Sam PERFORMERS and D ave - Rock and Roll Hall of Fame...Jerry Wexler’s soul epiphany had its roots...
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P E R F O R M E R S Sam and D ave In the summer of 1964, Jerry Wexler of Atlantic Records was attending a DJ convention in Miami. Florida record man Henry Stone suggested he stop in at a nightclub called the King of Hearts to check out a local singing duo known as Sam & Dave. "It was like 165 degrees,” Wexler later told writer Rob Bowman. “ It was hot and they were hot...W hen I heard them there that night, that was all she wrote. I signed them up immediately.” Jerry Wexler’s soul epiphany had its roots deep in Fifties gospel and R&B. Samuel David Moore was born October 12, 1935 in Miami to a deeply religious and highly musical Bap- tist family. He’d sneak out to sing with street-corner ensem - bles like the Majesties, who later changed their name to the Gales and switched from R&B to straight gospel singing. While working with another Florida gospel quartet, the Mel- lionaires, Moore declined an offer to replace the departing Sam Cooke in the Soul Stirrers and became an MC and house vocal- ist at the King of Hearts. In December 1961, one of the club’s regular amateur nights attracted another youthful veteran of the Florida gospel cir- cuit: David Prater, Jr. Born May 9, 1937 in Ocilla, Georgia, Dave had come to Miami in 1959 to sing lead for his brother’s gospel group, the Sensational Hummingbirds. On stage that night, Dave was unsure of the words to Jackie Wilson’s “Dog- gin’ Around,” and Moore, the MC, cued him through the song. Sam: “When it got to the part where Jackie Wilson would drop to his knees, Dave tripped. I was responsible for all the instruments and microphones that got broken...so he and I went down together, and I caught the mike. The audience thought that was the act. It wasn’t, but they went crazy.” The “Double Dynamite” duo of Sam & Dave was born. Beginning in 1962, they released seven singles; none served to set them apart from their idols like Ray Charles and Jackie Wilson. But in early 1965, Jerry Wexler sent Sam & Dave to the Stax/Volt studios in Memphis. On “Goodnight Baby,” the ballad flip of their first Stax single, “one can readily hear how close their three and a half years together had brought them,” notes Rob Bowman. “They answer, echo and finish each oth- er’s lines... with a grace and ease that is mesmerizing.” When David Porter teamed with Isaac Hayes four months later to write and produce “I Take What I W ant,” they set the pattern for Sam & Dave’s hitmaking career, a perfect balance of pop melody and pure church feeling. In the spring of 1966 came the breakthrough: “Hold On, I’m Coming” (a #1 R&B and #2 1 Pop hit), quickly followed by the wryly salacious “You Got Me Hummin’,” the poignant “When Something Is Wrong W ith My Baby” and the 1967 million-seller and Grammy Award winner “Soul Man” (#1 R&B/#2 Pop). Sam & Dave gave on© of the most exciting live shows of the soul era, complete with shake dancers, duel drummers and a small army of horns. Yet offstage, the two men rarely spoke to each other. In 1968, the distribution agreement between Stax and At- lantic ended — and with it, the peerless match of Sam & Dave with Isaac Hayes, David Porter and Booker T. & the MGs. In June 1970, Sam & Dave split up; they regrouped, split, re- grouped again. By 1979, both men were strung out, reduced to cutting inferior new versions of their Stax classics even as the Blues Brothers hit the Top 20 with a vaudevillian cover of .“Soul Man.” Sam & Dave played their very last show together on December 31, 1981 at the Old Waldorf in San Francisco. A close friend, Joyce McRae, urged Sam Moore to enroll ifi a rehabilitation program. By March 1982, Sam was drug-free and newly-wed, with Joyce managing her husband’s renascent career. Then, on April 9, 1988, David Prater was killed in an automobile accident near Tifton, Georgia. Sam kept on singing. The lean years had not robbed him of his extraordinary vocal powers, as he" proved in performances ranging from a Republican inaugural gala to New York’s Lone Star Roadhouse. Thirty years after that amateur night at the King of Hearts, he could still create (in Greg Tate’s words) “the kind of pent-up bodysoaking ritual release that soul music was Invented for.” In 1992, Sam Moore will record his first solo album. “I’ve gotten the Grammy. I’ve performed for presidents, kings and queens. Done movies, soundtracks. I’ve sung with some of the biggest people in the music business.. .My only thing now is, I’ve got to do it all again.” — Andy Schwartz s v .Joul Men: Sam Moore and Dave Prater in action. HALL OF FAME • If 92 # ATLANTIC RECORDS
Transcript of Sam PERFORMERS and D ave - Rock and Roll Hall of Fame...Jerry Wexler’s soul epiphany had its roots...
P E R F O R M E R S
Sam and D aveIn the sum m er of 1964, Je rry W exler of A tlan tic Records
was attend ing a DJ convention in M iami. Florida record man Henry Stone suggested he stop in at a nightclub called the King of Hearts to check out a local singing duo known as Sam & Dave.
