Editing Sam & Dave (section)

===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.