Editing Sam & Dave (section)

==Stax years (1965–1968)==

===Arrival at Stax and early Stax singles===
[[File:Sam & Dave.png|thumb|right|Sam & Dave in 1966]]
When Sam & Dave arrived at Stax, they worked with producer & engineer [[Jim Stewart (music)|Jim Stewart]] and songwriters including the MGs' guitarist [[Steve Cropper]], who wrote or co-wrote four of their first eight recordings. The duo then moved to relative newcomer writers and producers [[Isaac Hayes]] and [[David Porter (musician)|David Porter]]. Hayes and Porter wrote and produced the duo's biggest hits (although they did not receive production credits until the ''Soul Men'' LP and singles). According to Moore and Prater, they also greatly influenced the duo's singing style,<ref>''Soulsville'', Bowman pp 67–69</ref> and shifted their recording style from the style of their Roulette records to a more live, more energetic gospel, call-and-response feel and beat driven soul style the group is known for today.

Sam & Dave's Stax records also benefited from the musicians and engineering at Stax. The Stax house band, [[Booker T. & the M.G.'s]], and the Stax horn section, [[The Mar-Keys]], were world-class musicians who co-wrote (often without credit) and contributed to recordings—the same musicians who recorded with [[Otis Redding]], [[Wilson Pickett]], [[Carla Thomas]] and other soul artists. Sam & Dave's Stax recordings through 1967 were engineered by Stax founder [[Jim Stewart (music)|Jim Stewart]], who created the Memphis Sound by recording live in a single take. Stewart is credited for instrumental mixes that allowed for instrumental separation and the distinct contribution of each instrument to the overall feel of the song.

While the first two Stax singles failed to chart, the third, the Hayes/Porter composition (with similarities, including the title, to a gospel standard) "You Don't Know Like I Know" hit No. 7 R&B in 1966. This was the first of 10 consecutive top-20 R&B chart hits over three years, and 14 R&B chart appearances during their career.

==="Hold On, I'm Comin{{'"}} single and ''Hold On, I'm Comin''' LP===
"[[Hold On, I'm Comin' (song)|Hold On, I'm Comin']]{{-"}} (R&B#1/Pop#21), released in March 1966, was an enormous R&B hit for Sam & Dave, and also their first single to break into the top-40 pop charts. The song was named the No. 1 song of the year for 1966 by the ''Billboard'' R&B charts, and spent 20 weeks on the R&B charts in 1966, peaking at No. 1 in June. In 1988, ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' named it one of the best 100 songs of the past 25 years. "Hold On, I'm Comin{{'"}} received a belated [[RIAA]] [[music recording sales certification|gold record]] for one million sales in 1995, 29 years after its release.<ref name="Soulville Bowman pp 91-92">''Soulville'' Bowman pp 91–92</ref> "Hold On, I'm Comin{{'"}} has since been recorded by dozens of other artists.

"Hold On, I'm Comin{{'"}} was also the first recording on which Moore took lead on the first verse and Prater was given the response role and second verse at Hayes and Porter's suggestion. The duo used this format (singing dual leads) on most of their songs. The song was created when Hayes called to Porter, who was in the bathroom. Porter supposedly said "Hold on, man. I'm comin'," and Hayes and Porter wrote the song within 10 minutes.<ref name="Soulville Bowman pp 91-92"/> "Hold On, I'm Comin'{{-"}}, when released, received objections from radio stations over the suggestive title. This resulted in a name change by Stewart and quick re-recording and re-release, and nearly all the original U.S. copies of the single bear the title "Hold On, I'm A-Comin'".

The LP ''[[Hold On, I'm Comin' (Sam & Dave album)|Hold On, I'm Comin']]'' (4/66) reached No. 1 for 19 weeks on the R&B album charts in 1966. After Sam & Dave's chart success, Roulette quickly released the album ''Sam & Dave'' in 1966 as well, a collection of the A & B sides of their six Roulette 45s, which did not chart.

===''When Something is Wrong, Double Dynamite'' LP and singles===
Sam & Dave's next huge R&B hit was "When Something is Wrong With My Baby", their only ballad single, which was released in January 1967. Stax author Rob Bowman called this "One of the most sublime records in soul music's history," and The Mar-Keys trumpet player Wayne Jackson called it the greatest song he has ever heard. This was the only Sam & Dave hit where Dave sang the first verse solo; their other hits started with Sam & Dave together or Sam singing the first verse. "When Something is Wrong With My Baby" has since become an often recorded and performed duet for male and female singers performing together.

The duo also charted in late 1966 with the top 10 R&B hits "Said I Wasn't Gonna Tell Nobody", and "You Got Me Hummin". These three singles, along with other tracks, were compiled on ''Double Dynamite'' (12/66), Sam & Dave's second LP on Stax. The LP peaked at No. 7 R&B and No. 118 Pop.

