5 Things You Didn’t Know About Sam & Dave
When it comes to the two gentlemen who sang “Soul Man” and “Hold On I’m Comin’,” you know their first names, but how much else do you really know about Sam and Dave? We’re here to provide you with at least five things.
- Dave Prater sang in the gospel group The Sensational Hummingbirds.
Dave got his first real experience of being part of a musical unit when he joined his brother J.T. in the aforementioned group, who found success with the single “Lord Teach Me.”
- Sam Moore was part of the group The Majestics.
Although the group’s 1954 single “Nighty-Night” was not a smash hit, being part of The Majestics proved to be a learning experience for Moore, one which undoubtedly helped him immeasurably when he joined forces with Prater.
- Although they found their greatest success on Atlantic Records, Sam & Dave had already recorded for two labels before joining Atlantic.
Sam & Dave released two singles on Marlin Records, after which label owner Henry Stone helped them score a deal with Roulette Records. Although six singles found no more than regional airplay, they score enough notice that when Stone also introduced the duo to Jerry Wexler, he signed them to Atlantic.
- Sam & Dave opened for The Clash.
This one’s hard to believe, we know, but it’s true: when “The Only Band That Matters” toured America in 1979, they asked Moore and Prater to open some shows for them. You can only imagine how mind-blowing that was for the audiences, but we hear they went down spectacularly.
- You know that dude who played Chef on South Park? He wrote a bunch of their songs.
Yes, we know, a lot of people know that Isaac Hayes and his longtime collaborator Dave Porter co-wrote Sam & Dave’s most famous hits, but these kids today, they need to learn these things, so we felt like we should throw it in here nonetheless.
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