Rhythm and Blues

Rhythm and Blues, a form of black popular music dating from the 1940s and extending into the 21st century. It is the main force linking black popular music with rock 'n' roll, rock, and other popular styles. R&B (as it is also called) is derived from earlier forms— especially the blues, the dominant mode of vocal and instrumental music among rural blacks during the early years of the 20th century. Another prime influence was black gospel music. Gospel helped shape the style of performance and contributed to the tendency toward group singing. Emphasis on pronounced rhythms suitable for dancing is reflected in its name.

The main impetus for the development of R&B stemmed from the northward migration of blacks seeking employment in industrial plants during World War II. The music retained the general form and intent of the blues. With urbanization, it was marked by a more sophisticated use of such instruments as the electric guitar. Instrumental arrangements often included bass, piano, and saxophone; this echoed jazz influences.

Though R&B is primarily a vocal music, a major figure during the 1940s was Louis Jordan, a saxophonist who combined robust, jazz-derived riffs with whimsical lyrics. Some artists—such as singer Dinah Washington—straddled the camps of jazz and R&B and enjoyed popular success.

All basic elements of rhythm and blues converged in the style of Ray Charles, a blind singer-pianist-arranger who emerged in the late 1950s. He fused a traditional gospel-shouting approach to the interpretation of lyrics with a drivingly rhythmic instrumental base. Charles basically created the dominant R&B style apparent in all that followed.

Major R&B artists of the 1960s and 1970s included Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, Aretha Franklin, and James Brown. The last two occasionally injected racial protest and other social themes into their material. The close harmonies and pure falsettos of such groups as the Temptations, the Four Tops, and Smokey Robinson and the Miracles represented what became known as the Motown Sound, a mixture of R&B and soul. Stevie Wonder memorably combined R&B, pop, soul, and jazz in a career that has lasted for more than 50 years.

The disco era pushed many R&B performers off the Top Ten lists; it was not until the end of the disco era in the 1980s that R&B returned full blast. Michael Jackson's hit album Thriller (1982) combined many elements of R&B, pop, and soul. His blendings of genres sometimes included gospel and even disco; this sampling of styles influenced musicians and groups into the 21st century. Such singers as Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight, Whitney Houston, Luther Vandross, and Prince also shaped 1980s musical culture. Rap music, which first developed in the late 1970s, began to reach larger audiences in the last few decades of the 20th century. In the 1990s many performers melded R&B with hip hop, reggae, or rap music.

The many forms of R&B are reflected in the variety of styles of singers in the 21st century, including Mary J. Blige; Jennifer Lopez; Mariah Carey; Usher; Rihanna; Christina Aguilera, one of a number of white R&B-pop singers; John Legend; Beyoncé Knowles; and Alicia Keys. The rhythmic strains of hip hop and rap developed from R&B, also—from the early days of Grandmaster Flash, Run-D.M.C., and LL Cool J in the 1980s to Kanye West; Eminem, a white rapper; Ludacris; and Jay-Z into the 21st century.

Phyl Garland
Contributing Editor
Stereo Review