Original source: BBC, author: Mark Savage



The musician behind one of the most-sampled pieces of music in history has finally been rewarded for his work.

The Amen Break - a six-second drum solo in The Winstons' 1969 track Amen, Brother - has been sampled by artists including The Prodigy, Oasis and NWA.

But its writers never received any royalties from those recordings.

In an effort to correct that, fans set up a crowdfunding page which has now delivered a £24,000 cheque to The Winstons' frontman Richard Spencer.

"Thank you so much for this great contribution to my life," he said in a video statement on Facebook.

"Thank you very, very much. A-men!"

The campaign was set up earlier this year by British DJs Martyn Webster and Steve Theobald, whose initial target was just £1,000.

"If you have ever written or sold any music with the amen break, or even just enjoyed one of the countless hundreds and hundreds of tunes that contain it... please donate," Webster wrote on the fundraising page.

The campaign closed in March, but Webster said "transferring the money from the UK to Richard in America caused some big headaches, with my bank being a bit awkward!"

Spencer finally received the cheque this week, posting his thank you message on the campaign's Facebook page on Tuesday.

'Do the right thing'
Webster was inspired to raise money for the musician by a 2011 BBC radio documentary, which tracked down Spencer and asked him about the famous drum break.

The musician expressed frustration that he was unable to pursue legal avenues in order to recoup the money the sample had generated.

The statute of limitations for copyright infringement is three years in the US - meaning civil and criminal cases must be filed within 36 months of the song being sampled.

Spencer told the BBC he wasn't even aware of his song's second life until 1996, when a British record label contacted him, seeking to buy the master tapes.

"I was still in Washington DC. I was attending university and working in the transit system," he recalled. "I felt as if I had been touched somewhere that no-one is supposed to touch. I felt invaded, like my privacy had been taken for granted.

He urged musicians who had used the Amen Break to "do the right thing".

"I'm flattered that you chose it but make it a legal interaction - pay me.

"The young man who played that drumbeat, Gregory Coleman, died homeless and broke in Atlanta, Georgia," he added.

According to whosampled.com, the Amen Break has been sampled 1,862 times - far ahead of other popular samples like James Brown's Funky Drummer, which appears in 1,136 songs; and Lyn Collins' Think (About It) which crops up in 1,324 tracks.

 

This fascinating, brilliant 20-minute video narrates the history of the "Amen Break," a six-second drum sample from the b-side of a chart-topping single from 1969. This sample was used extensively in early hiphop and sample-based music, and became the basis for drum-and-bass and jungle music -- a six-second

 

The man deserves more. Amen break wus the coolest shit back in the breakbeat dayz. And it still remains cool when I listen to those tracks from back in the day...

 

Zero-G hold a copyright on it WTF!

 

It is too sad that Gregory "GC" Coleman, who played the actual drums, never get to see ANY of that money.

 

I'm glad to see this. I contributed when I first got wind of the campaign. I actually used the break, but I would have contributed anyway. Because, Music.

I watched that after I got the Amen break from my roommate at the time. It was a very interesting story about how sound and culture evolve - or change. Depending on the use, it can be glorification or appropriation.

Yeah, that is sad. But, at least he has a legacy. An entire sub-genre (or genres) owe existence to him and musicians like him. We have to face it, all musicians steal/borrow/imitate/etc. I wish he could have gotten the recognition, but I'm glad the art never dies.

 

guilty, and its actually older then soundcloud

 

This is why I hate rap artist they clam to be musicians but all they do is sample real musicians work and steal it.
Talent less to me.

 

Good day,

There are several points I felt inclined to share:

1. Rap artists are musicians that use their voices as the instrument, among other things in their toolkit. Writing and lyricism, stage presence & energy, cadence and flow.
2. If you are speaking of producers and beat makers who sample others to make new tracks, this is not exclusive to Rap or Hip Hop.
3. There are plenty of folks who pay (in some form or another) to sample, cover, or otherwise use the work of others. That is the opposite of you know, stealing.
4. Not everyone who samples loops (meaning: your statement generalizes that an entire culture is devoid of creativity and originality, which is false). Not everyone who samples uses it in a non-obscure manner (meaning: loops, sounds, and instruments get chopped and re-arranged). Samples are used by virtually everyone on here who uses virtual instruments (i.e. VSTs). Samples are used to build melodies, choruses, drops, hooks, or in other words, music.
5. Do you say the same about those who use loops or melody compositions in their work? These were developed by others.
6. Every musician steals and/or borrows. Name what is new today that hasn't already been done in some capacity. What scale has a musician you respect built? What instrument? 2-5-1, chord theory, it's all old and being used by artists from many (any) of the genres in existence. Every student is using what the master taught.

But, hey. You hate rap artists. So, I guess this doesn't matter to you.

- Bonus Round -
7. Points are made from the perception of he who makes the statement. For us to clearly understand you, would you offer up some of the art you make to be held as a standard of creativity and measured against what you consider 'talentless?'

Peace

 

sounds like you're generalizing. that's not fair.

i'm connected to quite a few rap/hip-hop producers who NEVER sample...and some that do.

as artists, we all take from & are influenced by those that came before us, and will influence those that follow us in the future. no idea's original because there's nothing new under the sun. sampled work should be cleared & paid for, however. nothing wrong with doing the right thing.

 

That check seems kinda small. He should have at least six figures or more

 

I'm a pianist (I play piano since 1995) & i make music score for films and also i Produce Hip Hop & Rap and R&B ,
So your statement is false & i'M living proof of that

 

That's a bit unfair. Your sweeping statement aside, non rap artists like David Bowie and Oasis have also used this sample too and not paid for it.

 

Last edited: Nov 13, 2015

Using some samples and sampling everything is totally different. Also playing a computer keyboard versus a real instrument are totally different,

 

Wow a real pianist. Great.

 

Agreed we all take influences from previous artists. I play guitar. I have add rifts from Eddie Van Halen, Jimmy Page and also Jimmy Hendrix to my style. Not copying the same rift nor the song just the style. Most Rap artists I know sit behind a computer and re sample music and change the tempo a little and say it is a song. I am so happy this gentleman got paid for his drums. I watched the video it his drums to a tee on so many songs. Really a shame they did not give him the credit and do the right thing from the start.

 

i can foresee this turning into a conversation that belongs to a different thread. lets not get sucked into genre wars

 

Using a scale and copying a phrase are totally different to me. Playing EZ Drummer and creating a beat is creating a beat, not re sampling a gentleman's beat. That is what happened here.

Do you think anyone can hold a candle to Marvin Gaye?
I mean really Jay Z? That is not music to me. I am sorry. Stale drums cursing each other out with the N word. Bro.
Get real, List to Marvin's hooks that is music. Others also
like Steve Wounder. That stuff was so groove n.

Have we lost our ears for music?

 

Sorry I just find it offensive when the whole article was about them ripping this poor guy off by re-sampling his work.