Sam and Dave are the definition of how one night can change your life. As luck would have it, Samuel “Sam” Moore and Dave Prater decided to pick up the mics together during an amateur night in a Florida nightclub, which ended in the audience wanting for more. They quickly started working together after that faithful night in 1961, and only three years and seven singles later, Sam and Dave got picked up by the famous Jerry Wexler, who offered them a deal at Stax Records.

Third time’s the charm, as after bringing out two singles that failed to hit the charts, they released their third single “Hold On, I’m Comin’”, which quickly climbed to number one on the Billboard R&B chart. Thanks to the great mixture between soul and pop, along with the duo’s immaculate dynamic, more hits followed, such as 1967’s “Soul Man”, which even peaked at number two on the Pop chart.

On stage, Sam & Dave were electric. They didn’t get the nickname Double Dynamite for nothing. In the mid-sixties, they opened for labelmate Otis Redding, although that was much to his annoyance, as they always pretty much stole the show. They complemented each other: while Sam was a pure showman, Dave made sure their act stood on solid ground, with his lower voice and more “timid” personality. Nevertheless, behind the scenes, Sam and Dave had a hard time coming on the same line. When Dave nearly shot his then-girlfriend dead in 1969, Sam lost a lot of respect for him. In the book Sam & Dave: An Oral History, Sam recounts what he told Dave:

I’ll sing with you, man, okay? I’ll sing with you. But I shall not ever, ever again speak to you.

Even though the two still worked on a new album together, named Back At ‘Cha, they both steadily winded down from their act together. At the end of the ‘70s, they officially called it quits, after nearly two decades of working together.

While Sam Moore started a solo career, Dave Prater continued to perform under the name of Sam & Dave, only with another Sam: Sam Daniels. The New Sam & Dave Revue – as they called themselves – performed together until Dave’s untimely death in 1988, after he lost control of his vehicle. He was only 50 years old.