142-427: Lawrence Eugene Williams (May 10, 1935 – January 7, 1980) was an American rhythm and blues and rock and roll singer, songwriter, and pianist from New Orleans. He is best known for writing and recording some rock and roll classics from 1957 to 1959 for Specialty Records , including " Bony Moronie ", " Short Fat Fannie ", " Slow Down ", " Dizzy, Miss Lizzy " (1958), " Bad Boy " and " She Said Yeah " (1959). John Lennon
284-457: A doo-wop group, had the number four hit of the year with " Crying in the Chapel ". Fats Domino made the top 30 of the pop charts in 1952 and 1953, then the top 10 with " Ain't That a Shame ". Ray Charles came to national prominence in 1955 with " I Got a Woman ". Big Bill Broonzy said of Charles's music: "He's mixing the blues with the spirituals ... I know that's wrong." In 1954
426-807: A "rawer" or "grittier" sound than the more popular " beat groups ". During the 1960s, Geno Washington , the Foundations , and the Equals gained pop hits. Many British black musicians helped form the British R&;B scene. These included Geno Washington , an American singer stationed in England with the Air Force. He was invited to join what became Geno Washington & the Ram Jam Band by guitarist Pete Gage in 1965 and enjoyed top 40 hit singles and two top 10 albums before
568-641: A 45 on Soul City, the track peaked at UK No. 41 in August 1968, becoming the first Northern soul-derived chart hit. A few months later, in January 1969, Jamo Thomas ' 1966 single "I Spy (For the FBI)" was similarly licensed and reissued, hitting UK No. 44. The trend continued into the 1970s, as songs from the 1960s that were revived on the Northern soul scene were reissued by their original labels and became UK top 40 hits. These include
710-534: A Dream ". Faye Adams 's " Shake a Hand " made it to number two in 1952. In 1953, the R&;B record-buying public made Willie Mae Thornton 's original recording of Leiber and Stoller 's " Hound Dog " the year's number three hit. Ruth Brown was very prominent among female R&B stars; her popularity most likely came from "her deeply rooted vocal delivery in African American tradition". That same year The Orioles ,
852-528: A United States embargo that still remains in effect today, the island nation had been forgotten as a source of music. By the time people began to talk about rock and roll as having a history, Cuban music had vanished from North American consciousness." At first, only African Americans were buying R&B discs. According to Jerry Wexler of Atlantic Records, sales were localized in African-American markets; there were no white sales or white radio play. During
994-475: A blues progression. Ike Turner recorded "Cubano Jump" (1954) an electric guitar instrumental, which is built around several 2–3 clave figures, adopted from the mambo. The Hawketts , in " Mardi Gras Mambo " (1955) (featuring the vocals of a young Art Neville), make a clear reference to Perez Prado in their use of his trademark "Unhh!" in the break after the introduction. Ned Sublette states: "The electric blues cats were very well aware of Latin music, and there
1136-615: A boogie-woogie with a tresillo bass line, and lyrics proudly declaring the adoption of Cuban rhythm: Harlem's got a new rhythm, man it's burning up the dance floors because it's so hot! They took a little rhumba rhythm and added boogie-woogie and now look what they got! Rhumboogie, it's Harlem's new creation with the Cuban syncopation, it's the killer! Just plant your both feet on each side. Let both your hips and shoulder glide. Then throw your body back and ride. There's nothing like rhumbaoogie, rhumboogie, boogie-woogie. In Harlem or Havana, you can kiss
1278-578: A boy. As a teen he joined a local R&B band in Oakland, Calif., when his parents relocated there. Williams returned to New Orleans in 1954 and began working for his cousin, singer Lloyd Price , as a valet. He played in the bands of Price, Roy Brown , and Percy Mayfield . In 1955, Williams met and developed a friendship with Little Richard , who was recording at the time in New Orleans. Price and Little Richard were both recording for Specialty Records . He
1420-404: A mainstay in rock and roll. At the urging of Leonard Chess at Chess Records, Chuck Berry reworked a country fiddle tune with a long history, entitled " Ida Red ". The resulting " Maybellene " was not only a number three hit on the R&B charts in 1955, but also reached into the top 30 on the pop charts. Alan Freed , who had moved to the much larger market of New York City in 1954, helped
1562-518: A much larger capacity than many competing venues and ran its events from 2 am until 8 am. There was a regular roster of DJs, including Russ Winstanley, Kev Roberts and Richard Searling. By 1976, the club had a membership of 100,000 people, and in 1978, it was voted the world's number-one discotheque by Billboard . This was during the heyday of the Studio 54 nightclub in New York City . By
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#17328941421871704-529: A non-African American artist into a music category known for being created by blacks. Nat King Cole , also a jazz pianist who had two hits on the pop charts in the early 1950s (" Mona Lisa " at number two in 1950 and " Too Young " at number one in 1951), had a record in the top five in the R&B charts in 1958, " Looking Back "/"Do I Like It". In 1959, two black-owned record labels, one of which would become hugely successful, made their debut: Sam Cooke 's Sar and Berry Gordy 's Motown Records . Brook Benton
1846-445: 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 . By the 1970s, the term "rhythm and blues" had changed once again and
1988-554: A particular style of Black American soul music with a heavy beat and fast tempo (100 bpm and above). The Northern soul movement generally eschews Motown or Motown-influenced music that has had significant mainstream commercial success. The recordings most prized by enthusiasts are by lesser-known artists, " rare grooves " released in limited numbers on labels such as VeeJay , Chess , Brunswick , Ric-Tic , Gordy Records , Golden World Records (Detroit), Mirwood Records (Los Angeles), Shout Records and Okeh . Northern soul
2130-497: A primarily African-American clientele. Freed began referring to the rhythm and blues music he played as "rock and roll". In 1951 Little Richard Penniman began recording for RCA Records in the jump blues style of late 1940s stars Roy Brown and Billy Wright . However, it was not until he recorded a demo in 1954 that caught the attention of Specialty Records that the world would start to hear his new uptempo funky rhythm and blues that would catapult him to fame in 1955 and help define
2272-489: A quintet consisting of a vocal quartet with accompanying guitarist, sang a distinctive-sounding combination of blues and gospel. They had the number five hit of the year with " Don't You Know I Love You " on Atlantic. Also in July 1951, Cleveland, Ohio DJ Alan Freed started a late-night radio show called "The Moondog Rock Roll House Party" on WJW (850 AM). Freed's show was sponsored by Fred Mintz, whose R&B record store had
2414-446: A result, Wigan Casino DJs resorted to playing any kind of record that matched the correct tempo. Also, the club was subjected to intense media coverage and began to attract many otherwise uninterested people of whom the soul purists did not approve. The Northern soul movement between Wigan Casino's fans and Blackpool Mecca's wider approach accepted the more contemporary sounds of Philly soul , early disco and funk. Ian Levine broke from
2556-415: A saxophone-section riff) on his own 1949 disc "Country Boy" and subsequently helped make it the most over-used rhythmic pattern in 1950s rock 'n' roll. On numerous recordings by Fats Domino , Little Richard and others, Bartholomew assigned this repeating three-note pattern not just to the string bass, but also to electric guitars and even baritone sax, making for a very heavy bottom. He recalls first hearing
