Sam Moore
- Photo courtesy of Sam and Joyce Moore

Sam Moore is not happy with The Styletones. A former member of the R&B duo Sam & Dave, he’s been in a litigious mood since hearing the local soul-funk band’s take on the 1966 Sam & Dave classic “Hold On, I’m a Comin’” in a “Got Milk?” ad that aired during the Super Bowl.

Moore’s manager and wife, Joyce Moore, told CityBeat on Tuesday that she’s sending a cease-and-desist letter to parties responsible for the ad. It was made by the New York ad agency Deutsch. As U-T San Diego reported last week, The Styletones were hired by Beta Petrol, a music-supervision and -licensing company, to record the song.

“There is a legacy at stake. There is a 50-year-plus career and an identity and rights at stake,” Joyce Moore says, adding that she thought Styletones singer Stevie Harris sounded “horrid” in the recording. “Hopefully, we can do this in an amicable fashion, rather than having to do it lawyer-ugly.”

Vonda LePage, executive vice president and director of corporate communications at Deutsch, says the agency bought the rights to use the song and fulfilled all the requirements for the deal.

“We did everything legally that we were supposed to do,” she says.

Members of The Styletones declined to comment, as did Brent Asbury, the agent at Beta Petrol who recruited the band.

This isn’t the first time the Moores have gotten up in arms over licensing rights. Last year, a federal judge dismissed their claim that the 2008 movie Soul Men had infringed on Moore’s trademark nickname, “The Legendary Soul Man.”

Coming out of a nearly two-year hiatus, indie-rockers Swim Party will play a reunion show at Soda Bar on Saturday, Feb. 9. Guitarist / vocalist Eric Tremblay has been living in Switzerland, but he’s coming back to town for a couple days.

Email peterh@sdcitybeat.com or follow him on Twitter at @peterholslin.