" is used as a transition to commercial break for The O'Reilly Factor
The O'Reilly Factor
The O'Reilly Factor, originally titled The O'Reilly Report from 1996 to 1998 and often called The Factor, is an American talk show on the Fox News Channel hosted by commentator Bill O'Reilly, who often discusses current controversial political issues with guests.The program was the most watched...
. "Soul Man" was used as the title and title track in the 1986 movie featuring C. Thomas Howell, and also the 1997–1998 television series featuring Dan Aykroyd. The movie Tapeheads
Tapeheads
Tapeheads is a 1988 comedy film directed by Bill Fishman. The film stars John Cusack, Tim Robbins, Sam Moore, and Junior Walker. The movie was produced by Michael Nesmith, who is seen briefly in the film as a bottled water delivery man.-Plot:...
, released in 1988 and starring John Cusack
John Cusack
John Paul Cusack is an American film actor and screenwriter. He has appeared in more than 50 films, including The Journey of Natty Gann, Say Anything..., Grosse Point Blank, The Thin Red Line, Stand by Me, Con Air, Being John Malkovich, High Fidelity, Serendipity, Runaway Jury, The Ice Harvest,...
and Tim Robbins
Tim Robbins
Timothy Francis "Tim" Robbins is an American actor, screenwriter, director, producer, activist and musician. He is the former longtime partner of actress Susan Sarandon...
, featured Sam Moore and Junior Walker as a fictitious, legendary soul duo called "The Swanky Modes". The movie Soul Men, released in November 2008, was a comedy featuring Bernie Mac
Bernie Mac
Bernard Jeffrey McCullough , better known by his stage name, Bernie Mac, was an American actor and comedian. Born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, Mac gained popularity as a stand-up comedian. He joined comedians Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer, and D. L...
and Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel Leroy Jackson is an American film and television actor and film producer. After becoming involved with the Civil Rights Movement, he moved on to acting in theater at Morehouse College, and then films. He had several small roles such as in the film Goodfellas before meeting his mentor,...
as two feuding soul singers called "The Real Deal". In February 2009, Moore filed suit against the film production company and the producers for infringing on the marks Soul Man and Soul Men, claiming the movie is based on the careers of Sam & Dave, and damaged both Moore's reputation and career.
Studio albums
- 1966: Hold On, I'm Comin'Hold On, I'm Comin'Hold On, I'm Comin' is the 1966 debut album by Atlantic Records soul duo Sam and Dave, issued on the Atlantic-distributed Stax label in 1966....
(Stax 708) (POP #45, R&B #1) - 1966: Double Dynamite (Stax 712) (POP #118, R&B #7)
- 1967: Soul MenSoul Men (album)Soul Men, released in 1967, was the third album by R&B duo Sam & Dave. The album reached #5 on the Billboard "Black Album" chart in 1967 and #62 on the "Pop Album" chart in 1968. It launched the hit single "Soul Man" which ranked #1 on the "Black Singles" charts and #2 on the Pop Singles charts...
