127-834: Soul music is a musical genre, closely related to rhythm and blues, which grew out of the African-American gospel and blues traditions during the late 1950s and early 1960s in the United States. Soul music may also refer to: Soul music See also: Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in African-American communities throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues . Soul music became popular for dancing and listening, and U.S. record labels such as Motown , Atlantic and Stax were influential in its proliferation during
254-412: A call and response between the lead and backing vocalists , an especially tense vocal sound, and occasional improvisational additions, twirls, and auxiliary sounds. Soul music is known for reflecting African-American identity and stressing the importance of African-American culture. Soul music dominated the U.S. R&B charts in the 1960s, and many recordings crossed over into the pop charts in
381-457: 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
508-409: A " Third British Invasion " or "British Soul Invasion" in the 2000s and 2010s. Neo soul is a blend of 1970s soul-style vocals and instrumentation with contemporary R&B sounds, hip-hop beats, and poetic interludes. The style was developed in the early to mid-1990s, and the term was coined in the early 1990s by producer and record label executive Kedar Massenburg . A key element in neo-soul
635-807: 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
762-534: 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 ,
889-557: A Thousand Dances ") and Thee Midniters played brown-eyed R&B music with a rebellious rock and roll edge. Many of these artists drew from the frat rock and garage rock scenes. However, the large Hispanic population on the West Coast began gradually moving away from energetic R&B to romantic soul, and the results were "some of the sweetest soul music heard during the late 1960s and 1970s." Rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues , frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B ,
1016-469: 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
1143-401: A Woman ". Singer Bobby Womack said, "Ray was the genius. He turned the world onto soul music." Charles was open in acknowledging the influence of Pilgrim Travelers vocalist Jesse Whitaker on his singing style. Little Richard , who inspired Otis Redding , and James Brown both were equally influential. Brown was nicknamed the "Godfather of Soul Music", and Richard proclaimed himself as
1270-475: 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
1397-615: 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
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#17328551776191524-496: A diplomat until 1944 when his father died, founded Atlantic Records in 1947 with his friend Herb Abramson . Ertegun wrote many songs for Ray Charles and the Clovers . He even sang backup vocals for his artist Big Joe Turner on the song, "Shake Rattle and Roll". Dominated by Berry Gordy 's Motown Records empire, Detroit's soul is strongly rhythmic and influenced by gospel music. The Motown sound often includes hand clapping ,
1651-488: A distinctive New Orleans soul sound that generated a passel of national hits. Other notable New Orleans hits came from Robert Parker, Betty Harris , and Aaron Neville . While record labels in New Orleans largely disappeared by the mid-1960s, producers in the city continued to record New Orleans soul artists for other mainly New York City and Los Angeles–based record labels—notably Lee Dorsey for New York-based Amy Records and
1778-538: A distinctive sound, which included putting vocals further back in the mix than most contemporary R&B records, using vibrant horn parts in place of background vocals, and a focus on the low end of the frequency spectrum. The vast majority of Stax releases were backed by house bands Booker T & the MGs (with Booker T. Jones , Steve Cropper , Duck Dunn , and Al Jackson ) and the Memphis Horns (the splinter horn section of
1905-638: A franchise that saw the creation of a record label ( Soul Train Records ) that distributed music by the Whispers , Carrie Lucas , and an up-and-coming group known as Shalamar . Numerous disputes led to Cornelius spinning off the record label to his talent booker, Dick Griffey , who transformed the label into Solar Records , itself a prominent soul music label throughout the 1980s. The TV series continued to air until 2006, although other predominantly African-American music genres such as hip-hop began overshadowing soul on
2032-508: A huge impact on the pop and R&B charts and a huge direct influence on the birth of Funk music. The principal architect of Crescent City's soul was a songwriter, arranger, and producer Allen Toussaint . He worked with such artists as Irma Thomas ("the Soul Queen of New Orleans"), Jessie Hill, Chris Kenner , Benny Spellman, and Ernie K-Doe on the Minit/Instant label complex to produce
2159-404: 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
2286-515: A newfound sophisticated musicality and ambitious lyricism in black pop. Among these musicians were Sly Stone , Stevie Wonder , Marvin Gaye , Curtis Mayfield , and George Clinton . In discussing the progressive soul of the 1970s, Martin cites this period's albums from Wonder ( Talking Book , Innervisions , Songs in the Key of Life ), War ( All Day Music , The World Is a Ghetto , War Live ), and
