Thursday, 16 June 2011

The Winstons - Amen Brother

Never heard of this track? Oh yes you have, or at least a small part of it. The drum solo at 1:27 - 1:33 was sampled; music history made in 6 seconds and spawned several entire subcultures.
But first, let's shed a little light on The Winstons themselves.
They were a 1960s soul/funk group, based in Washington, D.C., who are most notable for recording a track called Color Him Father recorded in 1969, backed with a B-side entitled Amen, Brother, with that sample in question.
It's probably the most sampled record of all time. The drum solo (performed by G.C. Coleman) that has been sampled and used in thousands of hip-hoppopdrum and bass and jungle tracks. This beat is known as the Amen break, after the song.



Can't hear it? let's make it simpler:


The musicians must be rolling in it, yes? Er, no. Neither the Winstons, Coleman, nor the copyright owner Richard L. Spencer have ever received any royalties or clearance fees for the use of the sample, nor have they sought royalties.
If you're of a mind to, get comfy and watch this, it explains the sigificance of Six Short Seconds:



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