Sam Moore

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Sam Moore (born Samuel David Moore, 12 October 1935, in Miami, Florida) is an American rhythm and blues singer best known for his work in the soul duo Sam & Dave.

[edit] Career

Moore and David Prater were veterans of gospel music groups The Melionaires and The Sensational Hummingbirds. They met in The King of Hearts Club in Miami in 1961, signing to Roulette Records before being signed by Jerry Wexler to Atlantic Records in 1965, then being 'loaned' like many other soul acts of the time to Stax Records.

The duo's 1966 debut, "You Don't Know Like I Know," started a series of Top Ten soul hits that included "Hold On! I'm Comin'" (1966), "You Got Me Hummin' (1966), "When Something Is Wrong with My Baby" (1967), "Soul Man" (1967), and "I Thank You" (1968). Most of their hits were penned by Isaac Hayes and Dave Porter. In most recordings they were backed by Hayes on piano with Booker T and the MGs and The Memphis Horns. The ending of their association with the Stax record label and their frequently volatile relationship contributed to their first break-up in 1970.

In 2006, Moore claimed to have been a witness, along with Aretha Franklin, to the August, 1971 murder of musician and record producer King Curtis. Moore was arriving at Curtis's New York City apartment to discuss a recording they planned to work on; at the same time, says Moore, Franklin was also approaching Curtis's building from the opposite direction in order to discuss her own studio sessions with him, when they saw Curtis get into an altercation on the sidewalk with two drug addicts, and one of them stabbed him in the heart with a knife. Moore left the scene rather than stay to give a statement as a witness before the police arrived, because he was carrying drugs and was afraid of being searched and arrested.

Sam & Dave reunited several times during the 1970s, at the last occasion due to The Blues Brothers's 1978 recording of 'Soul Man'. In 1986 Moore re-recorded "Soul Man" with Lou Reed for the film of the same name. As was later revealed, drug problems contributed to the pair's instability; Prater was arrested for selling crack to an undercover policeman. On April 9, 1988, Prater died in a car crash in Sycamore, Georgia.

Moore appeared with Junior Walker in the 1988 film Tapeheads. He had a renewed solo career in 1991 when his duet with Conway Twitty "Rainy Night In Georgia" appeared on the Top 10 crossover album Rhythm, Country, and Blues.

Moore was given a Pioneer Award by the Rhythm and Blues Foundation in 1991. The pair were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.

In 2002, Moore's first solo album, recorded in 1971 but never released, finally hit stores. "Plenty Good Lovin'", produced by King Curtis and featuring Aretha Franklin on piano, garnered many four star reviews.

In 2003, Moore starred in the DA Pennebaker-directed documentary, "Only the Strong Survive" (Miramax). The film was a selection of both the Cannes and Sundance Film Festivals in 2002.

On February 8, 2006, Moore appeared at the end of the televised Grammy Awards show and sang a version of "In The Midnight Hour", as a tribute to the recently-departed Wilson Pickett.

On August 29, 2006, Sam Moore released his first solo album in over 35 years. "Overnight Sensational," produced by Randy Jackson, features Sting, Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, Fantasia and 20 other guest stars. Produced with and available on Rhino Records.

[edit] Private life

Moore has been married since 1982 to the former Joyce Greenberg, a longtime advocate of artists' rights and a leader in the fight to restore pensions of members of the AFTRA union.