Portal:Rhythm and blues

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Wikipedia's Rhythm and Blues Portal

Introduction

Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is an African-American genre of popular music that originated within African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to African Americans, at a time when "rocking, jazz based music ... [with a] heavy, insistent beat" was becoming more popular. In the commercial rhythm and blues music typical of the 1950s through the 1970s, the bands usually consisted of a piano, one or two guitars, bass, drums, one or more saxophones, and sometimes background vocalists. R&B lyrical themes often encapsulate the African-American history and experience of pain and the quest for freedom and joy, as well as triumphs and failures in terms of societal racism, oppression, relationships, economics, and aspirations.

The term "rhythm and blues" has undergone a number of shifts in meaning. In the early 1950s, it was frequently applied to blues records. Starting in the mid-1950s, after this style of music had contributed to the development of rock and roll, the term "R&B" became used in a wider context. It referred to music styles that developed from and incorporated electric blues, as well as gospel and soul music. From 1960s to 70s, some British groups were referred to and promoted as being R&B bands. By the 1970s, the term "rhythm and blues" had changed once again and was used as a blanket term for soul and funk. (Full article...)

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Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music is a studio album by American rhythm and blues and soul musician Ray Charles, released in April 1962 on ABC-Paramount Records, in both mono and stereo format, ABC-410 and ABCS-410. Recording sessions for the album took place in early to mid-February 1962 at Capitol Studios in New York City and at United Recording Studios in Hollywood. The album features country, folk and western standards covered and redone by Charles in popular song forms of the time, such as jazz and R&B, as well as production by himself and renown conductor Sid Feller.

As his fifth LP release for ABC-Paramount, Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music became a rapid critical and commercial success as it brought Ray Charles further mainstream notice, following his tenure for Atlantic Records. With the help of the album's four charting singles, Charles earned recognition in the pop market, as well as airplay on both R&B and country radio stations. Modern Sounds and its lead single, "I Can't Stop Loving You", were both certified gold in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America on July 19, 1962, as each record had sold half a million copies in the United States.

Regarded by many music writers and critics as Charles' greatest studio effort, Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music has been included on several publications' "best album" lists in disparate genres, as well as R&B and country music lists, respectively. Modern Sounds has also been considered as a landmark album in American music, as Charles' integration of soul and country bended racial barriers in music, amid the height of the civil rights struggle. In the process of recording the album, Charles became one of the first black musicians to exercise complete artistic control over his own recording career. In October 1988, Modern Sounds was reissued on compact disc by Rhino Entertainment. In 2003, the album was ranked number 104 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

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King Curtis, from an advertisement for his 1971 single "Whole Lotta Love"

Curtis Ousley (born Curtis Montgomery; February 7, 1934 – August 13, 1971), known professionally as King Curtis, was an American saxophonist who played rhythm and blues, jazz, and rock and roll. A bandleader, band member, and session musician, he was also a musical director and record producer. A master of the instrument, he played tenor, alto, and soprano saxophone. He played riffs and solos on hit singles such as "Respect" by Aretha Franklin (1967), and "Yakety Yak" by The Coasters (1958) and his own "Soul Twist" (1962), "Soul Serenade" (1964), and "Memphis Soul Stew" (1967). (Full article...)

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The following are images from various rhythm and blues-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Kathy Young with the Earth Angels performing Kathy's hit "A Thousand Stars" during the festival of this genre celebrated at the Benedum Center for the Performing Arts in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in May 2010 (from Doo-wop)
Image 2The Ramones in Toronto (1976) (from Doo-wop)
Image 3Led Zeppelin performing at Chicago Stadium in January 1975
Image 4Michael Jackson holds the record for the best-selling new jack swing album with his 1991 release, Dangerous. (from New jack swing)
Image 5Muddy Waters, a major influence on the movement, pictured in 1971 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 6Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac onstage in 1970 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 7Alternative R&B artist Frank Ocean performing at the Coachella Festival in 2012 (from Alternative R&B)
Image 8Lead Belly's recordings would be a major part of British R&B repertoires, although he never performed in the UK (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 9The Cleftones during their participation in the doo-wop festival celebrated in May 2010 at the Benedum Center. (from Doo-wop)
Image 10John Lee Hooker, whose visit to England was the anticipated R&B event of 1964, shown in 1978 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 11Alicia Keys ranked fifth on Billboard Artist of the Decade list. "No One" ranks No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs of the decade. (from Contemporary R&B)
Image 12Alexis Korner in Hamburg in 1972 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 13Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings at Middelburg in 2009 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 14The instruments of the skiffle group the Quarrymen, who would become the Beatles (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 15The Animals in 1964 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 16Usher was cited by Billboard as the no. 1 Hot 100 artist of the 2000s decade, with 7 number-one singles that accumulated 42 weeks at the top. (from Contemporary R&B)
Image 17The original line up of the Kinks, 1965 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 18Herman Santiago, original lead singer of the Teenagers (from Doo-wop)
Image 19Beyoncé was named by Billboard the most successful female act of the 2000s. (from Contemporary R&B)
Image 20The Moonglows, 1956 (from Doo-wop)
Image 21Chris Barber, one of the major figures in the early popularisation of the blues in Britain, playing at the Musikhalle, Hamburg, 1972 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 22Georgie Fame, leader of one of the most widely influenced R&B groups, in 1968 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 23The Jimi Hendrix Experience performing on Dutch television in 1967 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 24Janet Jackson's Control, released in 1986, was one of the most critically acclaimed albums of the 1980s. (from New jack swing)
Image 25The Jam in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1982 (from British rhythm and blues)