2698-680: A sold-out performance with 8,000 seats. Roads were clogged for seven hours. Filmmakers took advantage of the popularity of "rhythm and blues" musicians as "rock n roll" musicians beginning in 1956. Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Big Joe Turner, the Treniers , the Platters , and the Flamingos all made it onto the big screen. Two Elvis Presley records made the R&B top five in 1957: " Jailhouse Rock "/" Treat Me Nice " at number one, and " All Shook Up " at number five, an unprecedented acceptance of
2840-407: A strong sexual connotation in jump blues and R&B, but when DJ Alan Freed referred to rock and roll on mainstream radio in the mid-1950s, "the sexual component had been dialed down enough that it simply became an acceptable term for dancing". The great migration of Black Americans to the urban industrial centers of Chicago, Detroit, New York City, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C. and elsewhere in
2982-455: A three-year jail term, setting back his career considerably. Williams made a comeback in the mid-1960s with a funky soul band that included Johnny "Guitar" Watson , which paired him musically with Little Richard who had been lured back into secular music. He produced two of Little Richard's albums for Okeh Records in 1966 and 1967, which returned Little Richard to the Billboard album chart for
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#17328941421873124-423: A triplet or shuffle feel to even or straight eighth notes. Concerning the various funk motifs, Stewart states that this model "... is different from a time line (such as clave and tresillo) in that it is not an exact pattern, but more of a loose organizing principle." Johnny Otis released the R&B mambo "Mambo Boogie" in January 1951, featuring congas, maracas, claves, and mambo saxophone guajeos in
3266-478: A version of " Stagger Lee " at number one and " Personality " at number five in 1959. The white bandleader of the Bill Black Combo, Bill Black , who had helped start Elvis Presley's career and was Elvis's bassist in the 1950s, was popular with black listeners. Ninety percent of his record sales were from black people, and his " Smokie, Part 2 " (1959) rose to the number one position on black music charts. He
3408-521: Is 'Longhair's Blues Rhumba,' where he overlays a straightforward blues with a clave rhythm." Longhair's particular style was known locally as rumba-boogie . In his "Mardi Gras in New Orleans", the pianist employs the 2–3 clave onbeat/offbeat motif in a rumba boogie " guajeo ". The syncopated, but straight subdivision feel of Cuban music (as opposed to swung subdivisions) took root in New Orleans R&;B during this time. Alexander Stewart states that
3550-455: Is an attempt to blend African American and Afro-Cuban music. The word mambo , larger than any of the other text, is placed prominently on the record label. In his composition "Misery", New Orleans pianist Professor Longhair plays a habanera-like figure in his left hand. The deft use of triplets is a characteristic of Longhair's style. Gerhard Kubik notes that with the exception of New Orleans, early blues lacked complex polyrhythms, and there
3692-651: Is associated with dance styles and fashions that grew out of the underground rhythm and soul scene of the late 1960s at venues such as the Twisted Wheel in Manchester . This scene and the associated dances and fashions quickly spread to other dancehalls and nightclubs like the Wigan Casino , Blackpool Mecca (the Highland Room), and Golden Torch ( Stoke-on-Trent ). As the favoured beat became more uptempo and frantic in
3834-585: Is often cited as a precursor to rock and roll or as one of the first records in that genre. In a later interview, however, Ike Turner offered this comment: "I don't think that 'Rocket 88' is rock 'n' roll. I think that 'Rocket 88' is R&B, but I think 'Rocket 88' is the cause of rock and roll existing". Ruth Brown , performing on the Atlantic label, placed hits in the top five every year from 1951 through 1954: " Teardrops from My Eyes ", "Five, Ten, Fifteen Hours", " (Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean " and " What
3976-596: Is typified musically by the O'Jays ' "I Love Music" (UK No. 13, January 1976), which gained popularity before its commercial release at Blackpool Mecca in late 1975. The record that initially popularised this change is usually cited as the Carstairs " It Really Hurts Me Girl " (Red Coach), a record initially released late in 1973 on promotional copies but quickly withdrawn due to lack of interest from American radio stations. The hostility towards any contemporary music style from Northern soul traditionalists at Wigan Casino led to
4118-463: Is without doubt the highest and finest I have seen outside of the USA ... never thought I'd live to see the day where people could so relate the rhythmic content of Soul music to bodily movement to such a skilled degree!" The venue's owners had successfully filled the vacancy left by Eagle with a growing roster of specialist soul DJs including Brian Rae, Paul Davies and Alan 'Ollie' Ollerton. In America, after
4260-872: The Prestatyn Weekender in North Wales . In an August 2008 article in The Times , broadcaster Terry Christian argued that Northern soul was undergoing a distinct revival in the late 2000s. Christian cited the popularity of regular revivals of Twisted Wheel soul all-nighters at the original venue (in Whitworth Street , Manchester) plus the Beat Boutique Northern soul all-nighters at the Ruby Lounge and MMUnion in Manchester. Many who ceased their involvement in
4402-611: The boogie-woogie rhythms that had come to prominence during the 1940s. Jordan's band, the Tympany Five (formed in 1938), consisted of him on saxophone and vocals, along with musicians on trumpet, tenor saxophone, piano, bass and drums. Lawrence Cohn described the music as "grittier than his boogie-era jazz-tinged blues". Robert Palmer described it as "urbane, rocking, jazz-based music ... [with a] heavy, insistent beat". Jordan's music, along with that of Big Joe Turner , Roy Brown , Billy Wright , and Wynonie Harris , before 1949,
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4544-408: The conga drum , bongos , maracas and claves . According to John Storm Roberts , R&B became the vehicle for the return of Cuban elements into mass popular music. Ahmet Ertegun , producer for Atlantic Records , is reported to have said that "Afro-Cuban rhythms added color and excitement to the basic drive of R&B." As Ned Sublette points out though: "By the 1960s, with Cuba the object of
4686-443: The 1800s with the popularity of the Cuban contradanza (known outside of Cuba as the habanera ). The habanera rhythm can be thought of as a combination of tresillo and the backbeat . For the more than a quarter-century in which the cakewalk , ragtime and proto-jazz were forming and developing, the Cuban genre habanera exerted a constant presence in African American popular music. Jazz pioneer Jelly Roll Morton considered
4828-545: The 1920s and 1930s created a new market for jazz, blues, and related genres of music. These genres of music were often performed by full-time musicians, either working alone or in small groups. The precursors of rhythm and blues came from jazz and blues, which overlapped in the late-1920s and 30s through the work of musicians such as the Harlem Hamfats , with their 1936 hit "Oh Red", as well as Lonnie Johnson , Leroy Carr , Cab Calloway , Count Basie , and T-Bone Walker . There
4970-410: The 1970s and 1980s mixed with early house music . Tracks similar to "rare grooves" had begun to see a following in the 1970s Northern soul movement, which curated a collection of rare and obscure soul. Many of these labels were set up by DJs and collectors who had been part of the original Northern soul scene. The 1980s – often dismissed as a low period for Northern soul by those who had left the scene in
