R&B music encompasses elements from blues, jazz, gospel and boogie-woogie. Early eras of contemporary R&B were strongly linked with rock and roll music with artists like Michael Jackson gaining massive acclaim with albums and iconic videos that included elements of R&B.
Later, R&B and hip-hop would become less distinct; artists like Mariah Carey, Lauryn Hill (with The Fugees and as a solo artist), and Whitney Houston enjoyed significant success with music that didn’t quite fall into any specific subgenre.
The Great Migration
An important turning point in R&B music history was during the Great Migration. African Americans left rural and southern regions for larger urban centers like Chicago, New York City and Detroit; this expansion of their community provided new audiences for jazz, boogie-woogie and jump blues music from Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five’s jump blues genre that fused elements of swing with blues such as shuffle rhythms, boogie-woogie bass lines, short horn patterns or riffs and short horn patterns or riffs – which contributed to its creation and influence of jump blues as an influential genre which Louis Jordan’s Tympany Five pioneered jump blues; also contributed to jump blues’s creation by Louis Jordan’s Tympany Five’s pioneering of jump blues as an influencer on its development – something it owes much thanks to this great event in history!
The 1960s marked an important era in the development of R&B music. Artists such as Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Mary Wells, Donny Hathaway and Curtis Mayfield helped spread it throughout wider audiences; Motown and Stax artists also produced records with strong social messages that supported Civil Rights initiatives.
This period saw the birth and success of girl groups like SWV, En Vogue, and Destiny’s Child; all three became global chart-toppers during this time. Additionally, it marked the first time artists such as Janet Jackson were able to fuse funk, disco, and hip-hop successfully together on albums such as Control (1986).
World War II
World War II and subsequent employment opportunities accelerated the Great Migration of Black Americans from rural to urban areas, prompting demand for exciting dance music from jazz and blues genres; but with artists like saxophonist Louis Jordan and pianist Big Joe Turner creating more upbeat arrangements using electric guitars, double basses, and pianos r&b musicians flourished to meet this need for exciting dancing music.
As the civil rights movement intensified, so too did r&b music’s popularity grow. The genre provided an emotional and psychological outlet that connected American youth from all ethnicities and races; producers at Motown Records and Stax Records developed artists whose message-oriented repertoire resonated with urban Black audiences.
Billboard first used R&B as an umbrella term in 1990 to categorize black popular music that wasn’t hip hop, until 2005 when younger audiences turned more heavily towards hip-hop as an alternative genre. Hip-hop borrowed heavily from classic R&B while adding its own urban and sexually provocative twist. Today’s contemporary R&B genre encompasses artists like Usher, Mary J. Blige, TLC and Destiny’s Child–with many producers using synthesized sounds, software loops or samples when producing modern R&B tracks for songs to emerge in modern R&B songs that make up today’s contemporary R&B genre.
The 1950s
In the 1950s, classic rhythm and blues flourished, with artists like Sam Cooke, Bobby Darin, and Brook Benton all experiencing success with songs encompassing various genres. Additionally, black-owned record labels like Sar (Sam Cooke) and Motown (Berry Gordy) began emerging.
These genres emerged alongside a second wave of African American families moving into urban centres across the nation, propelling their popularity. Much of this music reflected African American experiences of pain and struggle to find joy and freedom as well as successes and failures of relationships, economics and aspirationsal goals.
Pianist and singer Charles Brown from Texas established a smooth R&B sound in California that would go on to influence performers such as Ray Charles and Little Richard, while New Orleans pianist Professor Longhair used tresillo (an Afro-Cuban jazz style) for his 1949 hit “Misery”. During the 1980s came contemporary R&B, which moved away from guitar-led songs towards danceable forms designed for urban radio broadcasts and clubs; Luther Vandross and Whitney Houston made vocal virtuosity signature hallmarks of contemporary R&B while disco and funk also flourished during this era.
The 1960s
As the Great Migration from rural Southern states to urban areas gathered momentum during this decade, r&b flourished further and wider. New creators and audiences for its music emerged thanks to this movement; R&B became associated with civil rights activism during this time, often being performed with emotive songs depicting struggles Black people were experiencing for social justice.
