In 1969 a pretty-much forgotten R&B group called The Winstons released a hit single called “Color Me Father,” it went to #7 in the pop charts and won the R&B Grammy for Single of the Year. But it was the B-side of that single that changed music history. “Amen Brother” was the B-side and it had a 6-second drum break that over time took on it’s own life and became the foundation for thousands of songs. Sampled officially over 6000 times (and the true numbers are probably uncountable), most famously as the backbone of NWA’s “Straight Outta Compton”, Q explains the sad and tragic history behind the man that created the most sampled break in music history: the Amen Break.
In 1969 a pretty-much forgotten R&B group called The Winstons released a hit single called “Color Me Father,” it went to #7 in the pop charts and won the R&B Grammy for Single of the Year. But it was the B-side of that single that changed music history. “Amen Brother” was the B-side and it had a 6-second drum break that over time took on it’s own life and became the foundation for thousands of songs. Sampled officially over 6000 times (and the true numbers are probably uncountable), most famously as the backbone of NWA’s “Straight Outta Compton”, Q explains the sad and tragic history behind the man that created the most sampled break in music history: the Amen Break.