Samuel David Moore (b. October 12, 1935, Miami, Florida) and David Prater (b. May 9 1937, Ocilla, Georgia,- d. April 9,1988 Sycamore, Georgia), were American Soul and Rhythm & Blues (R&B) singers who were members of the soul vocal duo Sam & Dave. Sam Moore was the tenor (higher) vocalist and Dave Prater was the baritone/tenor (lower) vocalist.
Sam & Dave are members of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Grammy Hall of Fame and are Grammy Award and multi-Gold Record award winning artists. According to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Sam & Dave were the most successful soul duo, and brought the sounds of the black gospel church to pop music with their string of call-and-response hit records. Primarily recorded at Stax Records in Memphis, Tennessee from 1965 through 1968, these songs included "Soul Man", "Hold On, I'm Coming", "I Thank You", and other Southern soul classics. "Soul Man" has been recognized by many organizations as one of the best or most influential songs of the past 50 years, including the Grammy Hall of Fame, The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Rolling Stone Magazine, and RIAA Songs of the Century. "Soul Man" was also used as the soundtrack and title for both a 1986 film and a 1997-1998 television series.
Nicknamed "Double Dynamite" for their energetic and sweaty, gospel-infused performances, Sam & Dave were also considered by critics to be one of the greatest live performing acts of the 1960's. The duo has also been cited as musical influences by numerous artists including Bruce Springsteen, Michael Jackson, Phil Collins, and Stevie Winwood. The Blues Brothers, which helped create a major resurgence of popular interest in Soul, R&B, & Blues music in the 1980's, was heavily influenced by Sam & Dave (their biggest hit was their top 20 cover of "Soul Man", and their stage show was patterned after Sam & Dave's).
