Sam & Dave were an American soul and R&B duo who performed together from 1961 until 1981.
Their string of soul and pop hits made them the '60s' most successful black vocal duo. Both had grown up singing in church, and each was a regular solo performer in Southern clubs before they met in 1961 at Miami's King of Hearts club: Moore was emceeing an amateur-night show, and when Prater forgot the words to a Jackie Wilson song, "Doggin' Around," Moore coached him the rest of the way.
The pair became a popular club attraction in the Miami area and soon signed to Roulette. They moved to Atlantic in 1965, though executive Jerry Wexler arranged for their records to be recorded at and released by Stax Records. At Stax, Sam and Dave quickly became the favorite foils of the production/songwriting team of Isaac Hayes and David Porter.
Their first single, "You Don't Know Like I Know", in 1966, began a string of high-powered soul hits. Later in 1966 "Hold On! I'm a Comin'" went to Number One on the R&B chart, while "Said I Wasn't Gonna Tell Nobody" and "You Got Me Hummin'" rounded out a successful year.
In 1967 Sam and Dave, nicknamed "Double Dynamite", gained their widest exposure with "When Something Is Wrong With My Baby" and the epochal "Soul Man". The next year they scored their last major hit, "I Thank You".
Collectible Album Cover[]
