The Source
In 1969, The Winstons recorded "Amen, Brother" as the B-side to their single "Color Him Father." Drummer Gregory C. Coleman played a six-second drum solo that would become the foundation of entire genres.
The Discovery
In the mid-1980s, hip-hop producers began isolating and looping this break. By the early 1990s, the Amen break had become central to jungle and drum and bass production in the UK.
The Legacy
Today, the Amen break is considered the most sampled piece of music in history. It appears in thousands of tracks across hip-hop, jungle, drum and bass, breakbeat, and electronic music. Yet Gregory Coleman died homeless in 2006, having never received royalties for his contribution.