R&B music represents the musical heritage of African Americans and is deeply rooted in gospel and blues traditions, while sharing much in common with early rock and roll music.
Luther Vandross and Whitney Houston both displayed incredible vocal talent during the nineties, creating songs filled with luxurious runs and emotional expressiveness.
Origins
R&B (Rhythm & Blues) was coined during the 1940s to refer to a musical genre that combined African American gospel and jazz music with blues, jump blues, boogie-woogie, and country tunes. This form of music quickly gained widespread popularity throughout America during this period with pioneering groups like The Cardinals, Swallows, Dunbar Four / Hi Fi’s, and Five Blue Notes becoming especially influential during that era. Their songs typically featured shuffle rhythms with boogie-woogie bass lines as well as call-and-response sections reminiscent of African American vernaces and vocal call-and-response sections that reminded listeners of African American vernaces.
At its height in the 1960s, R&B had evolved into soul music. Although many characteristics shared with rock were present, R&B artists moved away from its heavy guitar-driven instrumentation in favor of adding elements of funk and disco into their compositions. Furthermore, its overlap with pop music saw singers such as Etta James and Sam Cooke bring an airier, smoother tone to popular tunes that also attracted an audience.
By the 1970s, R&B had taken shape largely as regional styles from cities such as Chicago, New Orleans, Detroit and Memphis. Each city created its own subgenre of R&B influenced by local artists and influences; for instance Detroit label Motown produced an accessible sound that combined Southern blues and R&B vocals while singers in New Orleans and Philadelphia were heavily influenced by jukebox blues and gospel music.
In the 1980s, artists like Luther Vandross, Whitney Houston, and Mariah Carey developed more melismatic and soulful approaches to music that blurred the distinction between modern R&B and pop. Following disco’s decline, hip-hop soul was introduced: this style integrated rap lyrics and dance beats into slower more rhythmic sounds for an overall slower sound that eventually evolved into what we know today as contemporary R&B.
As R&B evolves and changes, it will remain an essential part of Black culture and an avenue for people from different backgrounds to connect. Contemporary R&B draws influence from other genres like jazz, hip hop, funk and disco while adding its own elements – Usher, Alicia Keys and Kendrick Lamar have combined traditional R&B sounds with various influences to craft unique versions of it that stand out.
Styles
R&B music first emerged during the 1940s to represent African American secular music, replacing “race music.” Its name derives from its unique blend of four-beat measures or bars with liberal use of backbeat; influences included blues, jazz, boogie-woogie and gospel styles as well as small bands that featured rhythmic energy and passionate vocal performances – coinciding with Great Migration from rural Southern areas into major metropolitan centers like New York, Philadelphia, Chicago and Detroit.
At this time, many R&B artists emerged and experimented with new styles of music. Many were steeped in gospel and blues traditions and included these forms into their R&B songs; eventually this led to modern soul music. Additionally, the electric guitar enabled musicians to experiment with sounds and styles unattainable with an acoustic instrument; this period also saw vocal groups such as The Drifters and Platters thrive with appealing tight harmonies that reached audiences of various races.
In the ’70s, R&B artists started experimenting with more Afrocentric lyrics and syncopated beats – developing funk and disco styles along with new R&B styles such as neo-soul, acoustic soul and smooth jazz genres.
Contemporary R&B gained widespread acclaim during the 1980s and ’90s due to crooners like Mary J. Blige and Usher who brought their unique styles into popular culture. Other acts like Toni Braxton, TLC, En Vogue and Destiny’s Child introduced hip hop influences into their music through new jack swing fusion – creating an unmistakably R&B sound which continues to influence today.
R&B began evolving more experimental sounds in the 2000s and 2010s, taking cues from hip hop, electronic music, and beyond. As a result, R&B became an amalgamation of acoustic instruments mixed with keyboards, synthesizers, looped drum beats, distorted guitar effects, looped drum beats, looped guitar effects as well as looped drum beats – creating an experience which draws from pop, rap, Afrobeats and rock music alike! Today’s artists can mix elements of all these genres while adding elements from pop, rap Afrobeats rock music for an engaging listening experience!
Influencers
R&B music was influenced by many individuals over time. The genre emerged during the 1940s to 1950s during a time of increasing movement of African Americans from rural states into Northern, Midwest and Western cities – as well as legal segregation, international conflicts and civil rights activism at this point in history.
Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five were early practitioners of R&B music, performing jump blues at New York City’s Savoy Ballroom during the 1930s. Jordan’s music included elements that would later come to define R&B, such as shuffle rhythms, boogie-woogie bass lines, short horn patterns or riffs as well as African American vernacular and humorous call-and-response sections between him and his bandmates.
Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis and Charlie Parker all made significant contributions to R&B, with styles including traditional jazz, swing bebop and cool jazz among their many offerings. After World War II their influence continued when urban areas such as New York, Detroit and Chicago saw R&B thrive and flourish.
Motown Records of Detroit was an integral factor in R&B’s development as it produced iconic artists like Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, Diana Ross & the Supremes, Staple Singers and Holland-Dozier-Holland who contributed numerous hit songs for Motown releases.
Throughout the 1970s, R&B became more sophisticated. Artists such as Isaac Hayes and Al Green fused gospel music, African rhythms, and expanded instrumentations into their sound; eventually giving birth to funk and disco music genres. Janet Jackson became an early practitioner of this trend by including synth effects and electronic percussion into her R&B recordings on her 1986 album Control; its success marked it as a milestone of R&B music history.
In the 1990s, R&B music gradually transitioned towards more of a pop and hip hop feel, as evidenced by groups such as Boyz II Men and New Edition reviving classic-soul vocal harmony while Babyface and other artists like Brian McKnight recorded in a quiet storm style of R&B that shied away from rap influences and recorded smoother sounds without rap influences – trends which continued into today’s decade.
Musicians
In the 1940s, “rhythm and blues” was coined to describe African American secular music. This term replaced “race music,” which had previously been used to market black musicians. Early R&B featured Blues, Jazz and Gospel performances at clubs and juke joints; artists like Bessie Smith and Ma Rainey sang about hardship, poverty and civil rights struggles through music that was raw yet emotive, unapologetically black.
Charles Brown pioneered a more relaxed R&B and blues sound in postwar Southern California that was heavily influenced by Nat King Cole. His smooth vocals and instrumental arrangements would become the standard for later singers like Teddy Riley and Bernard Belle who introduced “new jack swing.” R&B artists like Luther Vandross, Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey made vocal virtuosity an integral component of the genre.
As music developed, artists such as Sam Cooke – founder and producer of Rhythm and Blues (R&B) – began to incorporate elements of rock, pop and disco into traditional blues and soul sounds to form modern R&B. Artists such as Mary J. Blige, Usher, Destiny’s Child, as well as fashion brands Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein became influential players in popularizing R&B as an everyday genre in the 1990s.
In the 1990s, rap music gained immense popularity and introduced fresh sounds and energy into R&B recordings. Artists like Eminem and Snoop Dogg utilized rapping styles into their R&B recordings, further blurring the distinction between rap and R&B genres.
Today’s R&B music is an amalgamation of old school blues and soul with pop, funk, disco and hip hop influences. Artists such as Rihanna and Bruno Mars are crossover artists known both in R&B and rap worlds; R&B features heavily in electronic artists’ work such as Disclosure, SBTRKT and Hudson Mohawke’s works as well.
R&B music’s long, expressive history and its emphasis on black culture make it a vital element of African American life. R&B musicians were often the voices of their people, sharing their frustrations, fears and aspirations for a brighter future through R&B songs they created.