"Amen" is a traditional gospel song that was popularized by

The Impressions The Impressions were an American music group originally formed in 1958. Their repertoire includes gospel, doo-wop, R&B, and soul. The group was founded as the Roosters by Chattanooga, Tennessee natives Sam Gooden, Richard Brooks and Arthur Bro ...

with their 1964 version. It was recorded earlier, in June 1948, and released in January 1949 by the

Wings Over Jordan Choir The Wings Over Jordan Choir was an African-American a cappella spiritual choir founded and based in Cleveland, Ohio. The choir is also known for a weekly religious radio series, ''Wings Over Jordan'', which was created to showcase the group. ...

Background

The song was arranged by

Jester Hairston Jester Joseph Hairston (July 9, 1901 – January 18, 2000) was an American composer, songwriter, arranger, choral conductor and actor. He was regarded as a leading expert on black spirituals and choral music. His notable compositions include " ...

, for the Sidney Poitier film '' Lilies of the Field'' (1963), which popularized the song.

Curtis Mayfield Curtis Lee Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer, and one of the most influential musicians behind soul and politically conscious African-American music.

said "I'd gone to see 'Lilies of the Field,' and the song in it, 'Amen,' was very inspiring for me as was the movie . . . Of course, I'd decided to do a version of it. We put it together in the studio starting off with a musical 'swing low sweet chariot', and then we fell into that particular song with somewhat of a marching rhythm." The song was the first Impressions' hit that Mayfield did not write. Mayfield inserted the title of the song "Keep on Pushing", which was recorded by the Impressions, in-between the lyrics of the song. The song went to number one on '' Cashbox'' Magazine's R&B chart for three weeks and reached #7 on the '' Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart in 1964. The B-side, "Long, Long Winter", peaked at #35 on the Cashbox R&B chart. A new version was released by The Impressions in 1969 under the title "Amen (1970)", reaching #44 on the ''Billboard'' Best Selling Soul Singles chart in January 1970.

Cover version

* In 1968,

Otis Redding Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. ...

had a posthumous hit with his version of the song, reaching #15 on the R&B chart.

References

External links

* 1964 singles The Impressions songs Otis Redding songs Music published by Bourne Co. Music Publishers Songs written by Jester Hairston 1963 songs American folk songs Gospel songs American Christmas songs {{1960s-R&B-song-stub