Singer Sam Moore has died at age 89. He is best known for his soul music partnership with Dave Prater, who made up Sam & Dave. Their hits included “Soul Man,” “I Thank You” and “Hold On, I’m Comin.’ ”
Moore grew up in Miami, going to school in Liberty City and Overtown. He was discovered at a Liberty City nightclub called King of Hearts.
And from there, Sam & Dave’s music, recorded in the 1960s, hit the world for decades. Moore returned to Miami about 10 years ago and lived a life of education and philanthropy.
Here is a look at Sam Moore through the years from the photo archives of the Miami Herald:
American singer Sam Moore speaks during a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Florida International University Biscayne Bay Campus on Friday, Nov. 17, 2023, in North Miami, Fla. The ceremony was held to officially unveil the Lee Caplin School of Journalism & Media, the iSTAR Volumetric Capture Studio and the Sam Moore: The Legendary Soul Man Theatre. MATIAS J. OCNER mocner@miamiherald.com
Singer Sam Moore, the Sam half of the 1960s singing group Sam & Dave, hugs nurse Rozella White. Moore, born in Miami, gave a free concert at Jackson Memorial Hospital in 1986. Carol Guzy Miami Herald File
Sam & Dave Stax Record Co.
From the collection of Sam & Joyce Moore - R&B singers Sam & Dave, who got together in Overtown. Miami Herald File
Sam Moore in the early 1990s. Miami Herald File
Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Sam Moore in Miami in 1992. Al Diaz Miami Herald File
In 1992, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Sam Moore at the Eden Roc in Miami Beach, where he used to play Most of the other clubs he once played in Miami at are no longer around. Al Diaz Miami Herald File
At an event at the Hard Rock Cafe in 1993 to benefit the Camillus House, an observer gets his picture taken with Sam Moore, right, of Sam & Dave. Marice Cohn Band Miami Herald File
Joyce and Sam Moore at a Miami Heat game in recent years. Courtesy Joyce Moore
Sam Moore and wife Joyce Moore pose with their friends, former U.S. presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush at the One America Appeal concert at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, on Oct. 21, 2017. Seated in the front row are presidents Jimmy Carter, Barack Obama,George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. Moore has sung for all of these presidents. Paul Morse Points of Light Foundation at the One America Appeal
Joyce Moore, Barbara Bush, President George H.W. Bush and Sam Moore at the Kennedy Center’s Points of Light Concert and Fundraiser tribute to the former president in March 2011. Courtesy Joyce Moore Miami Herald file
Overtown soul singers Sam & Dave, who would find fame in the 1960s and induction in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, are seen performing at the King of Hearts club in Liberty City, circa 1962. Sam Moore, right, is holding the microphone. Courtesy Sam and Joyce Moore
American singer Sam Moore attends a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Florida International University Biscayne Bay Campus on Friday, Nov. 17, 2023, in North Miami, Fla. The ceremony was held to officially unveil the Lee Caplin School of Journalism & Media, the iSTAR Volumetric Capture Studio and the Sam Moore: The Legendary Soul Man Theatre. MATIAS J. OCNER mocner@miamiherald.com
Music legend Sam Moore (front center) was honored as the inaugural recipient of the CARTA Medallion from the FIU College of Communication, Architecture + The Arts and the Tonkinson Foundation. The ceremony was at the Herbert and Nicole Wertheim School of Music & Performing Arts at Florida International University on May 19, 2022. Pictured: Margarita Tonkinson, left, with Rick Tonkinson, a member of the board of directors of the FIU Foundation and president of the Tonkinson Foundation, Claudia Puig, center back, FIU Board of Trustees chair emeritus, Joyce Moore, Brian Schriner, right, dean of the FIU College of Communication, Architecture + The Arts, Sam Moore, front center. Miami Herald File
Retired Miami Herald columnist and former pop music critic Leonard Pitts Jr. and singer-performer Sam Moore in a recent photo at the Coral Gables home Moore shared with his wife Joyce. Joyce Moore
R&B singers Sam and Dave, who got together in Overtown, performing in 1968. COURTESY OF SAM & JOYCE MOORE
A tribute to Jack Benny/Benefit for Diabetes Research Institute with Bob Soper, Miss America Carolyn Sapp, Sam Moore, Ed McMahon, Joan Benny. Dave Graff Miami Herald File
Sam Moore in a 2002 file photo. Miami Herald file
Singer Sam Moore in South Florida in 2002. Miami Herald File
Miami Herald consumer trends reporter Howard Cohen, a 2017 Media Excellence Awards winner, has covered pop music, theater, health and fitness, obituaries, municipal government, breaking news and general assignment. He started his career in the Features department at the Miami Herald in 1991. Cohen is an adjunct professor at the University of Miami School of Communication.Support my work with a digital subscription
