David Prater

Dave Prater (May 9, 1937 – April 9, 1988) was an American Southern Soul and Rhythm & Blues (R&B) singer who was one of (the deeper, baritone and second tenor voice) two members, along with Sam Moore, of the soul vocal duo Sam & Dave from 1961 through 1981. Dave Prater is a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame(1992), the Grammy Hall of Fame (1999-for the song "Soul Man"), The Georgia Music Hall Of Fame(1997), and was a Grammy Award winning(1967) and multi-Gold Record award winning recording artist.

Biography

Sam & Dave were the most successful and critically acclaimed duo in Soul Music history, according to Rolling Stone Magazine, and brought the sounds of the black gospel church to pop music with their string of call-and-response hit records. Primarily recorded at Stax Records in Memphis, Tennessee from 1965 through 1968, these songs included "Soul Man", "Hold On, I'm Coming", "I Thank You", and other Southern soul classics. Other than Aretha Franklin, no other soul act during Sam & Dave's hitmaking Stax years (1966–1968)had more consistent R&B chart success, which included 10 consecutive top 20 singles and 3 consecutive top 10 LP's. [An Anthology of Sam & Dave-The Stax Years CD liner notes page 1 Rob Bowman] "Soul Man" has been recognized by many organizations as one of the best or most influential songs of the past 50 years, including the Grammy Hall of Fame, The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Rolling Stone Magazine, and RIAA Songs of the Century. "Soul Man" was also used as the soundtrack and title for both a 1986 film and a 1997–1998 television series.

Nicknamed "Double Dynamite" for their energetic and sweaty, gospel-infused performances, Sam & Dave were also considered by critics to be one of the greatest live performing acts of the 1960s. The duo has also been cited as musical influences by numerous artists including Bruce Springsteen, Michael Jackson, Phil Collins, and Stevie Winwood. The Blues Brothers, which helped create a major resurgence of popular interest in Soul, R&B, & Blues music in the 1980s, was heavily influenced by Sam & Dave (their biggest hit was their top 20 cover of "Soul Man", and their act and stage show was patterned after Sam & Dave's).

Early Years (1958–1964)

Prater grew up singing in the black church in his hometown was a veteran of the gospel groupThe Sensational Hummingbirds, where he sang with his older brother JT Prater. Prater met future partner Sam Moore in The King of Hearts Club in Miami in 1961, signing to Roulette Records shortly thereafter. Sam & Dave released six singles for Roulette, including two songs which Prater co-wrote with Moore. Prater was typically featured as the lead vocalist on these records, with Moore typically singing harmony and alternate verses.

tax Years(1965–1968)

They were signed in late 1964 by Jerry Wexler to Atlantic Records. who structured an agreement for them to record in Memphis with Stax Records. While their first two singles failed to chart, the duo's November 1965 single, "You Don't Know Like I Know," started a series of ten straight top twenty Billboard R&B hits that included "Hold On! I'm Comin'" (1966), "You Got Me Hummin' (1966), "When Something Is Wrong with My Baby" (1967), "Soul Man" (1967), and "I Thank You" (1968). Starting with "Hold On, Im Coming", Moore was typically given the lead vocal(first verse and lead voice in chorus) on most of the future Sam & Dave singles. Prater sings the tenor lead first verse on Sam & Dave's only ballad hit single, "When Something is Wrong with My Baby", demonstrating a very impressive vocal range in the upper register.

All of their biggest hits were written and produced by Isaac Hayes and Dave Porter.In addition to Hayes-Porter, Sam & Dave's Stax records also benefitted greatly from working with the Stax house band and Rock Hall of Fame members Booker T. & The MG's, and the Stax horn section, the Mar-Keys. These highly regarded musicians co-wrote(often without credit) and contributed greatly to the recordings. Sam & Dave's Stax recordings through 1967 were engineered by Stax founder and Co-owner Jim Stewart, who created the "Memphis Sound" at Stax records by recording sessions essentially live in a single take. The combination of all of these respected talents contributed to the unique sound and commercial success of Sam & Dave's Stax recordings.