5112-690: The 1970s — featured almost 100 new venues in places such as Bradford , London, Peterborough , Leighton Buzzard , Whitchurch , Coventry and Leicester . Pre-eminent among the 1980s venues were Stafford 's Top of the World and London 's 100 Club . Today there are regular Northern soul events in various parts of the United Kingdom, such as the Nightshift Club all-nighters at the Bisley Pavilion in Surrey and
5254-603: The 1975 UK No. 9 hit "Footsee", now credited to Wigan's Chosen Few. Music journalist , Stuart Maconie , described the record as an "embarrassing novelty" and "execrable" in his autobiography, Cider With Roadies . In addition, the Northern soul favourite " Skiing in the Snow ", originally by the Invitations, was covered by local band Wigan's Ovation, and reached No. 12 in the UK Singles Chart. These versions were not well received by
5396-742: The Beatles . Vee-Jay acquired the rights to some of the early recordings by the Beatles through a licensing deal with EMI , as the American affiliate Capitol Records was initially uninterested in the group. Calvin Carter later said, "There was a number one record over in England at the time. The group turned out to be the Beatles and we got a five-year contract on the Beatles as a pickup on the Frank Ifield contract". In America, Holland-Dozier-Holland's successful acts on Invictus Records were Freda Payne and Chairmen of
5538-496: The Blues , writes that "rhythm and blues" was an umbrella term invented for industry convenience. According to him, the term embraced all black music except classical music and religious music , unless a gospel song sold enough to break into the charts. Well into the 21st century, the term R&B continues in use (in some contexts) to categorize music made by black musicians, as distinct from styles of music made by other musicians. In
5680-549: The Board . They also released Parliament 's first album, Osmium . The label was distributed by Capitol Records from 1969 to 1972 and then by Columbia Records from 1973 onwards. In September 1970, the British music magazine NME reported that Invictus had the UK's top two singles . Freda Payne's " Band of Gold " was No. 1, while Chairmen of the Board's " Give Me Just a Little More Time "
5822-520: The Butlers and "Seven Days Too Long" by Chuck Wood. A large proportion of Northern soul's original audience came from the 1960s mod subculture . In the late 1960s, when some mods started embracing freakbeat and psychedelic rock , other mods – especially those in Northern England – stuck to the original soundtrack of soul and Blue Beat . From the latter category, two strands emerged: skinheads and
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5964-655: The CEO of LaFace Records , was responsible for some of R&B's greatest successes in the 1990s in the form of Usher , TLC and Toni Braxton . Later, Reid successfully marketed Boyz II Men . In 2004, 80% of the songs that topped the R&B charts were also at the top of the Hot 100. That period was the all-time peak for R&B and hip hop on the Billboard Hot 100 and on Top 40 Radio. From about 2005 to 2013, R&B sales declined. However, since 2010, hip-hop has started to take cues from
6106-666: The Carstairs record. Went back to Blackpool, played the record and changed the whole scene. Blackpool Mecca suddenly became the home of this new Northern soul sound. I would've heard this record in 1973, when it was supposedly released, but not obtained it until 1974. Other major Northern soul venues in the 1970s include the Catacombs in Wolverhampton, Va Va's in Bolton, the Talk of the North all-nighters at
6248-542: The Chords ' " Sh-Boom " became the first hit to cross over from the R&B chart to hit the top 10 early in the year. Late in the year, and into 1955, " Hearts of Stone " by the Charms made the top 20. At Chess Records in the spring of 1955, Bo Diddley 's debut record " Bo Diddley "/" I'm a Man " climbed to number two on the R&B charts and popularized Bo Diddley's own original rhythm and blues clave-based vamp that would become
6390-585: The Cleftones , and the Spaniels with Illinois Jacquet 's Big Rockin' Rhythm Band. Cities visited by the tour included Columbia, South Carolina; Annapolis, Maryland; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo, New York; and other cities. In Columbia, the concert ended with a near riot as Perkins began his first song as the closing act. Perkins is quoted as saying, "It was dangerous. Lot of kids got hurt". In Annapolis, 50,000 to 70,000 people tried to attend
6532-472: The Detroit sound of Motown pop. Most of the records were complete failures in their own time and place... but in Northern England from the end of the 1960s through to its heyday in the middle 1970s, were exhumed and exalted." Other related music styles also gained acceptance in the Northern soul scene. Slower, less-danceable soul records were often played, such as Barbara Mills' "Queen of Fools" (popular in 1972 at
6674-740: The Faith , a musical based on the Wigan Casino scene and featuring Northern soul music. It was staged at the Central School of Speech and Drama 's Webber Douglas Studio, with a revival at the same venue in September 2010. According to Will Hermes of Rolling Stone , the 2008 Raphael Saadiq album The Way I See It is an original evocation of "classic Northern soul". The music of Yorkshire singer John Newman has also been described as 'Northern soul', including his No. 1 hit " Love Me Again ". One version of
6816-659: The Floor " (UK No. 42, September 1975) and Little Anthony & the Imperials ' " Better Use Your Head " (UK No. 42, July 1976). Various recordings were made later in the 1970s specifically aimed at the Northern soul scene, which also went on to become UK top 40 hits. These included: the Exciters ' "Reaching For the Best" (UK No. 31, October 1975), L. J. Johnson's "Your Magic Put a Spell on Me" (UK No. 27, February 1976), and Tommy Hunt 's "Loving On
6958-520: The Golden Torch) and the Mob's "I Dig Everything About You". Every all-nighter at Wigan Casino ended with the playing of three well-known Northern soul songs with a particular going home theme. These came to be known as the "3 before 8" and were: "Time Will Pass You By" by Tobi Legend , "Long After Tonight is Over" by Jimmy Radcliffe and " I'm on My Way " by Dean Parrish . Commercial pop songs that matched
7100-562: The Jewish writer, music publishing executive, and songwriter Arnold Shaw , during the 1940s in the US, there was generally little opportunity for Jews in the WASP -controlled realm of mass communications , but the music business was "wide open for Jews as it was for blacks". Jews played a key role in developing and popularizing African American music, including rhythm and blues, and the independent record business
7242-527: The Losing Side" (UK No. 28, August 1976). "Goodbye Nothing To Say", by the white British group the Javells , was identified by Dave McAleer of Pye's Disco Demand label as having an authentic Northern soul feel. McAleer gave acetates to Wigan Casino DJs Russ Winstanley, Kev Roberts, Richard Searling (a Wigan Casino DJ and promoter), and the tune became popular among the dancers at the venue. Disco Demand then released
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#17328941421877384-574: The Mellow Fellows in Chicago, Allbritton was confronted by singer Etta James , who knew the real Williams. Williams' family asked Allbritton to cease billing himself as "Larry Williams". Allbritton died on August 24, 2017. Several of Williams' songs achieved success as revivals, by the Beatles (" Bad Boy ", " Slow Down ", and "Dizzy, Miss Lizzy"), The Rolling Stones (" She Said Yeah ") and John Lennon ("Bony Moronie" and "Dizzy, Miss Lizzy"). Williams
7526-586: The Midlands and the North of England. Some nightclubs regarded as the most important in this decade were the Golden Torch , and Wigan Casino (1973 to 1981). Although Wigan Casino is now the most well-known, the best-attended Northern soul all-night venue at the beginning of the decade was actually the Golden Torch, where regular Friday night soul "all-nighters" began during the latter months of 1970. Chris Burton,
