In honor of Sam Moore’s passing, today’s classic song of the day is Sam & Dave’s biggest hit, “Soul Man.” Released in September of 1967, “Soul Man” hit #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on Billboard’s R&B chart. The single won a Grammy Award for Best Rhythm & Blues Group Performance, Vocal or Instrumental, and, in 1999, was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Twenty years later, in 2019, “Soul Man” was selected for preservation in the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry as “culturally, historically, and aesthetically important”—which it most definitely was.
“Soul Man” was written by Isaac Hayes and Dave Porter, who wrote a ton of hits for Stax artists back in the day. (Mr. Hayes also had a very successful solo career of his own, of course.) Backing on the recording was provided by Stax Records’ finest, including Booker T. & the M.G.’s (Booker T. Jones on piano, Steve Cropper on guitar, Duck Dunn on bass, and Al Jackson Jr. on drums), Isaac Hayes himself on organ, and members of the Mar-Keys on horns. The order of vocals is Sam Moore on the first verse, Dave Prater on the second verse, Sam on the third verse, and Dave on the bridge. They both joined in on the choruses.
Isaac Hayes says he was inspired to write “Soul Man” when watching a newscast about the 12th Street Riots in Detroit, where black residents had spray painted buildings that weren’t destroyed with the word “soul.” He said:
“It’s almost a tune kind of like boasting, ‘I’m a soul man.’ It’s a pride thing.”
By the way, the line “I was educated at Woodstock” does not refer to the Woodstock festival, which wouldn’t occur for another two years. Instead, the reference was to Woodstock High School in Millington, Tennessee, a segregated vocational school known for its quality education for Black students.
Many of you know “Soul Man” from its cover by the Blues Brothers in 1979. Some regard the cover, with John Belushi on lead vocals, to be somewhat of an abomination, but Belushi and Dan Ackroyd went to great lengths to be authentic, even hiring members of the M.G.’s for their backing band. The “Play it, Steve,” that Belushi exclaimed before the mid-tune guitar break mimics the same words that Sam Moore shouted on the original recording, calling out legendary guitarist Steve Cropper (who played on both the original and the Blues Brothers recording). At the very least, it exposed millions of new listeners to a terrific tune—and maybe some of them sought out the original to listen to, as well.
Sam & Dave were Sam Moore (tenor) and Dave Prater (baritone). Nicknamed Double Dynamite or the Sultans of Sweat, they sang together as a duo from 1961 to 1981. Their biggest recordings were for the Stax label and include “Hold On, I’m Comin'” (1966), “When Something is Wrong with My Baby” (1967), and “I Thank You” (1968).
Both Sam and Dave grew up singing gospel music at church. Sam initially sang with the doo-wop group the Majestics and later with the gospel groups the Gales and the Mellonaires. He met Dave when they were both singing on the gospel circuit and in small clubs. One night in 1961 they found themselves singing together at Miami’s King of Hearts club, and they kept singing together for the next twenty years.
By all accounts, Misters Moore and Prater had a somewhat contentious relationship. They broke up several times in the ’70s but always got back together to perform, even if they seldom addressed each other onstage. Sam and Dave broke up for good on New Years Eve, 1981. According to Sam, the last time they spoke to each other was when they walked off the stage of the Old Waldorf in San Francisco that night.
After their breakup, Dave Prater toured with singer Sam Daniels as the New Sam and Dave Review. He died in an automobile accident in 1988, just 50 years old.
Sam Moore continued to record and perform as a solo artist, often performing with Booker T. and the M.G.’s when they toured. He passed away on January 10, 2025, due to complications from surgery in a Florida hospital. He was 89 years old.
And here’s a real treat for your daily special bonus video of the day, Sam & Dave performing “Soul Man” live in 1967. You gotta watch this one all the way through, they truly were the Sultans of Sweat—man, were they cooking!
