Statement from musicFIRST Coalition on Sam Moore

WASHINGTON — The musicFIRST Coalition issued the following statement today on the passing of Sam Moore:

“Sam Moore was so much more than a brilliant artist and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee. He was the original ‘Soul Man,’ a pioneer who fought fiercely for the rights of artists to be paid for their work, and an inspiration to all artists over his more than six-decade career. As the Sam part of the ‘Sam and Dave’ duo, he recorded ten straight Top Twenty Billboard R&B hits. His enormous talent led well-known artists to gravitate to him, leading to partnerships with an eclectic group that included Conway Twitty, Elton John, Mariah Carey, Vince Gill, and Bruce Springsteen. musicFIRST was honored by his willingness, right to the end of his life, to visit Capitol Hill to champion the American Music Fairness Act to get music creators paid when their songs are played on AM/FM radio. Sam was the epitome of a legend and will be missed by the entire music industry.”