7668-461: The New Orleans sound. Robert Palmer reports that, in the 1940s, Professor Longhair listened to and played with musicians from the islands and "fell under the spell of Perez Prado's mambo records." He was especially enamored with Afro-Cuban music. Michael Campbell states: "Professor Longhair's influence was ... far-reaching. In several of his early recordings, Professor Longhair blended Afro-Cuban rhythms with rhythm and blues. The most explicit
7810-480: The Northern soul community as their success brought wider awareness to the subculture. Maconie described this song as 'a bland, modernised, easier to license version of a classic Northern tune originally by US artists', and said it 'really stuck in the purists' craw even then'. The first domestic disco hit, " Kung Fu Fighting " (UK No. 1, 1974), which was created by singer Carl Douglas and producer Biddu in Britain,
7952-447: The Northern soul mould by playing a new release by the Carstairs ("It Really Hurts Me Girl") in the early 1970s: Back in England I found this dealer called John Anderson who'd moved from Scotland to King's Lynn. I told him I wanted this Carstairs record and he'd just had a shipment in from America of 100,000 demo records from radio stations. We went through this collection, me, Andy Hanley, and Bernie Golding, and we found three copies of
8094-531: The Northern soul movement emanates from the 1960s Black Power movement in the United States. On his visit to the Twisted Wheel in 1971, Dave Godin recalled that "...very many young fellows wore black "right on now" racing gloves ... between records one would hear the occasional cry of "right on now!" or see a clenched gloved fist rise over the tops of the heads of the dancers!" In 2014, the clenched fist logo
8236-480: The Northern soul scene was enhanced by the possession of rare records, but exclusivity was not enough on its own. The records had to conform to a certain musical style and gain acceptance on the dance floor. Northern soul collectors seek rare singles by artists such as Holly Maxwell , Gene Chandler , Barbara Acklin , the Casualeers , and Jimmy Burns . Frank Wilson 's " Do I Love You (Indeed I Do) " has been rated
8378-772: The Northern soul scene was on the verge of disintegrating. However, the late 1970s mod revival , the thriving scooterboy subculture, and the late 1980s acid jazz movement were popular among music fans. The popularity of the music was introduced by a wave of reissues and compilation albums from minor independent record labels. The rare groove boom started in the late 1980s with underground DJ Barrie Sharpe and Lascelles Gordon. Both played that brand of obscure American import records, singles and albums ("looking back retrospectively"), that they had in their collection. These were bought from specialist import record shops such as Moondogs in East Ham and Contempo record shop at 42 Hanway Street in
8520-655: The Northern soul scene. Early Northern soul fashion included strong elements of the classic mod style, such as button-down Ben Sherman shirts, blazers with centre vents and unusual numbers of buttons, trickers and brogue shoes and shrink-to-fit Levi's jeans. Some non-mod items, such as bowling shirts, were also popular. Later, Northern soul dancers started to wear light and loose-fitting clothing for reasons of practicality. This included high-waisted, baggy Oxford bags and sports vests. These were often covered with sew-on badges representing soul club memberships. The clenched raised fist symbol that has become associated with
8662-717: The Pier and Winter Gardens in Cleethorpes , Tiffany's in Coalville , Samantha's in Sheffield , Neil Rushton 's Heart of England soul club all-dayers at the Ritz in Manchester and the Nottingham Palais. As the 1970s progressed, the Northern soul scene expanded even further nationally. There was a notable scene in the east of England: Shades Northampton was one of the leading venues in this area of
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#17328941421878804-417: The R&B sound, choosing to adopt a softer, smoother sound that incorporates traditional R&B with rappers such as Drake , who has opened an entire new door for the genre. This sound has gained in popularity and created great controversy for both hip-hop and R&B as to how to identify it. In 2010, the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame was founded by LaMont "ShowBoat" Robinson . According to
8946-453: The Saturday all-nighters. Until his departure in 1968, resident 'All Niter' DJ Bob Dee compiled and supervised the playlist, utilising the newly developed slip-cueing technique to spin the vinyl. Rarer, more up-tempo imported records were added to the playlist in 1969 by the new younger DJs like Brian "45" Phillips up until the club's eventual closure in 1971. After attending one of the venue's all-nighters in November 1970, Godin wrote: "it
9088-408: The Spinners , and the Monitors . A fifth label, Soul, featured Jr. Walker & the All Stars , Jimmy Ruffin , Shorty Long , the Originals , and Gladys Knight & the Pips . The Sapphires , especially their songs "Slow Fizz", "Gotta Have Your Love" (which reached No. 33 on the R&B chart), "Evil One", and "Gonna Be a Big Thing", became popular in the Northern soul scene, including during
9230-434: The Supremes featuring Diana Ross , the Four Tops , and the Jackson 5 , while Stevie Wonder , Marvin Gaye , the Marvelettes , and the Miracles had hits on the Tamla label. The company had several labels in addition to the Tamla and Motown. A third label, which Gordy named after himself, featured the Temptations , the Contours , Edwin Starr , and Martha and the Vandellas . A fourth label, V.I.P., released recordings by
9372-410: The Tams ' 1964 recording " Hey Girl Don't Bother Me " (UK No. 1, July 1971) – which was popularised by Midlands DJ Carl Dene – the Fascinations ' 1966 single " Girls Are Out to Get You " (UK No. 32, 1971), the Elgins ' " Heaven Must Have Sent You " (UK No. 3 July 1971), the Newbeats ' 1965 American hit " Run, Baby Run (Back Into My Arms) " (UK No. 10, October 1971), Bobby Hebb 's "Love Love Love" which
9514-416: The UK, several of which became popular enough to make the UK charts several years after their original issue. Dave Godin is generally credited with being the first UK entrepreneur to start this trend, setting up the Soul City label in 1968, and striking a deal with EMI to license Gene Chandler 's 1965 recording "Nothing Can Stop Me", which had been popular for several years at the Twisted Wheel. Issued as
9656-429: The United States in 1948, the term had been used in Billboard as early as 1943. However, the company's first list of songs popular among African Americans was named Harlem Hit Parade ; created in 1942, it listed the "most popular records in Harlem ," and is the predecessor to the Billboard RnB chart. “Rhythm and Blues” replaced the common term " race music ", a term coined by Okeh producer Ralph Peer based on
9798-412: The West end of London, owned by John Abbey, founder of Blues & Soul magazine. The magazine also had its own record label (also called Contempo), releasing music from the 1970s, which, starting in 1984, played at a club previously known as Whisky-A-Go-Go, founded by Rene Gelston in Wardour Street . Norman Jay's show was a collaboration with DJ Judge Jules , featuring a mainly urban soundtrack from
9940-439: The article said that rock and roll combined R&B with pop and country music. Fats Domino was not convinced that there was any new genre. In 1957, he said, "What they call rock 'n' roll now is rhythm and blues. I've been playing it for 15 years in New Orleans". According to Rolling Stone , "this is a valid statement ... all Fifties rockers, black and white, country born and city bred, were fundamentally influenced by R&B,
10082-401: The backbeat (two-side). The " Bo Diddley beat " (1955) is perhaps the first true fusion of 3–2 clave and R&B/rock 'n' roll. Bo Diddley has given different accounts of the riff's origins. Sublette asserts: "In the context of the time, and especially those maracas [heard on the record], 'Bo Diddley' has to be understood as a Latin-tinged record. A rejected cut recorded at the same session