2413-529: 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
2540-445: 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
2667-536: A powerful bassline , strings , brass and vibraphone . Motown Records' house band was the Funk Brothers . AllMusic cites Motown as the pioneering label of pop-soul, a style of soul music with raw vocals, but polished production and toned-down subject matter intended for pop radio and crossover success. Artists of this style included Diana Ross , the Jackson 5 , Stevie Wonder , and Billy Preston . Popular during
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#17328551776192794-497: 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
2921-489: 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
3048-415: 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
3175-405: A series of soul ballads characterized by unabashedly sentimental lyrics usually begging forgiveness or asking a girlfriend to come home... He soon became known as "Mr. Pitiful" and earned a reputation as the leading performer of soul ballads. The most important female soul singer to emerge was Aretha Franklin , originally a gospel singer who began to make secular recordings in 1960 but whose career
3302-680: 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
3429-556: A sound, it’s also a look. It comes with fashion that breaks barriers and shows creativity. The whole aesthetic is art, from the sound to the look. Neo-soul is a blend of music and culture and its impact in the music industry is timeless. Its impact can still be seen and felt across many genres and artists. Northern soul is a music and dance movement that emerged in the late 1960s out of the British mod subculture in Northern England and
3556-407: 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
3683-491: A successful pop music career. Furthermore, his 1962 recording of " Bring It On Home To Me " has been described as "perhaps the first record to define the soul experience". Jackie Wilson, a contemporary of both Cooke and James Brown, also achieved crossover success, especially with his 1957 hit " Reet Petite ". He even was particularly influential for his dramatic delivery and performances. Husband-wife duo Ike & Tina Turner emerged as "leading exponents" of soul music in
3810-473: 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
3937-478: 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
Soul music (disambiguation) - Misplaced Pages Continue
4064-449: Is R&B or soul music performed by white artists. The meaning of blue-eyed soul has evolved over the decades. Originally the term was associated with mid-1960s white artists who performed soul and R&B that was similar to the music released by Motown Records and Stax Records . The Righteous Brothers, the Rascals , Spencer Davis Group, Steve Winwood , Van Morrison & Them, and
4191-516: Is brown-eyed soul , or soul music or R&B created and performed mainly by Latinos in Southern California during the 1960s, continuing through to the early 1980s. The genre of soul music occasionally draws from Latin , and often contains rock music influences. This contrasts with blue-eyed soul, soul music performed by non-Hispanic white artists. Ritchie Valens , one of the original pioneers of brown-eyed soul music, also became one of
4318-521: 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
4445-409: 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" was becoming more popular. In the commercial rhythm and blues music typical of the 1950s through the 1970s,
4572-408: Is a heavy dose of Fender Rhodes or Wurlitzer electric piano "pads" over a mellow, grooving interplay between the drums (usually with a rim shot snare sound) and a muted, deep funky bass. The Fender Rhodes piano sound gives the music a warm, organic character. Notable artists include Jill Scott, Lauryn Hill, and Erykah Badu. Also newer artists like H.E.R and Sza are influenced by Neo Soul. Neo Soul
4699-455: 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
4826-399: Is full of deep lyrics and soulful sounds that resonate with listeners. Neo Soul has had a lasting impact on the music industry, Along with a deep soulful sound, it also includes very soulful lyrics that touch on topics of love and even loss. This genre comes from African American culture and is connected to genres like gospel and blues. Fashion is also very important to this genre. It’s not just
4953-585: 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
5080-551: The English Midlands , based on a particular style of soul music with a heavy beat and fast tempo. The phrase northern soul was coined by a journalist Dave Godin and popularised through his column in Blues and Soul magazine. The rare soul records were played by DJs at nightclubs , and included obscure 1960s and early 1970s American recordings with an uptempo beat, such as those on Motown and smaller labels, not necessarily from
5207-662: The Northern United States . Many artists in various genres of electronic music (such as house , drum n bass , UK garage , and downtempo ) are heavily influenced by soul, and have produced many soul-inspired compositions. The impact of soul music was manifold; internationally, white and other non-black musicians were influenced by soul music. British soul and Northern soul , rare soul music played by DJs at nightclubs in Northern England, are examples. Several terms were introduced, such as " blue-eyed soul ", which
