Happy Birthday, Dave Prater from Sam & Dave

Dave Prater (May 9, 1937 – April 9, 1988) was an American Southern Soul and Rhythm & Blues (R&B) singer who was the deeper, baritone and second tenor vocalist of the soul vocal duo Sam & Dave from 1961 until his death in 1988. 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 Vocal Group Hall of Fame, the Georgia Music Hall Of Fame (1997), and was a Grammy Award winning (1967) and multi-Gold Record award winning recording artist.

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.[1] "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).