(Stax 725) (POP #2, R&B #5) - 1968: I Thank You (Atlantic 8205) (R&B #38)
- 1975: Back At Cha (United Artists LA524-G)
Greatest hits/compilation albums
- 1966: Sam & Dave (Roulette-Roulette singles compilation)
- 1969: The Best of Sam & Dave (Atlantic 8218-Stax/Atlantic singles) Pop #87/R&B #24
- 1969: Double Golden Album (Nippon Grammaphone/Atlantic, Japan-Stax/Atlantic Singles)
- 1978: Sweet & Funky Gold (Gusto, re-recordings of hits)
- 1982: Soul Study Volume 1 (Odyssey, re-recordings of hits+new covers)
- 1982: Soul Study Volume 2 (Odyssey, re-recordings of hits+new covers)
- 1984: I Can't Stand Up for Falling Down (Edsel ED 133 UK: Atlantic & Stax singles not previously released)
- 1985: Soul Sister, Brown Sugar (Atlantic, Japan compilation LP of Stax/Atlantic releases)
Singles
| Release date | Title | Label & Cat no. | Chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US R&B | UK | |||
| 1962 | "I Need Love" (Sam Moore Sam Moore Samuel David Moore is an American Southern Soul and Rhythm & Blues singer who was the tenor vocalist for the soul vocal duo Sam & Dave from 1961 through 1981... /Dave Prater Dave Prater Dave Prater was an American Southern Soul and Rhythm & Blues singer who was the deeper, baritone and second tenor vocalist of the soul vocal duo Sam & Dave from 1961 until his death in 1988... ) |
Marlin 6100 | |||
| 1962 | "No More Pain" (Steve Alaimo Steve Alaimo Steve Alaimo was an American teen idol pop singer in the early 1960s who later became record producer and label owner, but he is perhaps best known for hosting and co-producing Dick Clark's Where the Action Is in the late 1960s... ) |
Marlin 6104 | |||
| 1962 | "I Need Love" (Sam Moore Sam Moore Samuel David Moore is an American Southern Soul and Rhythm & Blues singer who was the tenor vocalist for the soul vocal duo Sam & Dave from 1961 through 1981... /Dave Prater Dave Prater Dave Prater was an American Southern Soul and Rhythm & Blues singer who was the deeper, baritone and second tenor vocalist of the soul vocal duo Sam & Dave from 1961 until his death in 1988... ) |
Roulette 4419 | |||
| 1962 | "No More Pain" (Steve Alaimo Steve Alaimo Steve Alaimo was an American teen idol pop singer in the early 1960s who later became record producer and label owner, but he is perhaps best known for hosting and co-producing Dick Clark's Where the Action Is in the late 1960s... ) |
Roulette 4445 | |||
| 1963 | "She's Alright" (Henry Glover Henry Glover Henry Glover was an American songwriter, arranger, record producer and trumpet player. In the music industry of the time, Glover was one of the more successful, and influential, black executives. He gained eminence in the late 1940s, primarily working for the independent King label... /Morris Levy Morris Levy Morris Levy was an American music industry executive, best known as the founder and owner of Roulette Records... /Mayme Watts) |
Roulette 4461 | |||
| 1963 | "It Was So Nice While It Lasted" (Bill Nash) |
Roulette 4480 | |||
| 1963 | "If She'll Still Have Me" (Roberts/Taylor) |
Roulette 4508 | |||
| 1964 | "I Found Out" (Alaimo) |
Roulette 4533 | |||
| 1964 | "I'll Never, Never" (Henry Stone Henry Stone Henry Stone is an American record company executive and producer whose career spans the era from R&B in the early 1950s through the disco boom of the 1970s to the present day. He is best known as co-owner and president of TK Records.... ) |
Alston 777 | |||
| 1965 | "A Place Nobody Can Find" (David Porter David Porter (musician) David Porter is an American soul musician. Porter is best known as the songwriting and production partner of Isaac Hayes at Stax Records during the 1960s... ) |
Stax 168 | |||
