Bruce Springsteen has paid tribute to the late soul legend, Sam Moore.
Moore, the surviving half of the legendary soul duo Sam & Dave, died on Friday (January 10) following complications while recovering from surgery. He was 89.
He and Dave Prater created some of soul’s most enduring hits in their tenure at Stax Records, with their 1965 single on the Memphis imprint, ‘You Don’t Know Like I Know’ triggering a series of ten straight Top 20 Billboard R&B hits, including ‘Hold On! I’m Comin’, ‘When Something Is Wrong with My Baby’, ‘I Thank You’ and ‘Soul Man’.
The Boss has now reflected on Moore’s contributions to music, taking to Instagram to pen a tribute to his friend and peer. “Over on E Street, we are heartbroken to hear of the death of Sam Moore, one of America’s greatest soul voices,” he wrote last night (January 11).
“There simply isn’t another sound like Sam’s soulful tenor in American music. Having had the honor to work with Sam on several occasions, he was a sweet and funny man.”
Moore spent time with the heartland rocker onstage and in the studio, having sung backup on several ‘Human Touch’ tracks and appearing on 2022 soul covers album ‘Only The Strong Survive’. Springsteen returned the favour and featured on Moore’s 2006 song ‘Better to Have and Not Need’.
They famously shared the stage at the 2009 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 25th anniversary concert in New York, where they performed two Moore’s classics, ‘Soul Man’ and ‘Hold On, I’m Comin”, with the E Street Band.
Steven Van Zandt also took to social media to pay homage to Moore, calling him “one of the last of the great Soul Men”.
To conclude his own tribute, Springsteen reflected on the tales he heard from Moore, writing: “He was filled with stories of the halcyon days of soul music, and to the end had that edge of deep authenticity in his voice I could only wonder at. We offer our prayers to his wife Joyce and thanks for the immortal recordings Sam left us.”
Meanwhile, the rock icon will be kicking off the year with an extension of his global tour with The E Street Band, and will hit the road on May 14 with a show in Manchester’s Co-Op Live followed by stops in various cities across the UK and Europe throughout July. You can visit here to purchase tickets.