Soul music (disambiguation) - Misplaced Pages Continue
5334-611: 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,
5461-681: The civil rights movement . Soul also became popular worldwide, directly influencing rock music and the music of Africa . It had a resurgence in the mid-to late 1990s with the subgenre neo soul , which incorporated modern production elements and hip hop influences. The genre emerged from the power struggle to increase black Americans' awareness of their African ancestry, as a newfound consciousness led to new styles of music that boasted pride in being black. Soul music primarily combines elements of gospel, R&B and jazz . Catchy rhythms, stressed by handclaps and extemporaneous body movements, are an important hallmark of soul. Other characteristics are
5588-408: 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
5715-562: The " Motown sound ", a more rhythmic and pop -friendly style that originated from the eponymous label; Southern soul , a driving, energetic variety combining R&B with southern gospel music influences; Memphis soul , a shimmering, sultry style; New Orleans soul , which emerged from the rhythm and blues style; Chicago soul , a lighter gospel-influenced sound; and Philadelphia soul , a lush orchestral variety with doo-wop -inspired vocals. Soul music has its roots in traditional African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues and as
5842-486: The "King of Rockin' and Rollin', Rhythm and Blues Soulin ' ", because his music embodied elements of all three, and since he inspired artists in all three genres. Sam Cooke and Jackie Wilson also are often acknowledged as soul forefathers. Cooke became popular as the lead singer of the gospel group the Soul Stirrers , before controversially moving into secular music. His recording of " You Send Me " in 1957 launched
5969-518: The "first clear evidence of soul music shows up with the "5" Royales , an ex-gospel group that turned to R&B and in Faye Adams , whose "Shake A Hand" becomes an R&B standard". Important innovators whose recordings in the 1950s contributed to the emergence of soul music included Clyde McPhatter , Hank Ballard , and Etta James . Ray Charles is often cited as popularizing the soul music genre with his series of hits, starting with 1954's " I Got
6096-443: 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
6223-545: 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
6350-494: The 1940s and '50s occasionally used the term as part of their names. The jazz style that originated from gospel became known as soul jazz . As singers and arrangers began using techniques from both gospel and soul jazz in African-American popular music during the 1960s, soul music gradually functioned as an umbrella term for African-American popular music at the time. According to the Acoustic Music Organization,
6477-584: The 1960s which were unable to connect with the mainstream market. Nevertheless, soul has been a major influence on British popular music since the 1960s including bands of the British Invasion , most significantly the Beatles . There were a handful of significant British blue-eyed soul acts, including Dusty Springfield and Tom Jones . In the 1970s Carl Douglas , the Real Thing and Delegation had hits in
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#17328551776196604-610: The 1960s, the style became glossier during the 1970s and led to disco . In the late 2000s, the style was revisited by contemporary soul singers such as Amy Winehouse , Raphael Saadiq (specifically his 2008 album The Way I See It ) and Solange Knowles (her 2008 album Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams ). The terms "deep soul" and "Southern soul" generally refer to a driving, energetic soul style combining R&B 's energy with pulsating southern United States gospel music sounds. Memphis, Tennessee , label Stax Records nurtured
6731-695: The 1960s. Their debut single " A Fool in Love " crossed over to the pop charts in 1960. They earned a Grammy nomination for their song " It's Gonna Work Out Fine " in 1962. Along with the Kings of Rhythm and the Ikettes , they toured the Chitlin’ Circuit as the Ike & Tina Turner Revue. Writer Peter Guralnick is among those to identify Solomon Burke as a key figure in the emergence of soul music, and Atlantic Records as
6858-496: 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
6985-655: 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
7112-542: 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
7239-585: 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
7366-780: The Dells and Billy Stewart . Curtis Mayfield not only scored many hits with his group, the Impressions , but wrote many hit songs for Chicago artists and produced hits on his own labels for the Fascinations , Major Lance , and the Five Stairsteps . Based primarily in the Philadelphia International record label, Philadelphia soul (or Philly Soul) had lush string and horn arrangements and doo-wop -inspired vocals. Thom Bell , and Kenneth Gamble & Leon Huff are considered
