Amen, Brother by The Winstons

It's been a couple of months since my last post, but what better way to return after a break than with 'Amen, Brother', by the Winstons? The Winston's were a Washington DC group formed by refugees from Otis Redding's band. You'll immediately hear the influence of The Impressions in this side, and indeed they first signed to Curtis Mayfield's Curtom label before moving to Metromedia to record this disc.

The A-side to this tune was 'Color Him Father', a homage to paternal values not unlike Clarence Carter's 'Patches'. It was a top ten r&b and pop hit, earning the Winston's a Grammy in 1968. The B-side must always have enjoyed good club play with its driving beat, Memphis style horn line and funky breakdown, but with the advent of sampling it was given a new lease of life, indeed I've even read somewhere that it has a legitimate claim to being the most sampled track of all time. I don't know about that, but I do know that with this one single The Winston's assured their place in soul history.