Rhythms and blues
In addition, some vocalists who were considered jazz artists, such as Dinah Washington, also appeared on the R&B charts. Since the distinction between R&B and rock and roll wasn’t based on strict rules, most black performers released records that fit both categories. Many doo-wop groups, such as Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, and other performers like Little Richard, therefore, were also considered rock-and-roll acts. It was also presented as having a less subtle approach to rhythm. The music that came to be known as rock and roll sometimes featured lyrics about first love, parent-child conflict, and rebellion against authority. Eventually, more white teens across the country shifted their previous musical tastes to R&B and other “black” music.īy the middle of the decade, rhythm and blues had come to define popular black music that was not necessarily aimed at teenagers. By the early 1950s, more whites had become aware of R&B and started to purchase R&B records. The growing popularity of R&B was not only limited among African-American markets anymore. One of its artists, a young aspiring singer named Elvis Presley, set rockabilly and rock and roll ablaze and eventually became one of its brightest and most important stars. Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee also played an important role in spreading R&B before turning its attention to rockabilly music. Other record labels, such as Chess and Vee Jay labels in Chicago, Illinois King Records in Cincinnati, Ohio and Duke/Peacock Records in Houston, Texas also played pivotal roles in bringing R&B and other black music forward. It also signed Ray Charles and helped him find a new musical direction, eventually transitioning into soul. Atlantic Records eventually earned a reputation for specializing in black music, particularly jazz, R&B, and soul.Ītlantic Records introduced some of the top R&B singers at the time, most notably Ruth Brown and LaVern Baker. In 1947, Atlantic Records was founded by Ahmet Ertegun, the son of a Turkish ambassador to the US and a jazz lover, and Herb Abramson, a music industry professional. Independent record labels, particularly the ones based in Los Angeles, California, issued some of the earliest-known R&B recordings. Most solos in R&B groups at the time were usually handled by the pianist. The reason was that guitar soloing was seen as too “country” and unsophisticated. For example: in a band led by the late R&B drummer Roy Milton, he played drums and sang, his bandmate Camille Howard played piano and sang, and his saxophonists would be featured at least once.Īnother hallmark of small R&B groups is the relegation of the guitar (if there was any, indeed), from solo to accompanying status. The small R&B groups, on the other hand, typically consisted of five to seven members and counted on individual musicians to take turns in the limelight. The big R&B groups consisted of singers who had experienced in big bands and were usually hired employees of bandleaders like Lucky Millinder or Count Basie. Let’s go back to the early days of rhythm and blues – there were many big and small R&B groups then. As rap and hip hop rose and began to dominate the black music scene a few decades later, the term “rhythm and blues” came to a different meaning – a bunch of love songs or sentimental songs. Rhythm and blues was rather considered a lowbrow counterpart to jazz’s highbrow type of black music and form of black expression. In the 1950s, the term “rhythm and blues” was associated with the black youths in honky-tonk bars and after-hour dance clubs. Billboard changed the chart’s name in its June 17, 1949, issue.
Wexler found that record labels issuing “black” popular music found the chart terms in use at the time, such as “sepia series” or “race music,” too offensive. Jerry Wexler, a music journalist working for Billboard at the time, is widely credited with coining the term “rhythm and blues.” Billboard magazine created it for use as a marketing term. The term “rhythm and blues” entered the American lexicon during the 1940s. Where did the term “rhythm and blues” come from? Rhythm and blues was also responsible for developing subsequent genres, notably rock and roll, doo-wop, disco, and hip hop or rap music, among many others. Rhythm and blues, also called rhythm & blues or R&B, is a type of music genre predominantly performed in the African communities during the 1940s.