Rhythm and Blues, or as it is now more commonly known, R 'n' B, was created by African-Americans in the late 1940s to early 1950s. It was a way of escapism for the African slaves, who found singing about their lifestyle and treatment as some sort of comfort. This is where the term 'blues' stems from, referring to the feelings of those behind the songs. R 'n' B was heavily considered as 'black music' in the early stages of its development and has been marketed towards young, black African-Americans.
Rhythm was then introduced to make the songs more upbeat and less of an emotional strain for the listener. In the 1960s, R 'n' B contributed to the development of 'Rock 'n' Roll' and was used to describe to other music styles such as electric blues, gospel and soul. By the 1970s the term 'R 'n' B' had developed further and became a blanket term for soul and funk music.
As well as 'R 'n' B' a sub-genre has been created called 'Contemporary R 'n' B.' This developed in the 1990s and refers to the modern soul and funk influenced pop music. 'R 'n' B' is a very wide and diverse genre of music that is popular amongst all people and is the highest selling music style out there.
Facts
Stylistic Origins:
Jazz
Blues
Jump Blues
Traditional Pop
Gospel
Cultural Origins: USA, 1940s
Instruments:
Drum Kit
Double Bass
Saxophone
Horns
Piano-organ
Electric Guitar
Vocals/background vocalists
Derivative Forms:
Reggae
Ska
Doo-wop
Rock 'n' Roll
Funk
Hip-Hop
Soul
Electro
Robert palmer on Rhythm and Blues: "A catchall term referring to any music that was made by and for black Americans."
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