Samuel Moore and David Prater were both raised in the South, where they sang in church as children. During the `50s, they performed in soul and R&B clubs 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 Wilson`s "Doggin` Around," Sam coached him through the song. Following that night, the singers became a duo and soon became a popular local Miami act and signed with Roulette Records, releasing a handful of singles. In 1965, they signed with Atlantic Records, but producer Jerry Wexler moved the band to the label`s Stax subsidiary.
Working with Stax`s house band and songwriters/producers Isaac Hayes and David Porter, Sam & Dave created a body of sweaty, gritty soul that ranks among the finest and most popular produced in the late `60s. The duo`s 1966 debut, "You Don`t` Know Like I Know," kicked off a series of Top Ten R&B hits that included "Hold On! I`m 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 duo`s career began to unravel in 1968, when Stax`s 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 MG`s, and their recorded work took a slight dip in quality. Though the switch of labels was unfortunate, what really caused the duo`s demise was their volatile relationship. While the duo had enormous creative energy, they frequently fought off-stage. Nicknamed "Double Dynamite," Sam & Dave became famous for their energetic, infectious live performances during the late `60s, which complemented 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 other`s presence. The tension caused Sam & Dave to part ways in 1970, just a few years after their heyday.
During the `70s, Sam & Dave reunited several times to little attention. At the end of the decade, John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd`s Blues Brothers routine -- which borrowed heavily from Sam & Dave -- sparked a resurgence of interest in the duo, and the pair performed a number of concerts during 1980. However, their personal animosity had not faded, and they separated after a performance on New Year`s Eve 1981. For the next few years, Prater toured as Sam & Dave with vocalist Sam Daniels. During the mid-`80s, Moore revealed the sources of the duo`s tensions in a series of interviews. He disclosed that he had been addicted to drugs during the `70s. Prater was arrested in 1987 for selling crack to an undercover policeman. A year later, he died in a car accident. Moore continued to perform sporadically, most notably on Bruce Springsteen`s 1992 album Human Touch album. Sam & Dave were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame that same year.
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