Sam Moore, the surviving half and higher voice of the 1960s duo Sam & Dave that was known for such definitive hits of the era as "Soul Man" and "Hold On, I'm Comin'," has died. He was 89. The AP reports Moore died Friday morning in Coral Gables, Florida, due to complications while recovering from surgery. No additional details were immediately available.
Moore, who influenced musicians including Michael Jackson, Al Green, and Bruce Springsteen, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 along with bandmate Dave Prater. They transformed the "call and response" of gospel music into a frenzied stage show and recorded some of soul music's most enduring hits. The duo broke up in 1970 and neither had another major hit. Moore told the AP in 2006 that a drug habit, which he kicked in 1981, played a part in the band's troubles and later made entertainment executives leery of giving him a fresh start.
Although Sam & Dave faded after the 1960s, "Soul Man" hit the charts again in the late '70s when the Blues Brothers—SNL's John Belushi and Dan Akroyd—recorded it with many of the same musicians. Moore had mixed feelings about the hit becoming associated with the Blues Brothers and said young people didn't know the song's actual origin. He married his wife, Joyce, in 1982, and she helped him get treatment for his addiction that he credited with saving his life. Moore kept recording and singing and was a frequent performer at the Kennedy Center Honors. He performed for presidents, including Barack Obama, and in 2017, he was among the few entertainers who performed for Donald Trump's inaugural festivities. Moore is survive by his wife, daughter Michell, and two grandchildren.
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