7493-684: The Grass Roots were famous blue-eyed soul musicians in the 1960s. The term continued to be used in the 1970s and 1980s, particularly by the British media to refer to a new generation of singers who adopted elements of the Stax and Motown sounds. To a lesser extent, the term has been applied to singers in other music genres that are influenced by soul music. Artists like Hall & Oates , David Bowie , Teena Marie , Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds , Frankie Valli , Christina Aguilera , Amy Winehouse and Adele are known as blue-eyed soul singers. Another term
7620-521: The Isley Brothers ( 3 + 3 ). Isaac Hayes 's 1969 recording of " Walk on By " is considered a "classic" of prog-soul, according to City Pages journalist Jay Boller. Later prog-soul music includes recordings by Prince , Peter Gabriel , Meshell Ndegeocello , Joi , Bilal , Dwele , Anthony David , Janelle Monáe , and the Soulquarians , an experimental black-music collective active during
7747-562: 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
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#17328551776197874-528: The Mar-Keys , trumpeter Wayne Jackson and saxophonist Andrew Love ). "Memphis soul" is a shimmering, sultry style of soul music produced in the 1960s and 1970s at Stax Records and Hi Records in Memphis, Tennessee . It featured melancholic and melodic horns, Hammond organ , bass, and drums, as heard in recordings by Hi's Al Green and Stax's Booker T. & the M.G.'s . The latter group also sometimes played in
8001-814: The Meters . More versatile groups such as War , the Commodores , and Earth, Wind and Fire became popular around this time. During the 1970s, some slick and commercial blue-eyed soul acts like Philadelphia's Hall & Oates and Oakland's Tower of Power achieved mainstream success, as did a new generation of street-corner harmony or "city-soul" groups such as the Delfonics and the historically black Howard University 's Unifics . The syndicated music/dance variety television series Soul Train , hosted by Chicago native Don Cornelius , debuted in 1971. The show provided an outlet for soul music for several decades, also spawning
8128-476: The Meters for New York–based Josie and then LA-based Reprise. Chicago soul generally had a light gospel-influenced sound, but the large number of record labels based in the city tended to produce a more diverse sound than other cities. Vee Jay Records , which lasted until 1966, produced recordings by Jerry Butler , Betty Everett , Dee Clark , and Gene Chandler . Chess Records , mainly a blues and rock and roll label, produced several major soul artists, including
8255-461: 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
8382-474: 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
8509-621: The U.S., United Kingdom, and elsewhere. Many prominent soul artists, including Ray Charles , Sam Cooke , Otis Redding , James Brown , Aretha Franklin , and various acts under the Motown label, such as The Supremes and The Temptations , were highly influential in the genre's development and all gained widespread popularity during this time. By 1968, the soul music genre had begun to splinter. Some soul artists moved to funk music, while other singers and groups developed slicker, more sophisticated, and in some cases more socially conscious varieties. By
8636-678: The U.S., including New York City, Detroit, Chicago, Memphis , New Orleans , Philadelphia , and Muscle Shoals, Alabama (the home of FAME Studios and Muscle Shoals Sound Studios ) became noted for different subgenres of the music and recording styles. By 1968, while at its peak of popularity, soul began to fragment into different subgenres. Artists such as James Brown and Sly and the Family Stone evolved into funk music, while other singers such as Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Curtis Mayfield and Al Green developed slicker, more sophisticated and in some cases more politically conscious varieties of
8763-537: The UK. American soul was extremely popular among some youth sub-cultures like the mod , Northern soul and modern soul movements, but a clear genre of British soul did not emerge until the 1980s when several artists including George Michael , Sade , Simply Red , Lisa Stansfield and Soul II Soul enjoyed commercial success. The popularity of British soul artists in the U.S., most notably Amy Winehouse , Adele , Estelle , Duffy , Joss Stone and Leona Lewis , led to talk of
8890-583: 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
9017-663: The Vandellas , and the Jackson Five . Hits were made using a quasi-industrial " production-line " approach. The producers and songwriters brought artistic sensitivity to the three-minute tunes. Brian Holland , Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland were rarely out of the charts for their work as songwriters and record producers for the Supremes , the Four Tops and Martha and the Vandellas . They allowed important elements to shine through
9144-439: 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,
9271-401: 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
9398-526: 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
9525-421: 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
9652-463: 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,
9779-495: 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
9906-417: 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
