You may not be familiar with the 60's D.C.based soul group The Winstons, or even their B-side track "Amen, Brother," but you know doubt have heard the six second drum solo that comes in the middle of it. Dubbed the "Amen Break," it is arguably the most sampled drum beat in music history, having been used on more than 1,500 recordings, including N.W.A.'s "Straight Outta Compton" and Oasis "D'you Know What I Mean." Yet the musicians behind the famous never saw so much as a royalty penny for its use. And despite winning a Grammy for the A-Side track "Color Him Father," and having the titular record go Gold, the drummer who originally performed the Amen Break, Gregory Coleman, died a homeless man over a decade ago.But for the frontman of The Winstons, Richard Spencer, payday has finally arrived.Two British DJs, Martyn Webster and Steve Theobald, privy to the financial plight of the aging soul musician, set up a Go Fund Me campaign with the intent of raising a nominal 1,000 pounds. But the DJ community, responding in kind, went much further than the intended goal. This week, 45 years after its recording, Spencer cashed in a check of 24,000 pounds.As of yesterday a second Go Fund Me account has been set up to keep contributions ongoing for Spencer.
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