| 1965 | "I Take What I Want I Take What I Want I Take What I Want is an EP released by The Artwoods in 1966 by Decca. The album was re-released in 2009 in Japan.-Track listing:#"I Take What I Want" #"If I Ever get My Hands On You" #"I Feel Good"... " (Isaac Hayes Isaac Hayes Isaac Lee Hayes, Jr. was an American songwriter, musician, singer and actor. Hayes was one of the creative influences behind the southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served both as an in-house songwriter and as a record producer, teaming with his partner David Porter during the... /Mabon Hodges Teenie Hodges Mabon Lewis "Teenie" Hodges is a Memphis, Tennessee musician, best known for his work as rhythm and lead guitarist and songwriter on many of Al Green's popular soul hits, and those of other artists such as Ann Peebles and Syl Johnson, on Hi Records in the 1970s.Born in Memphis, "Teenie" began... /David Porter) |
Stax 175 | |||
| 1965 | "You Don't Know Like I Know" (Hayes/Porter) |
Stax 180 | 90 | 7 | |
| 1966 | "Hold On, I'm Comin' Hold On, I'm Comin' Hold On, I'm Comin' is the 1966 debut album by Atlantic Records soul duo Sam and Dave, issued on the Atlantic-distributed Stax label in 1966.... " (Hayes/Porter) |
Stax 189 | 21 | 1 | |
| 1966 | "Said I Wasn't Gonna Tell Nobody" (Hayes/Porter) |
Stax 198 | 64 | 8 | |
| 1967 | "You Got Me Hummin'" (Hayes/Porter) |
Stax 204 | 77 | 7 | |
| 1967 | "When Something is Wrong with My Baby When Something Is Wrong with My Baby "When Something Is Wrong with My Baby" is a popular hit song, a soul ballad, written by Isaac Hayes and David Porter, sung by Sam & Dave, and first released in 1967 by Stax Records.... " (Hayes/Porter) |
Stax 210 | 42 | 2 | |
| 1967 | "Soothe Me" (Live) (Sam Cooke Sam Cooke Samuel Cook, , better known under the stage name Sam Cooke, was an American gospel, R&B, soul, and pop singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. He is considered to be one of the pioneers and founders of soul music. He is commonly known as the King of Soul for his distinctive vocal abilities and... ) |
Stax 218 | 56 | 16 | 35 |
| 1967 | "Soul Man Soul Man (song) "Soul Man" is a 1967 song written by Isaac Hayes and David Porter, first successful as a #2 hit single by Atlantic Records soul duo Sam & Dave.-Song history and background:... " (Hayes/Porter) |
Stax 231 | 2 | 1 | 24 |
| 1968 | "I Thank You I Thank You (song) "I Thank You" is a song written by David Porter and Isaac Hayes originally recorded by Sam & Dave, released in early 1968. The single was Sam & Dave's final release on Stax Records, reaching #9 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart and #4 on the R&B chart... " (Hayes/Porter) |
Stax 242 | 9 | 4 | 34 |
| 1968 | "Don't Knock It" (Hayes/Porter) Europe only |
Stax 169 016 | |||
| 1968 | "You Don't Know What You Mean to Me" (Eddie Floyd Eddie Floyd Eddie Lee Floyd is an American soul/R&B singer and songwriter, best known for his work on the Stax record label in the 1960s and 1970s and the song "Knock on Wood".-Biography:... /Steve Cropper Steve Cropper Steve Cropper , also known as Steve "The Colonel" Cropper, is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the guitarist of the Stax Records house band, Booker T... ) |
Atlantic 2517 | 48 | 20 | |
| 1968 | "Can't You Find Another Way" (Homer Banks Homer Banks Homer Banks was an African-American songwriter, singer and record producer, best known for his songs for Stax Records in the 1960s and 1970s... /Raymond Jackson) |
Atlantic 2540 | 54 | 19 | |
| 1968 | "Everybody Got to Believe in Somebody" (Hayes/Porter) |
Atlantic 2568 | 73 | ||
| 1969 | "Soul Sister Brown Sugar" (Hayes/Porter) |
Atlantic 2590 | 41 | 18 | 15 |
| 1969 | "Born Again" (Hayes/Porter) |
Atlantic 2608 | 92 | 27 | |
| 1969 | "Ooh Ooh Ooh" (Donnie Fritts Donnie Fritts Donnie Fritts is an American session musician and songwriter. A recording artist in his own right, he has been Kris Kristofferson's keyboard player for over twenty years... /John Reid) |
Atlantic 2668 | |||
| 1970 | "Baby Baby Don't Stop Now" (Hayes/Porter) |
Atlantic 2714 | 117 | ||
| 1970 | "One Part Love, Two Parts Pain" (Alvertis Isbell/Allen Jones) |
Atlantic 2728 | 123 | ||
| 1970 | "Knock It Out the Park" (Dave Crawford/Willie Martin) |
Atlantic 2733 | |||