10033-488: The day. They tended to have smaller ensembles marked by expressive gospel-tinged vocals. Brass and saxophones were also used extensively. Stax Records , founded by siblings Estelle and James Stewart, was the second most successful record label behind Motown Records . They were responsible for releasing hits by Otis Redding , Wilson Pickett , the Staple Singers , and many more. Ahmet Ertegun, who had anticipated being
10160-461: The dense musical texture. The rhythm was emphasized by handclaps or tambourine . Smokey Robinson was another writer and record producer who added lyrics to " The Tracks of My Tears " by his group the Miracles , which was one of the most important songs of the decade. Stax Records and Atlantic Records were independent labels that produced high-quality dance records featuring many well-known singers of
10287-674: The development of neo-soul around 1994. Berry Gordy 's successful Tamla/Motown group of labels was notable for being African-American owned, unlike most of the earlier independent R&B labels. Notable artists under this label were Gladys Knight & the Pips , the Supremes , the Temptations , the Miracles , the Four Tops , the Marvelettes , Mary Wells , Jr. Walker & the All-Stars , Stevie Wonder , Marvin Gaye , Tammi Terrell , Martha and
10414-751: 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 ,
10541-439: The early 1970s, soul music had begun to absorb influences from psychedelic rock and progressive rock , among other genres, leading to the creation of psychedelic soul and progressive soul . Prominent soul artists of this era include Marvin Gaye , Stevie Wonder , Curtis Mayfield , Isaac Hayes , Al Green , and Bill Withers . Neo soul , which adopted hip hop influences, emerged around 1994. Other subgenres of soul include
10668-499: The evolution of soul music, although their recordings were considered more in a pop music vein than those of Redding, Franklin and Carr. Although stylistically different from classic soul music, recordings by Chicago -based artists are often considered part of the genre. By the early 1970s, soul music had been influenced by psychedelic rock and other genres. Artists like James Brown led soul towards funk music, which became typified by 1970s bands like Parliament-Funkadelic and
10795-408: 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
10922-513: The first brown-eyed soul artists to bring traditional Latin music and rock and roll influences into the genre. Latino groups on the East and West Coast also drew from the funk -influenced Philadelphia soul, or "Philly" soul . The West Coast Latin rock scene continued to influence brown-eyed soul artists as well. Inspired by Valens, 1960s and 1970s bands such as Cannibal & the Headhunters (" Land of
11049-561: 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
11176-688: The founders of Philadelphia soul, which produced hits for Patti LaBelle , the O'Jays , the Intruders , the Three Degrees , the Delfonics , the Stylistics , Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes , and the Spinners . By the 1970s, African-American popular musicians had drawn from the conceptual album-oriented approach of the then-burgeoning progressive rock development. This progressive-soul development inspired
11303-472: The genre. However, soul music continued to evolve, informing most subsequent forms of R&B from the 1970s-onward, with pockets of musicians continuing to perform in traditional soul style. Mitchell's Hi Records continued in the Stax tradition of the previous decade, releasing a string of hits by Green, Ann Peebles , Otis Clay , O.V. Wright and Syl Johnson . Bobby Womack , who recorded with Chips Moman in
11430-423: The harder-edged Southern soul style. The Hi Records house band ( Hi Rhythm Section ) and producer Willie Mitchell developed a surging soul style heard in the label's 1970s hit recordings. Some Stax recordings fit into this style but had their own unique sound. The New Orleans soul scene directly came out of the rhythm and blues era, when such artists as Little Richard , Fats Domino , and Huey Piano Smith made
11557-416: The hybridization of their respective religious and secular styles – in both lyrical content and instrumentation – that began in the 1950s. The term "soul" had been used among African-American musicians to emphasize the feeling of being an African-American in the United States. According to musicologist Barry Hansen , Though this hybrid produced a clutch of hits in the R&B market in the early 1950s, only
11684-419: The influence of psychedelic soul continued on and remained prevalent through the 1970s. In the early 1960s, small soul scenes began popping up around the UK. Liverpool in particular had an established black community from which artists such as Chants and Steve Aldo emerged and go on to record within the British music industry. As a result, many recordings were commercially released by British soul acts during
11811-540: The key record label . Burke's early 1960s songs, including " Cry to Me ", " Just Out of Reach " and "Down in the Valley" are considered classics of the genre. Guralnick wrote: Soul started, in a sense, with the 1961 success of Solomon Burke's "Just Out Of Reach". Ray Charles, of course, had already enjoyed enormous success (also on Atlantic), as had James Brown and Sam Cooke — primarily in a pop vein. Each of these singers, though, could be looked upon as an isolated phenomenon; it