" I t was like 165 d eg rees ,” W exler la te r to ld w riter Rob B ow m an. “ I t was h o t and they w ere h o t . . .W h e n I heard them there th a t n ig h t, th a t was all she w rote. I signed them up im m ed ia te ly .”
Jerry W exler’s soul ep iphany had its roots deep in Fifties gospel and R&B. Samuel David Moore was born October 12, 1935 in Miami to a deeply religious and highly musical Baptis t family. H e’d sneak out to sing w ith street-corner ensembles like the M ajesties, who later changed their name to the Gales and sw itched from R&B to s tra ig h t gospel s in g in g . W hile working w ith another Florida gospel quarte t, the Mel- lionaires, Moore declined an offer to replace the departing Sam Cooke in the Soul S tirrers and became an MC and house vocalist at the King of H earts.
In December 1961, one of the club’s regular am ateur nights a ttrac ted another you th fu l veteran of the F lorida gospel c ircuit: David P rater, J r . Born May 9, 1937 in Ocilla, Georgia, Dave had come to Miami in 1959 to sing lead for his brother’s gospel group, the Sensational H um m ingb irds. On stage tha t night, Dave was unsure of the words to Jackie W ilson’s “Dog- g in’ A round,” and Moore, the MC, cued him through the song.
Sam: “W hen it got to the part where Jackie W ilson would drop to his knees, Dave tripped . I was responsible for all the in stru m en ts and m icrophones th a t go t b ro k e n ...so he and I w ent dow n to g e th e r , and I cau g h t the m ike. The audience thought that was the act. I t wasn’t, but they went crazy.” The “Double D ynam ite” duo of Sam & Dave was born.
Beginning in 1962, they released seven singles; none served to set them apart from their idols like Ray Charles and Jackie W ilson. But in early 1965, Jerry W exler sent Sam & Dave to the Stax/Volt studios in M emphis. On “G oodnight B aby,” the ballad flip of the ir first Stax single, “one can readily hear how close the ir three and a half years together had brought th em ,” notes Rob Bowman. “They answer, echo and finish each o th er’s lin e s... w ith a grace and ease tha t is m esm erizing.”
W hen David P orter team ed w ith Isaac Hayes four m onths later to w rite and produce “ I Take W hat I W a n t,” they set the
pattern for Sam & Dave’s h itm aking career, a perfect balance of pop melody and pure church feeling. In the spring of 1966 came the breakthrough: “Hold On, I ’m Com ing” (a # 1 R&B and # 2 1 Pop h i t) , q u ick ly fo llow ed by th e w ryly salacious “You Got Me H um m in’, ” the poignant “W hen Som ething Is W ro n g W ith My B ab y ” and th e 1967 m il l io n -s e l le r and Grammy Award winner “Soul M an” (# 1 R & B /#2 Pop). Sam & Dave gave on© of the m ost exciting live shows of the soul e ra , co m p le te w ith shake d a n ce rs , d u e l d ru m m ers and a sm all arm y of horns. Yet offstage, the two m en rarely spoke to each o ther.
In 1968, the d is tribu tion agreem ent between Stax and A tlantic ended — and w ith i t , the peerless m atch of Sam & Dave w ith Isaac Hayes, David Porter and Booker T . & the MGs. In Ju ne 1970, Sam & Dave sp lit up; they regrouped, sp lit, re grouped again. By 1979, both men were strung out, reduced to cu tting inferior new versions of the ir Stax classics even as the Blues Brothers h it the Top 20 w ith a vaudevillian cover of
.“Soul M an.” Sam & Dave played the ir very last show together on December 31, 1981 at the O ld W aldorf in San Francisco.
A close friend, Joyce McRae, urged Sam Moore to enroll ifi a reh ab ilita tio n program . By M arch 1982, Sam was drug-free and newly-wed, w ith Joyce m anaging her husband’s renascent career. Then, on A pril 9 , 1988, David Prater was killed in an autom obile accident near T ifton , Georgia.
Sam kept on singing. The lean years had not robbed him of his extraordinary vocal powers, as he" proved in performances ranging from a Republican inaugural gala to New Y ork’s Lone Star Roadhouse. T h irty years after th a t am ateur n ig h t at the K ing of H earts, he could s till create (in Greg T a te ’s words) “ the k in d of p e n t-u p bodysoaking r i tu a l release th a t soul m usic was In ven ted f o r .” In 199 2 , Sam M oore w ill record his firs t solo album .
“ I ’ve g o tten the G ram m y. I ’ve perform ed for p residen ts, kings and queens. Done movies, soundtracks. I ’ve sung w ith some of the b iggest people in the m usic b u sin e ss .. .My only th ing now is, I ’ve got to do it a ll again.”
— Andy Schwartzsv .Joul Men: Sam Moore and Dave Prater in action.
H A L L O F F A M E • I f 9 2 # A T L A N T I C R E C O R D S
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