Sam & Dave | Artist
Sam & Dave were an American soul and R&B duo formed 1961 in Miami, Florida, by vocalists Sam Moore and Dave Prater. The tenor voice was Sam Moore (1935–2025) and the baritone voice was Dave Prater (1937–1988). Nicknamed "Double Dynamite", "The Sultans of Sweat", and "The Dynamic Duo" for their gritty, gospel-infused performances, Sam & Dave performed together from 1961 until 1981 and are considered one of the greatest live acts of the 1960s. Starting out, Moore and Prater's early musical backgrounds involved singing gospel music in their homes and churches. They met working the gospel music circuit, and later in small clubs in Miami during amateur nights in 1961. The duo released several early singles with producer Steve Alaimo, on Roulette records. Later they were introduced 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. At Stax they worked with MGs' guitarist Steve Cropper, who wrote or co-wrote four of their first eight recordings. The duo then moved to newcomer production team Isaac Hayes and David Porter, who wrote and produced the duo's biggest hits. Sam & Dave became the most successful soul duo of the period, bringing the sounds of the black gospel church to pop music with their call-and-response records. Recorded primarily at Stax Records in Memphis, from 1965 through 1968, these included "Soul Man", "Hold On, I'm Comin'", "You Don't Know Like I Know", "I Thank You", "When Something Is Wrong with My Baby", "Wrap It Up", and many other Southern Soul classics. Except for 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 three consecutive top-10 LPs. Standout albums include Hold On, I'm Comin' (1966), Double Dynamite (1966), Soul Men (1967), and I Thank You (1968). The 1969 compilation The Best of Sam & Dave is also highly recommended. The Blues Brothers, who helped create a resurgence of popularity for soul, R&B, and blues in the 1980s, were greatly influenced by Sam & Dave – their biggest hit was a cover of "Soul Man" - and their act and stage show contained many homages to the duo.
Artist Website : wikipedia/Sam_&_Dave
Featured Albums: Sam & Dave
Related Artists: Sam Moore, David Prater, Isaac Hayes