10224-526: The band split up in 1969. Another American GI , Jimmy James , born in Jamaica, moved to London after two local number one hits in 1960 with The Vagabonds, who built a strong reputation as a live act. They released a live album and their studio debut, The New Religion, in 1966 and achieved moderate success with a few singles before the original Vagabonds broke up in 1970. White blues rock musician Alexis Korner formed new jazz rock band CCS in 1970. Interest in
10366-577: The biggest songs on the Northern Soul scene in England, and remains prized due to its rarity as the single failed commercially. Williams also began acting in the 1960s, appearing on film in Just for the Hell of It (1968), The Klansman (1974), and Drum (1976). In the 1970s, he briefly was involved with disco music . Williams' lifestyle involved recreational drug use and abuse which resulted in trouble with
10508-463: The black popular music of the late Forties and early Fifties". In 1956, an R&B "Top Stars of '56" tour took place, with headliners Al Hibbler , Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, and Carl Perkins , whose " Blue Suede Shoes " was very popular with R&B music buyers. Some of the performers completing the bill were Chuck Berry, Cathy Carr , Shirley & Lee , Della Reese , Sam "T-Bird" Jensen,
10650-479: The blues would influence major British rock musicians, including Eric Clapton , Mick Taylor , Peter Green , and John Mayall , the groups Free and Cream adopted an interest in a wider range of rhythm and blues styles. Northern Soul Northern soul is a music and dance movement that emerged in Northern England and the Midlands in the early 1970s. It developed from the British mod scene, based on
10792-495: The commercial rhythm and blues music typical of the 1950s through the 1970s, the bands usually consisted of piano, one or two guitars, bass, drums, and saxophone. Arrangements were rehearsed to the point of effortlessness and were sometimes accompanied by background vocalists. Simple repetitive parts mesh, creating momentum and rhythmic interplay producing mellow, lilting, and often hypnotic textures while calling attention to no individual sound. While singers are emotionally engaged with
10934-417: The common self description by the African American press as “people of race.” The term "rhythm and blues" was then used by Billboard in its chart listings from June 1949 until August 1969, when its "Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles" chart was renamed as "Best Selling Soul Singles". Before the "Rhythm and Blues" name was instated, various record companies had already begun replacing the term "race music" with
11076-792: The country during the early 1970s until it closed in 1975. Later came the all-nighters at the St Ivo Centre in St Ives, the Phoenix Soul club at the Wirrina Stadium in Peterborough and the Howard Mallett in Cambridge . Other towns with notable Northern soul venues at this time included Kettering , Coventry , Bournemouth , Southampton and Bristol . When Wigan Casino closed in 1981, many believed
11218-412: The creation of the spin-off modern soul movement in the early 1980s. Some Northern soul records were so rare that only a handful of copies were known to exist, so specific DJs and clubs became associated with particular records that were almost exclusively in their own playlists. Keith Rylatt and Phil Scott wrote: As venues such as the Twisted Wheel evolved into northern soul clubs in the late 1960s and
11360-429: The dancers increasingly demanded newly discovered sounds, DJs began to acquire and play rare and often deleted US releases that had not gained even a release in the UK. These records were sometimes obtained through specialist importers or, in some cases, by DJs visiting the US and purchasing old warehouse stock. Many of the original singers and musicians remained unaware of their newfound popularity for many years. As
11502-461: The doo-wop boom was over, Northern soul started. Motown, Chess, and Vee-Jay records were notable Northern soul labels. By the mid-1960s, Motown got good songwriters and producers such as Robinson, A&R chief William "Mickey" Stevenson , Brian Holland , Lamont Dozier , and Norman Whitfield . From 1961 to 1971, Motown had 110 top-10 hits. Top artists on the Motown label during that period included
11644-508: The earliest recording to possess this style was the 1965 single " I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch) " by the Four Tops , although that record was never popular in the Northern soul scene because it was too mainstream. The venue most commonly associated with the early development of the Northern soul scene was the Twisted Wheel in Manchester. The club began in the early 1950s as a beatnik coffee bar called The Left Wing, but in early 1963,
11786-751: The early 1950s, more white teenagers started to become aware of R&B and began purchasing the music. For example, 40% of 1952 sales at Dolphin's of Hollywood record shop, located in an African-American area of Los Angeles, were to whites. Eventually, white teens across the country turned their musical taste toward rhythm and blues. Johnny Otis , who had signed with the Newark, New Jersey–based Savoy Records, produced many R&B hits in 1951, including " Double Crossing Blues ", "Mistrustin' Blues" and " Cupid's Boogie ", all of which hit number one that year. Otis scored ten top ten hits that year. Other hits include " Gee Baby ", "Mambo Boogie" and "All Nite Long". The Clovers ,
11928-426: The early 1970s, Northern soul dancing became more athletic, resembling the later dance styles of disco and break dancing . Featuring spins, flips, karate kicks and backdrops, club dancing styles were often inspired by the stage performances of touring American soul acts such as Little Anthony and the Imperials and Jackie Wilson . In the late 1960s and early 1970s, popular Northern soul records generally dated from
12070-594: The early days at the Twisted Wheel Club. Chicago label Vee-Jay Records became a major soul label with Jerry Butler , Gene Chandler , Dee Clark , and Betty Everett hitting singles on both the pop and R&B charts. Vee-Jay was also the first label to nationally issue a record by Gladys Knight & the Pips. Vee-Jay had significant success with pop/rock acts, such as the Four Seasons (their first non-black act) and
12212-534: The extensively researched sociological study Northern Soul: Music, drugs and subcultural identity . This work details the lifestyles associated with the Northern soul scene and the extensive use of amphetamines (otherwise known as speed) by many involved. Wilson argues that, although many did not use drugs, their usage was heavily ingrained in the fast-paced culture of the Northern soul scene, contributing to participants' ability to stay up all night dancing. Many clubs and events were closed down or refused licences due to
12354-408: The figure – as a bass pattern on a Cuban disc. In a 1988 interview with Palmer, Bartholomew (who had the first R&B studio band), revealed how he initially superimposed tresillo over swing rhythm: I heard the bass playing that part on a 'rumba' record. On 'Country Boy' I had my bass and drums playing a straight swing rhythm and wrote out that 'rumba' bass part for the saxes to play on top of
12496-554: The first time in 10 years and spawned the hit single "Poor Dog". He also acted as the music director for Little Richard's live performances at the Okeh Club. Bookings for Little Richard during this period skyrocketed. Williams also recorded and released material of his own and with Watson, with some moderate chart success. "Too Late", the B-side of 1967 single "Two for the Price of One" became one of
12638-561: The foundation for R&B in the 1940s, cutting one swinging rhythm & blues masterpiece after another". Other artists who were "cornerstones of R&B and its transformation into rock & roll" include Etta James, Fats Domino , Roy Brown, Little Richard and Ruth Brown. The "doo wop" groups were also noteworthy, including the Orioles , the Ravens and the Dominoes . The term "rock and roll" had
