| Rhythm and blues (or R&B) was coined as a | | | | recordings were R&B veterans. Lionel Hampton's |
| musical marketing term in the United States in | | | | big band of the early 1940s, which produced the |
| 1949 by Jerry Wexler at Billboard magazine, and | | | | classic recording "Flying Home" (tenor sax solo by |
| was used to designate upbeat popular music | | | | Illinois Jacquet) was the breeding ground for many |
| performed by African American artists that | | | | of the bebop legends of the 1950s. Eddie |
| combined jazz, gospel, and blues. It replaced the | | | | "Cleanhead" Vinson was a one-man fusion, a |
| term race music, which was deemed offensive, | | | | bebop saxophonist and a blues shouter.The 1950s |
| as well as the Billboard category name "Harlem Hit | | | | was the premier decade for classic rhythm and |
| Parade," in June of 1949, and was initially used to | | | | blues. Overlapping with other genres such as jazz |
| identify the rocking style of music that combined | | | | and rock and roll, R&B also developed regional |
| the 12 bar blues format and boogie woogie with a | | | | variations. A strong, distinct style straddling the |
| backbeat, later known as rock and roll. In 1948, | | | | border with blues came out of New Orleans and |
| RCA Victor was marketing black music under the | | | | was based on a rolling piano style first made |
| name "Blues and Rhythm," but the words were | | | | famous by Professor Longhair. In the late 1950s, |
| reversed by Wexler of Atlantic Records, the | | | | Fats Domino hit the national charts with "Blueberry |
| most aggressive and most dominant label in the | | | | Hill" and "Ain't That a Shame". Other artists who |
| R&B field in the early years. By the 1970s, | | | | popularized this Louisiana flavor of R&B included |
| rhythm and blues was being used as a blanket | | | | Clarence "Frogman" Henry, Frankie Ford, Irma |
| term to describe soul and funk as well. Today, | | | | Thomas, The Neville Brothers, and Dr. John.At the |
| the acronym "R&B" is almost always used instead | | | | start of their career, The Rolling Stones were |
| of "rhythm and blues", and defines the modern | | | | essentially an R&B band.Contemporary R&BIt |
| version of the soul and funk influenced | | | | was not until the 1980s that the term "R&B" |
| African-American pop music that originated with | | | | regained ordinary usage. During that time, the soul |
| the demise of disco in 1980.Original rhythm and | | | | music of James Brown and Sly & the Family |
| blues | | | | Stone had adapted elements from psychedelic |
| In its first manifestation, rhythm and blues was a | | | | music and other styles through the work of |
| predecessor to rock and roll. It was strongly | | | | performers like George Clinton. Funk also became |
| influenced by jazz and jump music as well as | | | | a major part of disco, a kind of dance pop |
| black gospel music, and influenced jazz in return | | | | electronic music. By the early 1980s, however, |
| (hard bop was the product of the influence of | | | | funk and soul had become sultry and |
| rhythm and blues, blues, and gospel music on | | | | sexually-charged with the work of Prince and |
| bebop) and African tribal beats.The first rock and | | | | others. At that time, the modern style of |
| roll consisted of rhythm and blues songs like | | | | contemporary R&B came to be a major part of |
| "Rocket 88" and "Shake, Rattle and Roll" making | | | | American popular music.R&B today defines a style |
| an appearance on the popular music charts as well | | | | of African-American music, originating after the |
| as the R&B charts. "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On", | | | | demise of disco in 1980, that combines elements |
| the first hit by Jerry Lee Lewis was an R&B | | | | of soul music, funk music, pop music, and (after |
| cover song that made #1 on pop, R&B and | | | | 1986) hip hop in the form known as |
| country and western charts.Musicians paid little | | | | contemporary R&B. In this context only the |
| attention to the distinction between jazz and | | | | abbreviation "R&B" is used, not the full |
| rhythm and blues, and frequently recorded in both | | | | expression.Sometimes referred to as "urban |
| genres. Numerous swing bands (for example, Jay | | | | contemporary" (the name of the radio format |
| McShann's, Tiny Bradshaw's, and Johnny Otis's) | | | | that plays hip hop and R&B music) or "urban pop", |
| also recorded rhythm and blues. Count Basie had | | | | contemporary R&B is distinguished by a slick, |
| a weekly live rhythm and blues broadcast from | | | | electronic record production style, drum |
| Harlem. Even a bebop icon like arranger Tadd | | | | machine-backed rhythms, and a smooth, lush |
| Dameron also arranged for Bull Moose Jackson | | | | style of vocal arrangement. Uses of hip hop |
| and spent two years as Jackson's pianist after | | | | inspired beats are typical, although the roughness |
| establishing himself in bebop. Most of the studio | | | | and grit inherent in hip hop are usually reduced and |
| musicians in R&B were jazz musicians. And it | | | | smoothed out.HistoryContemporary R&B singer |
| worked in the other direction as well. Many of the | | | | Mary J. |
| musicians on Charlie Mingus's breakthrough jazz | | | | |