Song Clearance Sheet
4 sources citedColor Him Father
Soul1960s115BPM
F minKey
More around 120 BPM → · More in F minor → · More “No Payment Mechanism” →
Tempo/key via GetSongBPM →, Deezer →
The verdict
No Payment Mechanism
The A-side to “Amen, Brother” — same 1969 Metromedia single, same real ownership mystery: the label’s collapse left no identifiable current administrator to pay. A practical reality, not an adversarial dispute — the same situation documented on the Amen, Brother page.
Used by independents?
Unconfirmed — the page doesn't yet document enough sampler detail to tell.
Quick Facts
Released1969
GenreSoul, R&B
LabelMetromedia Records
ProducerDon Carroll
More infoWikipedia → · Discogs →
Who you need to ask
The songwriter — Richard Lewis Spencer’s estate
Wikipedia → · checked Jul 2026
The current administrator — Not confirmed — Metromedia’s collapse left no identifiable successor (same as Amen, Brother)
Wikipedia → · checked Jul 2026
Has it been reused?
Covered (notably Linda Martell’s 1969 country version) — but the Metromedia master has no identifiable administrator to license through, the same practical dead-end as its B-side, the Amen break.
Do they allow reuse?
No standalone policy and no identifiable administrator — a practical no-payment-mechanism situation, not a refusal. See the verdict.
Related Songs
Same album, answer records, and songs worth knowing about
See every song that samples “Color Him Father” →
The B-side to this same 1969 single — home of the “Amen break”
Who Owns It
Licenses explained →The two permissions you need, and who holds them
The song itself (the writing)Richard Lewis Spencer (estate, following his December 2020 death)
The same mystery as “Amen, Brother”Both sides of the same 1969 Metromedia single
The recording (current administrator)Not confirmed — no clear Metromedia successor identified
Receipts
Every public mention of terms, policy, or past deals we've found
Spencer’s own words on the Amen break sampling
Richard Spencer said plainly he never received royalties for the Amen break and initially condemned its sampling as plagiarism — though by 2015 he offered a more resigned reflection, describing it as not the worst thing that could happen to him, and finding it flattering that something he created was wanted, given his position as a Black man in America.
Wikipedia (Richard Lewis Spencer) · read it →
A real human cost, tied to this same single
Spencer condemned how the uncompensated sampling of the Amen break (this single’s B-side) contributed to drummer Gregory Coleman becoming homeless and destitute, leading to Coleman’s death on the streets in 2006 — the same tragedy documented on the Amen, Brother page.
Wikipedia (Richard Lewis Spencer) · read it →
A country crossover with real current relevance
Covered in a country style in 1969 by Linda Martell — one of country’s first Black artists and the first Black woman to play the Grand Ole Opry (#22 Hot Country). Her version entered the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2025 and got renewed attention via Beyoncé’s 2024 “Cowboy Carter,” which paid tribute to Martell.
American Songwriter · read it →
Can You Use It for Free?
How to check PD →Is it public domain?No
Sample History
—
Times sampled
Linda Martell (1969 country version)
Covers
—
First flip
Who to Contact
WN
Richard Lewis Spencer’s estate (Metromedia)
The songwriter; no identifiable administrator, same as Amen, Brother
What they'll chargeNobody's shared numbers yet
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References
Every source cited on this page — 4 in total
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Page history · 2 updates
Jul 2026Page created — full research (Research Queue Batch)
Jul 2026BPM/Key pending a separate manual keyfinder pass