| 1971 | "Don't Pull Your Love" (Dennis Lambert/Brian Potter) |
Atlantic 2839 | 102 | 36 | |
| 1974 | "A Little Bit of Good (Cures a Whole Lot of Bad)" | United Artists 438 | 89 | ||
| 1974 | "Under the Boardwalk Under the Boardwalk "Under the Boardwalk" is a hit pop song written by Kenny Young and Arthur Resnick and recorded by The Drifters in 1964.-Premise:The lyric describes a tryst between a man and his beloved in a seaside town, who plan to privately meet "out of the sun" and out of sight from everyone else under a... " (Kenny Young Kenny Young Kenny Young is an American songwriter who has been an active writer, artist, and producer from 1963 to the present. His most famous song was "Under the Boardwalk," co-written with Arthur Resnick and recorded by The Drifters in 1964 and by The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys, and many other artists;... /Arthur Resnick) |
United Artists 531 | |||
| 1977 | "We Can Work It Out We Can Work It Out "We Can Work It Out" is a song by The Beatles, written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon. It was released as a "double A-sided" single with "Day Tripper", the first time both sides of a single were so designated in an initial release... " (John Lennon John Lennon John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music... /Paul McCartney Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100... ) |
Contempo 7004 | |||
| 1977 | "Why Did You Do It" (Kirby) UK/Europe only |
Contempo 2109 | |||
Appearances on other albums
- 1967: The Stax/Volt Revue Volume 1-Live in London (three Sam & Dave tracks, four on UK version)
- 1967: The Stax/Volt Revue Volume 2-Live in Paris (three Sam & Dave tracks)
- 1967: Stay in School, Don't Be A Dropout (Stax, Promo LP, 1 Sam & Dave track plus a PSA)
- 1976: Jaco PastoriusJaco PastoriusJohn Francis Anthony Pastorius III , known as Jaco Pastorius, was an American jazz musician and composer widely acknowledged as a virtuoso electric bass player....
(Jaco PastoriusJaco PastoriusJohn Francis Anthony Pastorius III , known as Jaco Pastorius, was an American jazz musician and composer widely acknowledged as a virtuoso electric bass player....
album, Sam & Dave vocals on "Come On, Come Over") - 1977: Soul Express (released in Germany by Contempo UK, two Sam & Dave tracks)
- 1978: Soul Deep Vol 2 (released in Germany by Contempo UK, 1 track "Living It Down" only known release of this track)
- Hold On Im Coming (Spice Records-Belgium, contains 5 of the 6 known tracks from the Contempo recording sessions)
CD and DVD collections
- 1987: The Best of Sam & Dave (Atlantic) 21 tracks on one CD
- 1990: An Anthology of Sam & Dave (Atlantic-Canada) 33 tracks, including extensive bio insert by Rob Bowman. Out of Print.
- 1991: Sweat & Soul (Rhino CD) 50 tracks, including four previously unreleased tracks and extensive booklet on the duo. Out of Print.
- 2006: Sam & Dave: The Definitive Soul Collection (Rhino CD) 30 tracks, digitally remastered.
- 2007: The 1967 Stax/Volt Revue-Norway (DVD Reelin in the Years) Four live tracks from spring 67 tour performing with Booker T. & The MG's and the Mar-Keys. Interviews with Sam Moore & others..
- 2008: The Original Soul Men: Sam & Dave (DVD) 21 Sam & Dave tracks, including 17 live tracks from 1966–1980 and interview with Sam Moore and others
Note: The original Stax and Atlantic albums are also available on CD(Rhino)
Other issues
- 1982: "Hold On, Edwin's Coming" (Guv-nor Records) Single for Louisiana Governor Edwin EdwardsEdwin EdwardsEdwin Washington Edwards served as the Governor of Louisiana for four terms , twice as many terms as any other Louisiana chief executive has served. Edwards was also Louisiana's first Roman Catholic governor in the 20th century...
' third election campaign. - 1985: The New Sam & Dave Review: A:"Medley-Hold On Im Comin-You Dont Know-Soul Man-I Thank You Soul Sister, Brown Sugar/B:Hold On" Atlantic 7-99636 (with Sam Daniels & Dave Prater). R&B #92