SAM & DAVE-don't pull your love

Samuel Moore and David Prater were both raised in the Southern United States, where they sang in church as children. During the '50s, they performed in soul and R&B clubs with the gospel groups The Melionaires and The Sensational Hummingbirds, respectively, before meeting each other in at the King of Hearts club in Miami in 1961. Moore was hosting an amateur-night contest where Prater was singing. Once, Dave forgot the lyrics to Jackie Wilson's "Doggin' Around," Sam coached him through the song. Following that night, the singers agreed to work as a duo and soon became a popular local Miami act and signed with Roulette Records, releasing a handful of unsuccessful singles before being signed to Atlantic Records in 1965. Atlantic persuaded their Memphis affiliate, Stax Records, to produce them.

Working with the Stax house band, Sam And Dave created a body of sweaty, gritty soul that ranks among the finest and most popular produced in the late '60s. The duo's 1966 debut, "You Don't' Know Like I Know", kicked off a series of Top Ten R&B hits that included "Hold On! I'm Comin'" (1966), "You Got Me Hummin' (1966), "When Something Is Wrong with My Baby" (1967), "Soul Man" (1967), and "I Thank You" (1968). However, the duo's career began to unravel in 1968, when Stax's distribution deal with Atlantic ended. Since Sam & Dave were signed with Atlantic, not Stax, they no longer had access to the production team of Hayes and Porter or the house band of Booker T. & the MG's, and their recorded work took a dip in quality. Though the switch of labels was unfortunate, what really caused the duo's demise was their volatile relationship. While the pair had enormous creative energy, they frequently fought off-stage. Nicknamed "Double Dynamite," Sam And Dave became famous for their energetic, infectious live performances during the late '60s, which complimented the overall high-quality of their studio work. They may have communicated on-stage, but behind the scenes, it was reported that the duo could hardly stand each other's presence. The tension caused Sam & Dave to part ways in 1970, just a few years after their heyday....