The Winstons

Led by Richard Spencer, the Winstons formed a Washington, D.C.-based soul group that signed with Curtom in early 1968. Their lone release on the label, the rousing “Need a Replacement,” never received widespread airplay because Curtom lacked national distribution at the time. The group’s sound echoed that of the Impressions, yet the timing of the deal prevented greater exposure. One year after departing Curtom, the Winstons reached the Metromedia roster and scored a major success with “Color Him Father,” a Top Ten hit on both the R&B and pop charts that peaked just shy of the R&B summit and received the Grammy for Best R&B Song. Richard Spencer delivered the standout lead vocal on the tribute track, supported by Ray Maritano, Quincy Mattison, Phil Tolotta, Sonny Peckrol, and G.C. Coleman, two of whom—Mattison and Coleman—had previously played in Otis Redding’s band. The Winstons later served as the Impressions’ touring backup unit but failed to register any further chart entries. Coleman’s drum break on the B-side “Amen, Brother” emerged as one of the most sampled passages in hip-hop and multiple forms of electronic dance music. Successive lineups of the group continued to record and perform over subsequent decades.