The former member of the group Sam & Dave, formed as a duo with David Prater in 1961, lost his life “following complications after a surgical operation”. He was seen as one of the initiators of the soul movement in the United States.
He was one of the two formidable interpreters of the title Soul Man in the 1960s. Samuel David Moore, better known as Sam Moore, and one half of the soul duo Sam & Dave, died Friday, January 10 in Coral Gables, Florida, at the age of 89. His agent, Jeremy Westby, told the British newspaper The Guardian that he lost his life « following complications after surgery ».
The American singer formed a soul group – a musical style derived from blues, gospel and jazz – with his friend David Prater in 1961. The two artists, who operated under the name Sam & Dave, contractions of their respective first names , became known in the 1960s with the release of the hits Hold On, I’m Comin’, Soul Man or even I Thank You.
Source d’inspiration
Their career did not leave certain other singers indifferent who, later, were inspired by the movement initiated by Moore and Prater. Michael Jackson, for example, or even Al Green and Bruce Springsteen used the “soul style” in some of their music.
In 1981, despite the success of the group, the two men argued, notably due to Sam Moore’s addiction to heroin, and announced their separation. However, they were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1992, four years after the death of David Prater in 1988 in a car accident.
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Fervent Republican supporter
To fight his addiction, Sam Moore decides to follow a detoxification program. He then began a solo career during which he recorded a new version of Soul Man with Lou Reed in 1988 and released his first solo album with Overnight Sensationalin 2006.
Sam Moore was also a staunch Republican supporter in the United States. In 1996, the singer produced a version of Soul Man in support of Senator Bob Dole’s candidacy for president. In 2017, he performed at Donald Trump’s inauguration at the White House, nine years after opposing the use of the song Hold On, I’m Comin’ by Barack Obama during his presidential campaign in 2008.
