Nicknamed "Double Dynamite", "The Sultans of Sweat", and "The Dynamic Duo" for their gritty, gospel-infused performances, Sam & Dave are considered one of the greatest live acts of the 1960s.

According to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Sam & Dave were the most successful soul duo and brought the sounds of the black gospel church to pop music with their call-and-response records.

Dave later sang with his older brother JT Prater in the gospel group The Sensational Hummingbirds, who recorded "Lord Teach Me" in the 1950s.

[6] They sang together one night at the King of Hearts club, and started working together immediately thereafter, developing a live act featuring gospel-inspired call-and-response.

[7] Wexler asked Memphis, Tennessee-based Stax Records, which Atlantic distributed nationally, to work with Sam & Dave.

"[citation needed] When Sam & Dave arrived at Stax, they worked with producer & engineer Jim Stewart and songwriters including the MGs' guitarist Steve Cropper, who wrote or co-wrote four of their first eight recordings.

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).

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.

"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.

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'".

Sam & Dave won the Grammy Award in 1967 for "Best Performance – Rhythm & Blues Group" for "Soul Man", their first gold record.

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".

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.

[15] 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.

Jerry Wexler with co-producer Tom Dowd tried producing Sam & Dave in New York, with Atlantic songwriters and musicians.

"[18] Wexler then sent the duo south to Muscle Shoals and Miami to work with producers Brad Shapiro and Dave Crawford for their next single "Knock It Out The Park", which also failed to chart.

Sam & Dave split in June 1970, according to Moore, as a result of his dissatisfaction with the duo and his desire to pursue a career solo.

Sam & Dave returned to the studio in 1974 and 1975, recording an album of new songs titled Back at Cha for United Artists.

In 1979, Sam & Dave enjoyed a significant resurgence of interest as a result of Dan Aykroyd's and John Belushi's sketch characters The Blues Brothers, and the comic actors' 1979 top-40 cover of "Soul Man".

In 1981, they re-recorded many hits along with Sam Cooke and Otis Redding covers for LPs titled Soul Study Vol.

In 1983, Sam & Dave called on J.C. "Billy" Davis to put together a band to back them at a concert at Pine Knob, in Clarkston, Michigan where they were opening for James Brown.

[27] Prater last performed with Sam Daniels on April 3, 1988, at a Stax Reunion at the Atlanta Civic Center, which also featured Isaac Hayes, Eddie Floyd, and Rufus and Carla Thomas.

Moore describes personal issues with Prater, including drug use, touring fatigue, and a desire to do his own act with new material as contributing to their break-up and replacement of Dave.

Others who charted with Sam & Dave songs include ZZ Top – "I Thank You", The Fabulous Thunderbirds – "Wrap It Up", James & Bobby Purify – "I Take What I Want", Linda Ronstadt (featuring Aaron Neville) – "When Something Is Wrong with My Baby", Chuck Jackson & Maxine Brown – "Hold On, I'm Comin'", Elvis Costello – "I Can't Stand Up for Falling Down", and Lydia Pense & Cold Blood – "I Take What I Want".

A diverse group of other successful artists also recorded Sam & Dave covers, including: Aretha Franklin, Peter Frampton, The Temptations, Bonnie Raitt, Jackie Wilson, Eurythmics, Rory Gallagher, Tom Jones, The Band, Martha Reeves & the Vandellas, Michael Bolton, Patti LaBelle & Travis Tritt, Bryan Ferry, Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr., The Hollies, Paul Butterfield, Taj Mahal, Guy Sebastian, and Eric Clapton & B.B.

Barack Obama used "Hold On, I'm Comin'" as a theme song on the campaign trail until Sam Moore requested that he stop using it.

Eleven months later, Sam Moore performed "Soul Man" with Sting and Elvis Costello at one of Obama's inaugural parties.

"Hold On, I'm Comin'" and "Soothe Me" played on the radio and 8 track player (album titled: "The Best of Sam & Dave") in the Bluesmobile during the 1980 hit movie The Blues Brothers.

Jay Leno used "Hold On, I'm Comin" while driving his AC Cobra on his 2009 Super Bowl commercial to announce his show's move to a new time.

The movie Tapeheads, released in 1988 and starring John Cusack and Tim Robbins, featured Sam Moore and Junior Walker as a fictitious, legendary soul duo called The Swanky Modes.