Sam Moore, Vocalist in American Soul Group Sam & Dave, Dead at 89

“It means more to me than anything in the world,” Sam said at the Grammys backstage prior to accepting the award. “It means my work—what I’ve done and what I’m going to do in the near future—is not in vain.” 

The duo were also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. Sam accepted both honors on behalf of the group, as Dave died in 1988. 

Despite their chart success and critical acclaim, Sam maintained that he and Dave were never particularly close, especially after Dave shot and injured his wife Judith T. Gilbert in 1968. According to the New York Times, the duo never spoke to each other again after a 1981 New Year’s Eve performance in San Francisco.

Following the original duo’s split, Dave hired Sam Daniels as a replacement, while the original Sam went on to pursue solo endeavors, releasing Plenty Good Lovin’—which he had first recorded in 1970—in 2002. 

Upon the release of his LP, and over 20 years after Dave's death, Sam expressed regrets for cutting Dave out. 

"I took it upon myself to become judge, jury and executioner,” Sam—who served 18 months in prison for procuring prostitutes prior to his music career— told The Independent of the aftermath of Dave injuring his wife in 2002. “I initiated the break-up. But I've seen very many more evil and abusive men than Dave. After the incident with the gun, I said to Dave, look, I'll sing with you, but I'll never talk to you again, ever. So for 12 years we worked together, but our lives were completely separate.”

Sam married his wife in 1982, and she assisted him on his sobriety journey. Together, the couple parented Joyce’s daughter Michelle, and share two grandchildren Tash and Misha.

Toward the end of his life, Sam worked alongside his wife to advocate for performers and songwriters to regain copyrights on their songs, per the New York Times. And while his wife said in a 2014 interview that he considered his career a “mostly good” ride, and continued to perform Sam & Dave’s hits—he always yearned to be recognized as his own entity. 

“It's been like an albatross around my neck for 22 years because I do have more to say,” Sam told The Independent of performing Sam & Dave tracks. “But at the end of the night, it's still what people want to hear.”