Amen Break

The Amen break is a seven-second drum break from the 1969 track "Amen, Brother" by the Winstons that became one of the most sampled recordings in music history, particularly in hip-hop, drum and bass, and jungle music since the 1980s. Despite being used in thousands of tracks across multiple genres, the Winstons and drummer Gregory Coleman received no royalties, and the band's leader was unaware of the sampling until 1996, after copyright protections had expired. In 2026, "Amen, Brother" was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry.