What is Sam Moore's Net Worth? His Legacy explored as Grammy-winning soul singer from Sam & Dave dies at 89

Grammy-winning soul singer Sam Moore passed away on January 10, 2025, at a hospital in Coral Gables, Florida, where the singer was recovering after surgery.

As per The New York Times' report on January 10, 2025, Joyce Moore, the singer's wife and manager, confirmed the exact reason behind his death is still uncertain. She suspects the 89-year-old singer's death was due to health complications due to surgery.

Born on October 12, 1935, in Miami, Moore began his career as a gospel singer. The soul singer gave multiple hits in his decades-long career and received a Grammy nomination for his song You Are So Beautiful. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Moore's net worth is around $2 million.

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The Legacy of Sam Moore: Soul singer from Sam & Dave

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As per People Magazine's article on January 11, 2025, Sam Moore started singing professionally in the late 1950s and met his duo partner, Dave Prater, in 1961. Producer Henry Stone discovered the two singers and signed them to Roulette Records.

However, they found success when they switched to Atlantic Records in 1964 after the record label's Jerry Wexler watched them perform and signed them. Sam & Dave worked with songwriters and producers Isaac Hayes and David Porter and had Booker T & the M.G.’s and the Memphis Horns as their bands.

The duo gave 1965 hit single, You Don’t Know Like I Know, along with R&B classics like Hold On, I’m Coming (1966), You Got Me Hummin’ (’66), When Something Is Wrong With My Baby (’67), Soul Man (’67) and I Thank You (’68).

Sam & Dave broke up in 1970, and Sam Moore became a solo artist. He recorded Plenty Good Lovin’, which was released in 2002, 30 years later, because of the murder of the album's producer, King Curtis.

Moore and Prater allegedly did not get along, and both reportedly struggled with drug addiction. Sam Moore wrote about Sam & Dave split in his book Sam and Dave: An Oral History,

"It was a duo, but it wasn’t a partnership."

Sam Moore (Image via Getty)

The Blues Brothers movie covered Soul Man in 1979, regaining the duo's popularity. Moore and Prater performed together for the last time on New Year’s Eve 1981 in San Francisco. The song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.

As per Billboard's report on January 11, 2025, Moore talked about the popularity of Soul Man in a 2002 interview with the Library of Congress,

"And, I tell you, it doesn’t matter where I sing — perform it — at the end of the night; if we didn’t do ‘Soul Man, the room would go up in smoke!"

In 1982, Sam Moore married Jayce McRae, who became his manager. She helped him overcome his purported drug addiction, and he became an anti-drug advocate.

Dave Prater formed the duo Sam & Dave again with singer Sam Daniels. Moore sued Prater to stop him from touring under the name. Moore then formed the organization Artists and Others Against Imposters to prevent groups from deceiving their fans by going on tours without the original group members.

In 1992, Sam & Dave was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and they were called "the greatest of all soul duos." Sam Moore received a Grammy nomination for his duet with Billy Preston, You Are So Beautiful. In 2019, Sam & Dave received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy.

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Dave Prater passed away in 1988 due to a car accident. As per Billboard, Sam Moore was working on a gospel album with Rudy Perez before he passed away on Friday.