==="Soul Man" single and ''Soul Men'' LP===
Sam & Dave's biggest hit and best-remembered song, "[[Soul Man (song)|Soul Man]]" (R&B No. 1/Pop No. 2),<ref name=pc51>{{Gilliland|https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc19832/m1/ |Show 51 – The Soul Reformation: Phase three, soul music at the summit. [Part 7&#93; : UNT Digital Library}}</ref> was released in August 1967. It was the number No. 1 song in the US according to ''Cashbox'' magazine Pop charts in November 1967. Sam & Dave won the [[Grammy Award]] in 1967 for ''"Best Performance – Rhythm & Blues Group"'' for "Soul Man", their first gold record. "Soul Man" was voted into the [[Grammy Hall of Fame]] in 1999. The song helped name the emerging music genre as "Soul Music". According to co-writer Isaac Hayes, the title was inspired by news reports of soul pride that emerged after the 1967 race riots, where stories that painting the word "soul" on your door was a message for looters to bypass your house. Hayes-Porter extrapolated that to "I'm a soul brother, I'm a soul man.". It has been recognized as one of the best or most influential songs of 50 years by the Grammy Hall of Fame, The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, ''Rolling Stone'', and R.I.A.A. Songs of the Century. "Soul Man" was used as the soundtrack and title for a 1986 film, a 2008 film ''[[Soul Men]]'', a 1997–1998 television series. In 2019, "Soul Man" was selected by the [[Library of Congress]] for preservation in the [[National Recording Registry]] for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".<ref>{{cite news |last=Andrews |first=Travis M. |date=March 20, 2019 |title=Jay-Z, a speech by Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and 'Schoolhouse Rock!' among recordings deemed classics by Library of Congress |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/jay-z-a-speech-by-sen-robert-f-kennedy-and-schoolhouse-rock-among-recordings-deemed-classics-by-library-of-congress/2019/03/19/f7eb08ea-4a58-11e9-9663-00ac73f49662_story.html?|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=March 25, 2019}}</ref>

The ''[[Soul Men (album)|Soul Men]]'' LP (October 1967) was Sam & Dave's third Stax LP (R&B No. 5/Pop No. 68).<ref>Billboard.com list of chart placements</ref> Musicologist Rob Bowman called ''Soul Men'' "One of the greatest soul music albums of all time." "Don't Knock It" from the LP was released as a single in France, but other songs were not released as U.S. singles due to the long run by "Soul Man" on the Pop charts (15 weeks), by which time "I Thank You/Wrap It Up" was ready for release. "May I Baby", the B-side of "Soul Man", is also regarded as a classic song on the LP by Whitburn's "Top Pop Singles" guide, and was a popular live song performed frequently by Sam & Dave.

==="I Thank You" single and ''I Thank You'' LP===
In 1968, Sam & Dave again charted with the gospel-inspired "I Thank You/Wrap It Up" (R&B No. 4/Pop No. 9). Critics commented that the B-side "Wrap It Up" could have been a separate successful single, which it later became for [[The Fabulous Thunderbirds]]. Because the duo were so busy touring, Hayes & Porter traveled to Europe to record the vocal track on "Wrap It Up" in order to release the single. Due to the end of the distribution agreement between Stax and [[Atlantic Records]] in May 1968, "[[I Thank You (Sam & Dave song)|I Thank You]]" was Sam & Dave's final single on Stax. Although they continued to work at Stax with Hayes/Porter, as of May 1968, the duo's work was released on Atlantic Records. "I Thank You" sold over one million copies, earning it gold record status.<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs">{{cite book
| first= Joseph
| last= Murrells
| year= 1978
| title= The Book of Golden Discs
| edition= 2nd
| publisher= Barrie and Jenkins Ltd
| location= London
| page= [https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/247 247]
| isbn= 0-214-20512-6
| url-access= registration
| url= https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/247
}}</ref>

Sam & Dave's first 1968 single for Atlantic was "You Don't Know What You Mean to Me", written by [[Eddie Floyd]] and [[Steve Cropper]] (R&B #19/Pop #48). Sam & Dave said it was their favorite of their songs.<ref>''Blitz'' magazine – July 1978, p8</ref> Sam & Dave also released "Can't You Find Another Way (of Doing It)" (#20 R&B/#54 Pop), but it was not included in the ''I Thank You'' LP. Their final single of 1968, "Everybody Got to Believe in Somebody", charted in the lower levels of the pop charts and ended Sam & Dave's streak at 10 straight R&B top 20 singles.

Though on Atlantic, the ''I Thank You'' LP (10/68) included 1968 singles initially on both Stax and Atlantic. The LP peaked at No. 38 on the R&B charts, and was the only LP of their Stax recordings not to chart on the Pop LP charts.<ref>''Soulsville'', Bowman pp 138</ref>

===Sam & Dave's live performances===
{{unreferenced section|date=January 2025}}
In March 1967, Sam & Dave were co-headliners for the Stax/Volt Revue in Europe, which included [[Booker T & the MGs]], [[The Mar-Keys]], [[Eddie Floyd]], [[Carla Thomas]], [[Arthur Conley]] and headliner [[Otis Redding]]. It was the duo's first trip to Europe. Although Redding headlined the tour, many agreed Sam & Dave stole the show on many nights. A live version of "Soothe Me" from Sam & Dave's ''Double Dynamite'' LP was recorded in Paris during the 1967 tour. Released as a single in mid-1967, it continued Sam & Dave's string of top 20 U.S. R&B hits and was their first in the UK Top 40.

After the tour, Sam & Dave worked as headliners in the U.S. and in Europe during Fall 1967, Fall 1968 and January 1970, and in Japan in 1969 and 1970. They averaged 280 shows per year from 1967 through 1969 and in 1967, they only took ten days off. Other high points included headlining the [[Expo 67|Montreal World's Fair]] in 1967, performing at the tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr. at Madison Square Garden in June 1968, being the first black soul act to headline the [[Fillmore East]] in December 1968,{{citation needed|date=January 2025}} and headlining the [[Texas International Pop Festival]] for two nights in August 1969. Sam & Dave also performed on U.S. and European television, including two appearances on ''[[The Ed Sullivan Show]]'' in 1969, appearing on [[The Tonight Show]] and [[American Bandstand]] in 1967, and performing on ''[[The Mike Douglas Show]]'' in 1969 and 1970.