12780-493: The late 1970s have now returned to the scene and regularly participate in such events. In 2009, Paul O'Grady included a Northern Soul Triple in his weekly BBC Radio 2 show. He played three Northern soul hits, often at the request of his listeners. The Northern soul movement inspired the film Soulboy (2010), directed by Shimmy Marcus, and at least one novel: Do I Love You? (2008) by Paul McDonald . In June 2010, theatre director Fiona Laird wrote and directed Keeping
12922-420: The late 1970s, the club had its own spin-off record label, Casino Classics. By this time, Wigan Casino was coming under criticism from many soul fans about selling out the format and playing anything that came along. The contemporary black American soul was changing with the advent of funk , disco and jazz-funk , and the supply of recordings with the fast-paced Northern soul sound began to dwindle rapidly. As
13064-766: The late 1980s and early 1990s, hip-hop started to capture the imagination of America's youth. R&B started to become homogenized, with a group of high-profile producers responsible for most R&B hits. It was hard for R&B artists of the era to sell their music or even have their music heard because of the rise of hip-hop, but some adopted a "hip-hop" image, were marketed as such, and often featured rappers on their songs. In 1990, Billboard reintroduced R&B to categorize all of Black popular music other than hip-hop. Newer artists such as Usher , R. Kelly , Janet Jackson , TLC , Aaliyah , Brandy , Destiny's Child , Tevin Campbell and Mary J. Blige enjoyed success. L.A. Reid ,
13206-499: The latest American R&B music began to grow. Pubs such as the Eagle in Birmingham were frequented by young blue-eyed soul singers such as Steve Winwood , who released songs similar to the early U.S. soul music. By 1968 the reputation of the Twisted Wheel and the type of music being played there had grown nationwide, and soul fans were travelling from all over the United Kingdom to attend
13348-509: The law. By the middle of the 1970s, the drug abuse and violence were taking their toll. In 1977, Williams threatened Little Richard with a gun over a drug debt. However, he ended up showing compassion for his longtime friend. This, with other factors, led to Little Richard's return to born again Christianity and the ministry. Williams was married to Ina Marie Williams, although they were eventually estranged. On January 7, 1980, Williams' body
13490-424: The lyrics, often intensely so, they remain cool, relaxed, and in control. The bands dressed in suits, and even uniforms, a practice associated with the modern popular music that rhythm and blues performers aspired to dominate. Lyrics often seemed fatalistic, and the music typically followed predictable patterns of chords and structure. R&B lyrical themes often encapsulate the African-American experience of pain and
13632-531: The mid-1960s Motown Records , usually combined with soulful vocals. These types of records, which suited the athletic dancing that was prevalent, became known on the scene as "stompers". Notable examples include Tony Clarke's "Landslide" (popularised by Ian Levine at Blackpool Mecca) and Gloria Jones ’ " Tainted Love " (purchased by Richard Searling on a trip to the United States in 1973 and popularised at Va Va’s in Bolton, and later, Wigan Casino). According to Northern soul DJ Ady Croadsell, viewed retrospectively,
13774-459: The mid-1960s. This meant that the movement was sustained (and new recordings added to playlists) by prominent DJs discovering rare and previously overlooked records. Later on, certain clubs and DJs began to move away from the 1960s sound and began to play newer releases with a more contemporary sound. The term "Northern soul" emanated from the record shop Soul City in Covent Garden , London, which
13916-665: The old Savannah. It's a killer! Although originating in the metropolis at the mouth of the Mississippi River, New Orleans blues, with its Afro-Caribbean rhythmic traits, is distinct from the sound of the Mississippi Delta blues. In the late 1940s, New Orleans musicians were especially receptive to Cuban influences precisely at the time when R&B was first forming. The first use of tresillo in R&B occurred in New Orleans. Robert Palmer recalls: New Orleans producer-bandleader Dave Bartholomew first employed this figure (as
14058-465: The owner, stated that by 1972, the club had a membership of 12,500 and had hosted 62,000 separate customer visits. In 1972, white soul group the Four Seasons released the song " The Night " from their May 1972 album Chameleon , a disco song which appealed to the Northern soul scene, and as a result, it was successfully re-released in the UK in the spring of 1975. Wigan Casino began its weekly soul all-nighters in September 1973. Wigan Casino had
14200-505: The pattern is only half a clave ). Tresillo is the most basic duple-pulse rhythmic cell in Sub-Saharan African music traditions , and its use in African American music is one of the clearest examples of African rhythmic retention in the United States. The use of tresillo was continuously reinforced by the consecutive waves of Cuban music, which were adopted into North American popular culture. In 1940 Bob Zurke released "Rhumboogie",
14342-420: The popular feel was passed along from "New Orleans—through James Brown's music, to the popular music of the 1970s," adding: "The singular style of rhythm & blues that emerged from New Orleans in the years after World War II played an important role in the development of funk. In a related development, the underlying rhythms of American popular music underwent a basic, yet generally unacknowledged transition from
14484-488: The quest for freedom and joy, as well as triumphs and failures in terms of relationships, economics, and aspirations. One publication of the Smithsonian Institution provided this summary of the origins of the genre in 2016. "A distinctly African American music drawing from the deep tributaries of African American expressive culture, it is an amalgam of jump blues, big band swing, gospel, boogie, and blues that
14626-584: The rarest and most valuable Northern soul single. In December 2014, collectors were bidding over £11,000 for a copy of the London Records version of Darrell Banks ' " Open the Door to Your Heart ", thought to be the only copy in circulation. It had previously been thought that all the original versions had been destroyed when rival label EMI won the rights to release the single. The Northern soul movement spawned an active market in reissuing older soul recordings in
14768-514: The rawer Memphis soul sound for which Stax became known. In Jamaica, R&B influenced the development of ska . In 1969, black culture and rhythm and blues reached another great achievement when the Grammys added the Rhythm and Blues category, giving academic recognition to the category. By the 1970s, the term "rhythm and blues" was being used as a blanket term for soul , funk , and disco . In
14910-495: The record become popular with white teenagers. Freed had been given part of the writing credit by Chess in return for his promotional activities, a common practice at the time. R&B was also a strong influence on rock and roll . A 1985 article in The Wall Street Journal , titled, "Rock! It's Still Rhythm and Blues" reported that the "two terms were used interchangeably" until about 1957. The other sources quoted in
15052-401: The run-down premises were leased by two Manchester businessmen (Ivor and Phil Abadi) and turned into a music venue. Initially, the Twisted Wheel mainly hosted live music on the weekends and Disc Only nights during the week. DJ Roger Eagle, a collector of imported American soul, jazz and rhythm and blues , was booked around this time, and the club's reputation as a place to hear and dance to
