Rhythm and Blues Music History

The term Rhythm and Blues, R&B, was first used by Billboard magazine in the late 1940's. R&B was an African-American urban sound that evolved from blues and jazz. In the late 1940's R&B was described as rocking and jazz based with a heavy and insistent beat. R&B was becoming popular because of it dance ability. By 1949 the term had replaced Billboard’s category Harlem Hit Parade.

By the 1950's R&B was starting to define the sound of Rock n Roll. In the early fifties Little Richard started recording for RCA Records and by the mid fifties had hits with “Tutti Frutti” and “Long Tall Sally.” Fats Domino had a hit with “Ain’t That a Shame.” Bo Diddly and Chuck Berry would influence and create beats that became mainstays in Rock n Roll.

Rhythm performer and recording artist in the late 1950s and early 1960s, Ray Charles pioneered a new style of music that became known as soul,” a blend of gospel music, blues, and jazz that brought him worldwide fame. Ray Charles and blues (R&B), which combines soulful singing and a strong backbeat, was the most popular music created by and for African Americans between the end of World War II (1941–45) and the early 1960s. Such Georgia artists as Ray Charles, Little Richard, and James Brown rank among the most influential and innovative R&B performers.

Surging employment during World War II accelerated the migration of the rural poor to cities and helped create a younger, more urban black audience. By 1946 the decade-long dominance of swing music was fading, but the demand for exciting dance music remained. Early R&B artists broke away from the big band formula by typically performing in small combos and emphasizing blues-style vocals and song structures. Saxophone and piano were still prominent, but electric guitar and bass added volume and intensity, making the new sound ideal for radio and jukeboxes.
Billboard magazine coined the term rhythm and blues to rename its “race records” chart in 1949, reflecting changes in the social status, economic power, and musical tastes of African Americans. Promoted by new, independently owned record labels and radio stations marketed to blacks, R&B also captured the imagination of young white audiences and led directly to the popularity of rock and roll.

James Brown, and Aretha Franklin, was instrumental in pioneering soul music, a dynamic blend of gospel and rhythm and blues. Two of Brown’s singles in 1965, Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag-Part 1" and I Got You (I Feel Good),” were milestones of the genre. James Brown and Aretha Franklin performer has been more influential than singer and bandleader James Brown. Brought up in Augusta, Brown became known as the “hardest-working man in show business” for his relentless touring and explosive stage performances. His first hit was “Please, Please, Please” (1956). His million-selling Live at the Apollo album (1963) achieved unprecedented crossover success.

Starting with “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” and “I Got You (I Feel Good)” in 1965, Brown evolved a new, funky style that emphasized intense rhythmic interplay between vocals, horns, guitar, and drums. He was a constant presence on both R&B and pop charts through the social turmoil of the 1960s and early 1970s and achieved recognition not only as a performer but also as a symbol of black pride and self-sufficiency. In 1986 Ray Charles, Little Richard, and James Brown were among the first inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.The end of the classic R&B period was marked by Billboard magazine’s short-lived decision to combine its pop and R&B charts in 1963. Since then “R&B” has been used more broadly to encompass a range of black musical genres, including soul, funk, disco, and rap.

One of many local artists popularized on Sears’s broadcasts, Piano Red (Willie Lee Perryman) developed a barrelhouse style, a loud percussive type of blues piano suitable for noisy bars or taverns. Perryman played around prewar Atlanta with blues greats Barbecue Bob (Robert Hicks) and “Blind Willie” McTell. He released five R&B top ten hits in 1951 and charted again as Dr. Feelgood in the early 1960s. For many years he was the house pianist at Muhlenbrink’s Saloon in Underground Atlanta.

Chuck Willis was singing at block parties, dances, and talent shows in Atlanta when he met Zenas Sears, who became his manager. Willis had hits on both the R&B and pop charts from 1956 to 1958. He was also a successful composer whose songs were recorded by Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, and others. A month after he died in 1958 from stomach ulcers at the age of thirty, his song “What Am I Living For” hit number one on the R&B charts.

Born in Albany, Ray Charles was equally talented as a pianist, singer, and arranger, and his career spanned R&B, blues, country, gospel, and pop. His first national hit, “I Got a Woman,” propelled by a jumping horn riff and Charles’s moaning vocals, was recorded at the WGST studios in 1954. In this and later recordings, Charles mixed blues and gospel styles, laying the groundwork for the emotional, churchy vocals of soul music.

Little Richard (Richard Penniman) advertises himself as “the originator, the emancipator, and the architect of rock and roll.” His claim, though arrogant, is well warranted. Known for his ecstatic singing and pounding piano, the Macon-born performer released a series of wildly energetic records from 1955 to 1957, including “Long Tall Sally,” “Rip It Up,” and “Tutti-Frutti,” that crossed over from the R&B chart to the pop chart. He appeared in several early rock-and-roll movies, and his hits were covered, but not surpassed, by Pat Boone and by the Beatles.

Rhythm & Blues is a term used to describe the blues-influenced form of music predominantly performed by African-Americans since the late 1930s. The term ‘Rhythm and Blues’ was first introduced into the American lexicon in the late 1940s: The name’s origin was created for use as a musical marketing term by Billboard magazine. In 1949, then-Billboard magazine reporter Jerry Wexler (who later went on to become a music producer ) created the term for Billboard to designate upbeat popular music

The “Rhythm & Blues” term was created to replace the designation “race music,” which until then was the stardard catch-all phase used in reference to most music made by blacks at the time. After the “race music” term was deemed offensive, Billboard began using the Rhythm & Blues name that Wexler created.

The meaning behind the name is this: the “rhythm” part comes from the music’s typical dependance upon four-beat measures or bars and employ a backbeat (beats two and four accented in each measure). And the “blues” portion came from the lyrics and melodies of the songs, which were often sad, or ‘blue’ during the music’s emergence in the World War II era. Over time the name was shortened to R&B as a matter of convenience.

By the 1970s, rhythm and blues was also being used as a blanket term to describe soul and funk as well. And today, the term can be used to loosely define most sung African-American urban music, even though soul and funk can be placed in categories of thier own.Rhythm and blues was invented by African Americans more than 70 years ago. The term “R&B” was originally a marketing tool, but now refers to various musical styles including Gospel and Electric Blues, which was popularized by BB King.

Some remembered the dance moves from the popular television show “Soul Train,” which ran for 35 years. By the 1960's rhythm and blues would include soul music. In the seventies disco was added to the R&B category as was funk. By the 1980's R&B was defining music that included soul, funk, rock n roll and pop music.By the 90's artists like Levert, Keith Sweat, Jodeci, and BellBivDeVoe were taking love songs in the R&B genre to another level. Classic-Soul and vocal harmonies were being popularized by Mariah Carey, TLC, R. Kelly, and Boyz II Men. Going into the 21st century R&B would include New Jack Swing, Hip-hop, and Neo-Soul.