Atlantic Years, Solo Career, and Back With Sam & Dave(1968–1981)

Stax and Atlantic severed their distribution agreement in 1968, Sam & Dave became Atlantic recording artists, and shortly thereafter they lost the ability to work with Hayes, Porter and the Stax musicians. The records made by Atlantic did not have the same sound and feel as the Stax recordings, and most only placed in the lower ends of the music charts if at all. The ending of their association with the Stax record label and their frequently volatile relationship contributed to their first break-up in June of 1970.

After the break-up with Sam, Prater went back to their first Miami Label, Alston Records, where he recorded on single "Keep My Fingers Crossed/Love Business"(Alston A-4596) and also performed sporadically over the next year.

Sam & Dave reunited in August of 1971 and performed throughout most of the 1970s through 1981, and enjoyed a brief resurgence in popularity due to The Blues Brothers's 1979 recording of "Soul Man". Dave also appeared in the Paul Simon's Movie One Trick Pony as part of Sam & Dave. Their last performance together was on 31 December 1981, at the Old Waldorf in San Francisco.

Sam & Dave reunited several times during the 1970s, most notably on "Come On, Come Over" which appeared on the debut LP of jazz bass Jaco Pastorius and at the last occasion due to The Blues Brothers's 1978 recording of "Soul Man".

The New Sam & Dave Revue & Last Performance(1982–1988)

In 1982, Prater started touring under the Sam & Dave name primarily with Sam Daniels, who performed with Dave from the middle of 1982 until Dave's death in 1988. Moore attempted to legally block Prater from using the group's name without his participation and permission, but was generally unsuccessful in stopping the act from performing. The Daniels/Prater incarnation of Sam & Dave played as many as 100 shows per year, including gigs in Europe, Japan and Canada.

In 1985, Prater and Sam Daniels released a newly-sung medley of Sam & Dave hits recorded in Holland, which peaked at #92 R&B and was credited to "Sam & Dave". Sam Moore made the label recall the single for using the "Sam & Dave" name without permission, and the record was re-labelled and re-issued as being by as "The New Sam & Dave Revue". Dave Prater had his last performance with Sam Daniels on April 3, 1988 at a Stax Reunion show at the Atlanta Civic Center which also featured Isaac Hayes, Eddie Floyd, and Rufus and Carla Thomas. Six days later, on April 9, 1988, Prater died in a car crash in Sycamore, Georgia, while driving to his mother's house.

Prater summed up his thoughts on his career for Author Jeri Hershey in her book, "Nowhere to Run"(1984 Southbank Publishing):

"I'm a workin' man. Been gettin' down so long. I don't be thinkin' about will I make it up again. Now, what's a music man like me gonna do? What's he do, 'less he entertains till he dies?"

Dave Prater Jr. of Sam & Dave

Personal life

Prater was married to Annabelle Prater from 1962–1969, and had five children with her. In 1969, he married his second wife Judith. In 1982, he married his third wife Rosemary. Prater was arrested and fined for selling $10 in crack cocaine to an undercover policewoman in 1987. He was a resident of Paterson, New Jersey from 1974 until his death. [via Associated Press. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE4DF1538F930A25757C0A96E948260 "Dave Prater, 50, Dies; Soul Singer of the 60's"] , "The New York Times", April 13, 1988. Accessed November 4, 2007. "Dave Prater Sr., of the soul-singing duo Sam and Dave, was killed Saturday when the car he was driving went off Interstate 75 near Sycamore, Ga., and hit a tree. He was 50 years old.... Mr. Prater had lived in Paterson since 1974 and his body will be returned to New Jersey for burial next week, his widow, Rosemary, said Monday."] He was buried in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Totowa, New Jersey .cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title= Sometimes the Grave Is a Fine and Public Place |url= |quote=There's no shortage of dead musicians, either.... David Prater, the Dave of Sam and Dave ("Soul Man"), is in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Totowa. |publisher=New York Times |date=March 28, 2004 |accessdate=2007-08-21 ]

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