Sam & Dave

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 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.[1] Their crossover charts appeal (13 straight appearances and 2 top 10 singles) helped paved 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 further define the genre «Soul Music». «Soul Man» 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 sweaty, 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 Stevie Winwood. The Blues Brothers, who helped create a resurgence of Soul, R&B, & Blues in the 1980s, were influenced by Sam & Dave (their biggest hit was a cover of «Soul Man», and their act and stage show were influenced by Sam & Dave).