Sam Moore, the soul and R&B singer best known as one half of Sam & Dave, has died. Moore was known for hits like “Soul Man,” “Hold On, I’m Comin’’ and more. He died in Coral Gables, Florida on January 10 due to complications after surgery. Moore was 89 years old.
Moore was born in Miami, Florida in 1935. He began singing gospel music at church and was later playing gigs at local R&B clubs. He met Dave Prater at one such club and the pair formed the soul duo Sam & Dave; Moore sang the tenor parts. They signed to Atlantic Records in 1964 and were loaned out to Memphis’ Stax, where they worked with the songwriting duo of Isaac Hayes and David Porter and the house band Booker T. & the MGs. In 1966, Sam & Dave had a breakthrough Top 40 hit with “Hold On, I’m Comin’.” The track marked the first use of the duo’s signature call-and-response vocals.
Sam & Dave’s biggest hit was 1967’s “Soul Man.” Per Hayes, the song was inspired by the resiliency of the Civil Rights Movement. It would go on to win a Grammy and become a cultural touchstone. “Soul Man” returned to the charts in 1978 after the Blues Brothers—comedians John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd—recorded a cover using many of the original musicians. Moore unsuccessfully sued the makers of the 2008 movie Soul Men, claiming that the film’s characters shared similarities with him and Prater.
Sam & Dave parted ways in the early ’70s, though they would reunite intermittently over the years. Moore launched a solo career beginning with his 1970 debut Plenty Good Lovin’, though that record was considered lost until 2002.
In 2006, Moore released a comeback record called Overnight Sensational. The album featured Jon Bon Jovi, Fantasia, Sting, Sheila E., Mariah Carey, and one of Moore’s biggest musical supporters, Bruce Springsteen.
In the early ’90s, Moore was among a group of artists who sued multiple record companies and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, claiming that the record industry had cheated them out of their retirement benefits. Despite selling millions of records, Moore’s pension amounted to merely $2,285. “Two thousand dollars for my lifetime?” Moore told the AP at the time. “If you’re making a profit off of me, give me some too. Don’t give me cornbread and tell me it’s biscuits.”
Moore was a member of the Grammy Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame for both his achievements with Sam & Dave and his solo music.