Rhythm and blues
From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rhythm and blues (aka R&B or RnB) is a popular type of music that combines jazz, gospel, and blues influences. It was first performed by African American artists.
The term was created in the United States in 1947 by Jerry Wexler at Billboard magazine[1]. It replaced the term race music which was thought to be offensive. It also replaced the Billboard category Harlem Hit Parade in June 1949. The term was first used to show the style of music that combined 12 bar blues and boogie-woogie with a back beat. This later became a fundamental part of rock and roll. In 1948, RCA Victor called black music Blues and Rhythm. The words were reversed by Wexler of Atlantic Records. By the 1970s, rhythm and blues was being used describe all soul and funk. Today the term R&B is almost always used instead of rhythm and blues. The use of the term refers to a type of soul and funk-influenced pop music that started woth the death of disco in 1980.
Contents |
[edit] Original rhythm and blues
Originally, rhythm and blues set the foundation rock and roll. It was influenced by jazz, blues and black gospel music. It influenced jazz as well. The first popular rock and roll songs were rhythm and blues songs like Rocket 88 and Shake, Rattle and Roll. Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin On was the first popular song by Jerry Lee Lewis. It was an R&B cover song that reached #1 on pop, R&B and country and western charts.
Musicians took little notice of the differences between jazz and rhythm and blues. The often recorded both types of music. Most of the R&B studio musicians were jazz musicians. Many of the musicians on jazz recordings were R&B veterans.
The 1950s was the best decade for classic rhythm and blues. Different style of R&B could be found in different parts of the United States. A style that combined R&B and blues came out of New Orleans. In the late 1950s, Fats Domino hit the national charts with Blueberry Hill and Ain't That a Shame. Other artists who made this Louisiana type of R&B famous included Clarence "Frogman" Henry, Frankie Ford, Irma Thomas, The Neville Brothers and Dr. John.
At the begining of their [[career]s in the 1960s, British rock bands like The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds and the Spencer Davis Group were basically R&B bands.
[edit] Contemporary R&B
During the 1980s, James Brown and Sly & the Family Stone had used parts of psychedelic rock and other styles in their music. Funk became a big part of disco music. In the early 1980s, funk and soul had become sultry and more sexual with the work of Prince and others. The modern style of contemporary R&B came to be a major part of American popular music.
R&B today defines a style of African-American music. It combines elements of soul music, funk music, pop music, and (after 1986) hip hop in what is now called contemporary R&B.
It is sometimes called "urban contemporary" or "urban pop".
[edit] R&B in the 2000s
By the 2000s, the only big difference between a record being a hip hop record or an R&B record is whether its vocals are rapped or sung. R&B is uses rhythm more than hip hop soul had. R&B started to focus more on solo artists than groups. By 2005, the most famous R&B artists include Usher, Beyoncé (formerly of Destiny's Child), Ashanti, and Mariah Carey.
Soulful R&B continues to be popular, with artists such as Alicia Keys, R. Kelly, John Legend, and Toni Braxton. Some R&B singers have used parts of Caribbean music in their work.
