~ Grammy Winner, Soul Man & Gospel Artist Sam Moore, Member of Rock Hall of Fame, Dead at 89 ~
Legendary Soul Man Sam Moore passed away this morning in Coral Gables, Florida. He was 89. The cause of death was listed complications following surgery.
Sam & Dave
Moore was the tenor half of the Grammy-winning duo Sam & Dave in the 1960s. Their sensational run of hits included “Soul Man,” “Hold On I’m Coming,” “I Thank You,” and many more. Sam & Dave were inducted into the Rock and Roll of Fame in 1992.
Executives from Atlantic Records, saw Sam & Dave in late 1964 at the King O’ Hearts where they were locally famous. In 1965 the duo was signed to Atlantic Records, and the rest has become music history.
Jerry Wexler loaned the duo to Atlantic’s southern production arm, Stax Records. They were introduced to Isaac Hayes and David Porter. What followed was a string of hits rhat led to international stardom. Sam & Dave were so revered that they were among the few stars who were asked to perform at Martin Luther King, Jr.’s memorial concert at Madison Square Garden in 1968.
In the 1970s there was renewed interest in the duo thanks to Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi’s cover of “Soul Man,” performed as The Blues Brothers on “Saturday Night Live.”
Other Achievements
In recent years, Sam received a Special Merit Lifetime Achievement Award from the Grammys. He also continued to perform on a steady basis until the pandemic. His voice was heard recently on a Starbucks commercial featuring the Sam & Dave version of “Hold On I’m Coming.” He was often asked to perform at high-profile prestigious occasions. For example: Aretha Franklin asked him to sing at the funeral for her sister, singer Erma Franklin. Eddie Murphy requested Sam to perform at his Kennedy Center Mark Twain award.
Sam Moore’s Gospel Recording
Sam originally began singing in church. Sam Cooke heard him and thought Moore would be a perfect replacement for him as the lead in the gospel group The Soul Stirrers. The night before he was due to leave for Chicago and be fitted for his stage clothes and join the group, he went to the Nightbeat and saw Jackie Wilson perform. Sam realized he wanted to sing pop, not gospel. However, he was working on a gospel album with Rudy Perez, prior to his death, dedicated to his mother. His voice was reportedly still stellar. It was a musical instrument he knew was a gift from God.
