In 1969, an R&B group called The Winstons recorded a B-side track in a studio in Atlanta. The song was called "Amen, Brother." It was a fast-paced instrumental version of "Amen." In the middle of the song, the band stops, and the drummer, Gregory C. Coleman, plays a four-bar solo.
The Six Seconds
The solo lasts exactly six seconds. It is funky, syncopated, and tight. And for nearly 20 years, it sat on a forgotten 7-inch record.
Then came the samplers. In the 1980s, hip hop producers began digging for drum breaks. They found "Amen, Brother." They slowed it down for N.W.A's "Straight Outta Compton." It was just another break.
The Mutation
But in the UK in the early 90s, something else happened. Producers in the emerging "hardcore" rave scene didn't slow it down. They sped it up. They chopped it. They rearranged the snare hits. They reversed it.
- 1992 Prodigy, "Firestarter"
- 1994 Shy FX, "Original Nuttah"
- 1997 David Bowie, "Little Wonder"
- 1999 The Powerpuff Girls Theme Song
The "Amen Break" became the DNA of entire genres: Jungle, Drum & Bass, and Breakcore. It is arguably the most important six seconds of recorded audio in the last century.
The Tragedy
Neither G.C. Coleman nor Richard L. Spencer (the copyright holder) received royalties for these thousands of uses. Coleman, the man whose rhythm has made millions of people dance for decades, died homeless and destitute in Atlanta in 2006.