15194-551: The scene increased in popularity, a network of UK record dealers emerged who could acquire further copies of the original vinyl and supply them to fans at prices commensurate with their rarity and desirability. Later on, several UK record labels capitalised on the booming popularity of northern soul and negotiated licences for certain popular records from the copyright holders and reissue them as new 45s or compilation LPs. Among these labels were Casino Classics, PYE Disco Demand, Inferno, Kent Modern and Goldmine. The notoriety of DJs on
15336-551: The song as a 45 rpm single, reaching UK No. 26 in November 1974. To promote the single on BBC's Top of the Pops , the performer was accompanied by two Wigan Casino dancers. In at least one case, a previously obscure recording was specially remixed to appeal to Northern soul fans: the 1968 recording " Footsee " by Canadian group the Chosen Few was sped up, overdubbed and remixed to emerge as
15478-408: The sound of rock 'n' roll. A rapid succession of rhythm and blues hits followed, beginning with " Tutti Frutti " and " Long Tall Sally ", which would influence performers such as James Brown , Elvis Presley , and Otis Redding . Also in 1951, the song Rocket 88 was recorded by Ike Turner and his Kings of Rhythm at a studio owned by Sam Phillips with the vocal by Jackie Brenston . This song
15620-441: The store to buy records, but they weren't interested in the latest developments in the black American chart. I devised the name as a shorthand sales term. It was just to say "if you've got customers from the north, don't waste time playing them records currently in the U.S. black chart, just play them what they like – 'Northern Soul'". The music style most associated with Northern soul is the heavy syncopated beat and fast tempo of
15762-461: The swing rhythm. Later, especially after rock 'n' roll came along, I made the 'rumba' bass part heavier and heavier. I'd have the string bass, an electric guitar and a baritone all in unison. Bartholomew referred to the Cuban son by the misnomer rumba , a common practice of that time. Fats Domino's " Blue Monday ", produced by Bartholomew, is another example of this now classic use of tresillo in R&B. Bartholomew's 1949 tresillo-based "Oh Cubanas"
15904-544: The term "sepia series". "Rhythm and blues" is often abbreviated as "R&B" or "R'n'B". In the early 1950s, the term "rhythm & blues" was frequently applied to blues records. Writer and producer Robert Palmer defined rhythm & blues as "a catchall term referring to any music that was made by and for black Americans". He has also used the term "R&B" as a synonym for jump blues . However, AllMusic separates it from jump blues because of R&B's stronger gospel influences. Lawrence Cohn , author of Nothing but
16046-510: The time Larry Williams was found dead. He had recorded and performed as a drummer for Bobby "Blue" Bland in the 1960s. Albritton toured the country performing under the moniker of "Big" Larry Williams, and claimed that he recorded the hits "Bony Moronie" and "Dizzy Miss Lizzy." He recorded an album in 1990 called Street Party with the Mellow Fellows , previously headed by Big Twist (né Lawrence Millard Nolan; 1937–1990). While touring with
16188-471: The tresillo/habanera rhythm (which he called the Spanish tinge ) to be an essential ingredient of jazz. There are examples of tresillo-like rhythms in some African American folk music such as the hand-clapping and foot-stomping patterns in ring shout , post-Civil War drum and fife music, and New Orleans second line music. Wynton Marsalis considers tresillo to be the New Orleans "clave" (although technically,
16330-484: The two-celled timeline structure was brought into the blues. New Orleans musicians such as Bartholomew and Longhair incorporated Cuban instruments, as well as the clave pattern and related two-celled figures in songs such as "Carnival Day", (Bartholomew 1949) and "Mardi Gras In New Orleans" (Longhair 1949). While some of these early experiments were awkward fusions, the Afro-Cuban elements were eventually integrated fully into
16472-587: The up-tempo beat of the stompers were also played at some venues, including the Ron Grainer Orchestra's instrumental "Theme From Joe 90" at Wigan Casino and the Just Brothers ' surf-guitar song, "Sliced Tomatoes" at Blackpool Mecca. As the scene developed in the mid and late 1970s, the more contemporary and rhythmically sophisticated sounds of disco and Philly Soul became accepted at certain venues following its adoption at Blackpool Mecca. This style
16614-475: The video for the song features stereotypical Northern soul dancing; additionally, the track samples the famous soul drum break from James Brown 's " Funky Drummer ", performed by Clyde Stubblefield . In the book Last Night a DJ Saved My Life: the history of the DJ , the authors describe Northern soul as "built from failures", stating: "... Northern soul was the music made by hundreds of singers and bands who were copying
16756-522: Was No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart . Both records were million-sellers in the US, but neither topped the pop or R&B charts. Invictus had two other gold records: Freda Payne's "Bring the Boys Home" and 8th Day's " She's Not Just Another Woman ", both in 1971. Northern soul reached the peak of its popularity in the mid- to late-1970s. At this time, there were soul clubs in virtually every major town in
16898-427: Was a "very specific absence of asymmetric time-line patterns ( key patterns ) in virtually all early-twentieth-century African American music ... only in some New Orleans genres does a hint of simple time line patterns occasionally appear in the form of transient so-called 'stomp' patterns or stop-time chorus. These do not function in the same way as African timelines." In the late 1940s, this changed somewhat when
17040-707: Was a fan, and the Beatles and several other British Invasion groups recorded several of his songs. Williams' life mixed tremendous success with violence and drug addiction. He was a longtime friend of Little Richard , with whom his life intertwined personally and professionally from their meeting in 1955 to Williams' death in 1980. Born in New Orleans , Louisiana , on May 10, 1935, Williams moved west with his family early in his childhood. He spent some time with relatives in Chicago , Illinois , before relocating to Oakland , California in 1945. Williams learned to play piano as
17182-624: Was a very nasty dance". Also in 1949, a new version of a 1920s blues song, " Ain't Nobody's Business " was a number four hit for Jimmy Witherspoon , and Louis Jordan and the Tympany Five once again made the top five with " Saturday Night Fish Fry ". Many of these hit records were issued on new independent record labels, such as Savoy (founded 1942), King (founded 1943), Imperial (founded 1945), Specialty (founded 1946), Chess (founded 1947), and Atlantic (founded 1948). African American music began incorporating Afro-Cuban rhythmic motifs in
17324-521: Was also increasing emphasis on the electric guitar as a lead instrument, as well as the piano and saxophone . R&B originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. In 1948, RCA Victor was marketing black music under the name "Blues and Rhythm". In that year, Louis Jordan dominated the top five listings of the R&;B charts with three songs, and two of the top five songs were based on
17466-400: Was at the top of the R&B charts in 1959 and 1960 with one number one and two number two hits. Benton had a certain warmth in his voice that attracted a wide variety of listeners, and his ballads led to comparisons with performers such as Nat King Cole , Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett . Lloyd Price , who in 1952 had a number one hit with " Lawdy Miss Clawdy ", regained predominance with
17608-529: 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