11938-549: The late 1960s, continued to produce soul recordings in the 1970s and 1980s. In Detroit , producer Don Davis worked with Stax artists such as Johnnie Taylor and the Dramatics . Early 1970s recordings by the Detroit Emeralds , such as Do Me Right , are a link between soul and the later disco style. Motown Records artists such as Marvin Gaye , Michael Jackson , Stevie Wonder and Smokey Robinson contributed to
12065-766: 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 ,
12192-418: The late 1990s and early 2000s. Psychedelic soul, sometimes known as "black rock", was a blend of psychedelic rock and soul music in the late 1960s, which paved the way for the mainstream emergence of funk music a few years later. Early pioneers of this subgenre of soul music include Jimi Hendrix , Sly and the Family Stone , Norman Whitfield , and Isaac Hayes . While psychedelic rock began its decline,
12319-424: 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
12446-540: The most adventurous white fans felt its impact at the time; the rest had to wait for the coming of soul music in the 1960s to feel the rush of rock and roll sung gospel-style. According to AllMusic, "Soul music was the result of the urbanization and commercialization of rhythm and blues in the '60s." The phrase "soul music" itself, referring to gospel-style music with secular lyrics, was first attested in 1961. The term "soul" in African-American parlance has connotations of African-American pride and culture. Gospel groups in
12573-433: The most successful acts in this era include Smokey Robinson, Jeffry Osbourne, Peabo Bryson , Chaka Khan , and Larry Graham . After the decline of disco and funk in the early 1980s, soul music became influenced by electro music . It became less raw and more slickly produced, resulting in a style is known as contemporary R&B , which sounded very different from the original rhythm and blues style. The United States saw
12700-665: 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
12827-505: 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",
12954-647: The pop charts in the U.S. Otis Redding was a huge success at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967. The genre also became highly popular in the UK, where many leading acts toured in the late 1960s. "Soul" became an umbrella term for an increasingly wide variety of R&B-based music styles – from the dance and pop-oriented acts at Motown Records in Detroit , such as the Temptations , Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder , to " deep soul " performers such as Percy Sledge and James Carr . Different regions and cities within
13081-420: 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
13208-488: 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
13335-514: 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
13462-495: 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
13589-399: The show beginning in the 1980s. As disco and funk musicians had hits in the late 1970s and early 1980s, soul went in the direction of quiet storm . With its relaxed tempos and soft melodies, quiet storm soul took influences from fusion and adult contemporary . Some funk bands, such as EW&F, the Commodores and Con Funk Shun would have a few quiet storm tracks on their albums. Among
13716-408: 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
13843-461: 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"
13970-544: 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
14097-471: 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,
14224-484: 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
14351-427: 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
14478-624: 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
14605-463: 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
14732-400: 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
14859-402: 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
14986-422: 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
15113-532: 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
15240-419: 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
15367-447: Was later revitalized by her recordings for Atlantic. Her 1967 recordings, such as " I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You) ", " Respect " (written and originally recorded by Otis Redding), and " Do Right Woman, Do Right Man " (written by Chips Moman and Dan Penn ), were significant and commercially successful recordings. Soul music dominated the U.S. African-American music charts in the 1960s, and many recordings crossed over into
15494-519: 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
15621-557: Was only with the coming together of Burke and Atlantic Records that you could begin to see anything even resembling a movement. Ben E. King also achieved success in 1961 with " Stand By Me ", a song directly based on a gospel hymn. By the mid-1960s, the initial successes of Burke, King, and others had been surpassed by new soul singers, including Stax artists such as Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett , who mainly recorded in Memphis, Tennessee , and Muscle Shoals, Alabama . According to Jon Landau : Between 1962 and 1964 Redding recorded
15748-580: 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 ,
15875-523: 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
16002-459: 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
16129-411: 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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