Interview - Sam Moore

Sam Moore has been trying to get an album released for more than 30 years, one that shows that he's more than just half of Sam and Dave and that the kind of music he can handle goes beyond "Hold On, I'm Comin'" and "Soul Man."

He has finally succeeded, with the Rhino Records release, Overnight Sensational. We talked with him about the long road to the album's release, and the project's classic rock connections.

Sam Moore:
Every person that had two dollars above cost said, “Well, I want to sign Sam” as soon as they found out that I had recorded with someone else like Bruce [Springsteen] or Don Henley. And they'd say things like, "Do you think you could get Bruce to do half of the album with you?" and I'd say, "No, I don't" because I was a guest on his album.

When [the solo album project] failed, it put me deeper and deeper into a depression, to the point that I thought, hey, you know, it ain’t gonna happen. But I had faith and belief and when the deal from Rhino came along, they were real professional and real interested in what I wanted to do. So now having done that, it sets the stage for the next thing by Sam Moore.

About Classic Rock:
I’d like to talk about some of the people you worked with on the album. Let’s get the hardest one out of the way first: Billy Preston.

Sam Moore:
Yeah, that was Billy’s last recording. When he came to the studio to record, he didn’t look well, but he was gracious enough to do that. I’d been knowing Billy since he was, oh my gosh, since he was 10 years old. It was just an honor to know that Billy’s life had crossed with mine.

About Classic Rock:
There are some artists on this album that we wouldn’t immediately think of as duet partners for Sam Moore, like [Bad Company, Free lead singer] Paul Rodgers.

Sam Moore:
Yeah. Paul Rodgers. Wonderful. I love that song ["We Shall Be Free"] and I’ll tell you what the reason is: I love the message. I love the message with Sting ["None of Us Are Free"]. With all that’s going on in the country today with race, creed and all that stuff, the things that we are doing to ourselves and the lives of others, I like the message that [these songs] bring out.

About Classic Rock:
On "Ain’t No Love" with Steve Winwood, there were times when I couldn’t tell whether it was you or Winwood singing.

Sam Moore:
Aha! Gotcha! You didn’t know which one was which one, did you?

About Classic Rock:
No, and I listened to it three times!

Sam Moore:
That’s what [producer] Randy [Jackson] and I intended to do. We and my wife [Executive Producer Joyce Moore] sat down and said that we are going to do a little trickery here. Not trickery as far as the recording but the voices, because the voices, in comparison – not the highs and the lows just the way the sound is so clean – we said somebody was going to be confused as to who was who. So, we got you, didn’t we? Ahhhh haaaah!

About Classic Rock:
You sure did! Speaking of Randy Jackson, talk to me about working with him.

Sam Moore:
Aw, do I love him, do I appreciate him. As you well know, I’ve been around the corner more than once and Randy really knows how to get the best out of an artist. He drives you, he makes you want to work hard. The dude is alright! Whenever I do another album, whether it’s gospel or anything else, he will be the one that I go to. Whether he will accept, well, that’ll be another story, but I’ll be the first one to reach out to him.

Other classic rockers who collaborated on the album were Eric Clapton, Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top) and Bruce Springsteen. The album also features duets with Bekka Bramlett, Fantasia, Jon Bon Jovi, Nikka Costa, Wynonna, Bebe Winans, Mariah Carey, Vince Gill, Travis Tritt and Van Hunt.

Also check out:
Review: Overnight Sensational
Profile: Sam & Dave