A member of The Winstons – who crafted the immortal Amen break – has received a fan-funded payout for his work.
The music industry can be a cruel place. The Winstons were a hot soul/funk combo at the tail end of the 60s, whose 1969 EP 'Color Him Father' was a million seller.
Tucked away on the flip, their instrumental recording 'Amen Brother' would go on to achieve a strange sort of immortality. Featuring a legendary drum break – the Amen break, as it became known – the track has been sampled more than 1000 times.
Yet the group never receives royalties for the record, with drummer Gregory Coleman dying without knowledge of his global fame. Earlier this year British DJ pairing Martyn Webster and Steve Theobald set up a fan-funded project to give The Winstons some royalties.
A few moments ago, frontman Richard Spencer received a £24,000 cheque and left an emotional message on the campaign's Facebook page.
"Thank you so much for this great contribution to my life," he said in a video statement. "Thank you very, very much. A-men!"
