Amens › The Amen break: a drum solo that changed music
The Amen break: a drum solo that changed music
Not every amen is a prayer. One of the most famous is a short drum solo from a 1969 soul record. Here is what it is and why it matters.
What the Amen break is
The Amen break is a drum solo that lasts about seven seconds, taken from "Amen, Brother", a 1969 instrumental by the American soul group the Winstons. The track was the B-side of their single "Color Him Father". The drummer was Gregory Coleman, and the tempo is around 136 beats per minute. The title uses the word amen, but the piece is an instrumental soul record, and the break has become famous for its drumming rather than for any religious meaning.
What a "break" is
In funk and soul, a break is a short passage where most instruments stop and the drummer plays alone. DJs in the 1970s and 80s realised these passages were perfect for dancing, and began to loop them using two turntables, then, later, samplers. A break is easy to loop because the drums are exposed, with no other instrument in the way.
How it spread
- Hip-hop, 1980s. DJs and producers looped the Amen break, and it appeared on records including N.W.A.'s "Straight Outta Compton" and Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock's "Keep It Going Now".
- Jungle and drum and bass, 1990s. Producers in the UK took the break, chopped and sped it up, and made it a staple of jungle and drum and bass. It has been used in thousands of tracks since, and it is closely tied to the sound of British dance music in that decade.
- Beyond. Its distinctive snare pattern has become a kind of shared musical language among electronic producers.
The royalty question
The Winstons received no royalties for the sampling of their record. Bandleader Richard Lewis Spencer learned of it in 1996, after the legal time limit for a claim had passed. He first called it plagiarism but later described the attention as "flattering". Gregory Coleman died homeless and destitute in 2006. In 2015, a crowdfunding campaign for Spencer raised more than £18,000, and he died in 2020. In 2026, the Library of Congress selected "Amen, Brother" for the National Recording Registry.
The story is often used in discussions about sampling and creative credit, because so many people have made money and music from a few seconds of someone else's work. It also raises questions about how artists are rewarded when styles of music grow out of a shared pool of recordings.
Why this drum pattern?
Several features make it ideal for sampling. The groove is lively and syncopated, with the snare hits falling in places that feel both steady and surprising. The recording is clean enough to cut into small pieces, which lets a producer rearrange the hits into new patterns. Because of that, it works at wildly different speeds. At 136 bpm it sounds like soul; sped up to 160 or 170 bpm it becomes the skittering rhythm of jungle.
A note on terms
Sampling law differs between countries, and rules on clearing samples are complicated. If you want to use a sample in your own music, read about clearance and licensing from an official source before you release anything. This page describes history and is not legal advice.
Where to hear it
The original recording, "Amen, Brother", is available on streaming services and in Winstons compilations. Search for the name and listen for the drum solo.
More amens
For choral and church music, see musical amens. For the word's meaning, read meaning and origin, and for a guide to everyday sayings, try amen in everyday English.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Amen break?
A drum solo of about seven seconds from 'Amen, Brother', a 1969 instrumental by the Winstons, played by Gregory Coleman.
Which music genres use the Amen break?
Hip-hop in the 1980s, and jungle and drum and bass in the 1990s, among many others.
Did the Winstons get paid for the sampling?
No. The Winstons received no royalties for the sampling, and bandleader Richard Lewis Spencer learned of it in 1996, after the legal time limit had passed.