Louis Jordan and his band Tympany Five made strides forward in this decade by pioneering jump blues – a jazz/blues fusion genre with uptempo swing. Piano trios and vocal harmonies in doo-wop style also contributed greatly.
By the 1960s, a new form of Rhythm and Blues had emerged which fused blues with gospel music – featuring such notable artists as Sam Cooke and Ray Charles as key figureheads in its development. Billboard changed its Black pop chart name from Rhythm and Blues to Soul to reflect this surge in popularity for this style of music.
Artists during this era were known for exhibiting a silky and expressive voice that created an impressive musical performance. Vocalists in this genre could often elicit various emotions such as sadness, pride, frustration or love with just a single note sung. Luther Vandross and Whitney Houston’s success further cemented r&b’s place within society’s cultural fabric.
The 1970s
As the decade closed, classic R&B artists such as Curtis Mayfield and Barry White created songs reflecting the social and cultural climate of their time. These anthems expressed both hopes and frustration among Black Americans at this time, calling for change and empowerment through rhythm and blues music influenced by new styles such as jazz with thunderous funk grooves or interplanetary soundscaping.
This decade marked a turning point for R&B music as it began to reach wider audiences, as Aretha Franklin became popular and her lyrics explored African American experiences of pain, freedom, and joy which resonated more broadly among white listeners. Furthermore, music began playing an increased political role, being used to protest injustice or express feelings regarding civil rights issues through song.
This decade saw the emergence of vocal groups with tight, doo-wop harmonies such as The Drifters and Platters, with tight doo-wop vocal harmonies known as doo-wop music; R&B musicians increasingly made use of electric guitar, expanded instrumentation and complex rhythms; this eventually led to disco music with its uptempo four-on-the-floor beat, string arrangements and horn sections being staples – an escape from everyday realities that many clubbers found refuge dancing away their troubles at various clubs around the country!
The 1980s
R&B artists broadened the genre in the 1980s by adding fresh rhythms. Artists began incorporating grooves from around the globe – particularly bossa nova from Latin America – into their compositions, including bossa nova in Latin America and bossa nova from Caribbean islands such as Cuba or Haiti. Furthermore, electric guitar became more widespread, giving musicians access to unique sounds not possible with acoustic guitar. Vocal groups such as The Drifters or The Platters became extremely popular for demonstrating tight harmonies which appealed widely.
Motown and Stax produced R&B artists with socially conscious messages during the Civil Rights Movement, such as The Staple Singers influenced by Martin Luther King Jr.’s sermons; they performed gospel-to-R&B crossover hits. Pioneering saxophonist Louis Jordan also had this same message through his pioneering jump blues music; its fast tempo combined jazz and blues that would later evolve into modern R&B.
Following disco’s decline in the 80s, R&B music experienced a remarkable transformation by fully adopting hip-hop styles and production techniques. Soul veterans like Lisa Stanfield, Janet Jackson and Whitney Houston experienced commercial success while breaking down racial barriers within the industry. Additionally, this period witnessed subgenres like New Jack Swing which combined elements from funk music with R&B.
The 1990s
In the 1990s, R&B music underwent a dramatic revival. Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and Alicia Keys all became global stars during this decade; Babyface, Timbaland and Jermaine Dupri composed timeless tracks still played today by Babyface, Timbaland and Jermaine Dupri. Girl groups like Salt-N-Pepa, Destiny’s Child and TLC all sold millions of albums while making their female stars household names; R&B artists of this time combined nostalgia with new school energy – something R&B artists do today as well.
R&B developed alongside African American communities that formed during the Great Migration, when Black people left rural areas and settled in urban centers. Lyrically, hip-hop’s lyrics often reflected these experiences and addressed topics such as racism, love, relationships, economics and aspirations. R&B music became increasingly popular alongside an increase in social activism and ethnic awareness, helping to bridge racial divisions within American society. R&B also helped foster an inclusive sports culture, with legendary teams such as the NBA’s Chicago Bulls and New York Yankees incorporating star athletes of various races into their teams. These trends helped foster an atmosphere of unity that is often absent today.