Samuel Moore and David Prater were both raised in the Southern United States, where they sang in church as children. During the 50s, they performed in soul and R&B clubs with the gospel groups The Melionaires and The Sensational Hummingbirds, respectively, before meeting each other in at the King of Hearts club in Miami in 1961. Moore was hosting an amateur-night contest where Prater was singing. Once, Dave forgot the lyrics to Jackie Wilsons Doggin Around, Sam coached him through the song. Following that night, the singers agreed to work as a duo and soon became a popular local Miami act and signed with Roulette Records, releasing a handful of unsuccessful singles before being signed to Atlantic Records in 1965. Atlantic persuaded their Memphis affiliate, Stax Records, to produce them. Working with the Stax house band, Sam And Dave created a body of sweaty, gritty soul that ranks among the finest and most popular produced in the late 60s. The duos 1966 debut, You Dont Know Like I Know, kicked off a series of Top Ten R&B hits that included Hold On! Im Comin (1966), You Got Me Hummin (1966), When Something Is Wrong with My Baby (1967), Soul Man (1967), and I Thank You (1968). However, the duos career began to unravel in 1968, when Staxs distribution deal with Atlantic ended. Since Sam & Dave were signed with Atlantic, not Stax, they no longer had access to the production team of Hayes and Porter or the house band of Booker T. & the MGs, and their recorded work took a dip in quality. Though the switch of labels was unfortunate, what really caused the duos demise was their volatile relationship. While the pair had enormous creative energy, they frequently fought off-stage. Nicknamed Double Dynamite, Sam And Dave became famous for their energetic, infectious live performances during the late 60s, which complimented the overall high-quality of their studio work. They may have communicated on-stage, but behind the scenes, it was reported that the duo could hardly stand each others presence. The tension caused Sam & Dave to part ways in 1970, just a few years after their heyday....
Posted on: Sat, 23 Aug 2014 02:52:55 +0000
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