17750-453: Was being called soul music , and similar music by white artists was labeled blue-eyed soul . Motown Records had its first million-selling single in 1960 with the Miracles ' " Shop Around ", and in 1961, Stax Records had its first hit with Carla Thomas 's " Gee Whiz (Look at His Eyes) ". Stax's next major hit, The Mar-Keys ' instrumental " Last Night " (also released in 1961), introduced
17892-422: Was definitely such a thing as rhumba blues ; you can hear Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf playing it." He also cites Otis Rush , Ike Turner and Ray Charles , as R&B artists who employed this feel. The use of clave in R&B coincided with the growing dominance of the backbeat , and the rising popularity of Cuban music in the U.S. In a sense, clave can be distilled down to tresillo (three-side) answered by
18034-482: Was dominated by young Jewish men who promoted the sounds of black music. British rhythm and blues and blues rock developed in the early 1960s, largely as a response to the recordings of American artists, often brought over by African American servicemen stationed in Britain or seamen visiting ports such as London, Liverpool, Newcastle and Belfast. Many bands, particularly in the developing London club scene, tried to emulate black rhythm and blues performers, resulting in
18176-626: Was found by his mother at his home in Los Angeles, California from a gunshot wound to the head. He was 44 years old. His death was deemed suicide , though there was speculation that he was murdered because of his involvement in drugs and allegedly prostitution . No suspects were arrested or charged. Williams was interred at Inglewood Park Cemetery , Inglewood, California . An Illinois drummer and blues singer named Martin Albritton claimed to be Larry Williams, alive and well. This claim originated at about
18318-494: Was his bestseller, reaching No. 5 in Billboard <nowicki/>'s pop chart, " Bony Moronie ", which peaked at No. 14, and its flip-side "You Bug Me Baby" which made it to No. 45. "Short Fat Fannie" and "Bony Moronie" each sold over one million copies. After 1957, Williams did not have much success selling records. He recorded a number of songs in 1958 and 1959, including " Dizzy, Miss Lizzy ", which charted at No. 69 on Billboard <nowicki/>'s Pop chart in 1958. "Heebie Jeebies"
18460-577: Was influenced by the Northern soul scene. In 2000, Wigan Casino DJ Kev Roberts compiled The Northern Soul Top 500 , which was based on a survey of Northern soul fans. The top ten songs were: " Do I Love You (Indeed I Do) " by Frank Wilson , "Out on the Floor" by Dobie Gray , "You Didn't Say a Word" by Yvonne Baker , " The Snake " by Al Wilson , "Long After Tonight is Over" by Jimmy Radcliffe , "Seven Day Lover" by James Fountain, "You Don't Love Me" by Epitome of Sound, "Looking for You" by Garnet Mimms , "If That's What You Wanted" by Frankie Beverly &
18602-419: Was initially developed during a thirty-year period that bridges the era of legally sanctioned racial segregation, international conflicts, and the struggle for civil rights". The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame defines some of the originators of R&B, including Joe Turner 's big band, Louis Jordan's Tympany Five, James Brown and LaVern Baker. In fact, this source states that "Louis Jordan joined Turner in laying
18744-456: Was introduced to Robert Blackwell , Specialty's house producer, and was signed to the label. In 1957, Little Richard was Specialty's biggest star, but he left rock and roll to pursue the ministry . Williams quickly was groomed by Blackwell to try to replicate his success. Using the same raw, shouting vocals and piano-driven intensity, Williams scored with a number of hit singles. Williams' three biggest successes were " Short Fat Fannie ", which
18886-519: Was once told that "a lot of those stations still think you're a black group because the sound feels funky and black." Hi Records did not feature pictures of the Combo on early records. Sam Cooke 's number five hit " Chain Gang " is indicative of R&B in 1960, as is pop rocker Chubby Checker 's number five hit " The Twist ". By the early 1960s, the music industry category previously known as rhythm and blues
19028-496: Was originally the B-side of "A Satisfied Mind" (UK No. 32, August 1972), Robert Knight 's " Love on a Mountain Top " recorded in 1968 (UK No. 10, November 1973) and R. Dean Taylor 's " There's a Ghost in My House " from 1967 (UK No. 3, May 1974). The Northern soul scene also spawned lesser chart hits, including Al Wilson 's 1968 cut " The Snake " (UK No. 41 in 1975), Dobie Gray 's " Out on
19170-535: Was posthumously inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in 2014. Rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues , frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B , is a genre of popular music that originated within the African-American community 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"
19312-427: Was recorded with band members such as Plas Johnson on tenor saxophone and Jewel Grant on baritone, René Hall and Howard Roberts on guitars, Gerald Wilson on trumpet, Ernie Freeman or Williams himself on piano, and Earl Palmer on drums. After he was arrested for possession of narcotics and guns in 1959, he was dropped from Specialty. He recorded for Chess Records but no hits were produced. Williams then served
19454-580: Was referred to as jump blues . Then, Paul Gayten , Roy Brown, and others had had hits in the style now referred to as rhythm and blues. In 1948, Wynonie Harris's remake of Brown's 1947 recording " Good Rockin' Tonight " reached number two on the charts, following band leader Sonny Thompson 's "Long Gone" at number one. In 1949, the term "Rhythm and Blues" (R&B) replaced the Billboard category Harlem Hit Parade . Also in that year, " The Huckle-Buck ", recorded by band leader and saxophonist Paul Williams ,
19596-721: Was run by the soul music collector Dave Godin . It was first publicly used in Godin's weekly column in Blues & Soul magazine in June 1970. In a 2002 interview with Chris Hunt of Mojo magazine, Godin said he had first come up with the term in 1968, to help employees at Soul City differentiate the more modern funkier sounds from the smoother. Godin referred to the latter's requests as "Northern soul": I had started to notice that northern football fans who were in London to follow their team were coming into
19738-463: Was subject to a trademark dispute in the UK after a bag retailer in Manchester tried to register the logo. The IPO refused the trademark, considering it generic. The ruling was unusual as it considered not just the usage from other manufacturers, but also its wide usage by members of the public to be relevant. In 2007, Andrew Wilson (lecturer in criminology at the University of Sheffield ) published
19880-523: Was the number one R&B tune, remaining on top of the charts for nearly the entire year. Written by musician and arranger Andy Gibson , the song was described as a "dirty boogie" because it was risque and raunchy. Paul Williams and His Hucklebuckers' concerts were sweaty riotous affairs that got shut down on more than one occasion. Their lyrics, by Roy Alfred (who later co-wrote the 1955 hit " (The) Rock and Roll Waltz "), were mildly sexually suggestive, and one teenager from Philadelphia said "That Hucklebuck
20022-459: Was titled only 'Rhumba' on the track sheets." Johnny Otis 's "Willie and the Hand Jive" (1958) is another example of this successful blend of 3–2 claves and R&B. Otis used the Cuban instruments claves and maracas on the song. Afro-Cuban music was the conduit by which African American music was "re-Africanized", through the adoption of two-celled figures like clave and Afro-Cuban instruments like
20164-411: Was used as a blanket term for soul and funk . In the late 1980s, a newer style of R&B developed, becoming known as " contemporary R&B ". This contemporary form combines rhythm and blues with various elements of pop , soul, funk, disco , hip hop , and electronic music . Although Jerry Wexler of Billboard magazine is credited with coining the term "rhythm and blues" as a musical term in
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