Portal:Rhythm and blues

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Wikipedia's Rhythm and Blues Portal

Introduction

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" 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 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 was used as a blanket term for soul and funk. (Full article...)

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Selected article

Winter in America is a studio album by American soul musician and poet Gil Scott-Heron and musician Brian Jackson, released in May 1974 on Strata-East Records. Recording sessions for the album took place on three recording dates in September and October 1973 at D&B Sound Studio in Silver Spring, Maryland. The album serves as the third collaborational effort by Scott-Heron with Jackson, following the latter's contributions on Pieces of a Man (1971) and Free Will (1972). As their first record produced together, it was also the first of their recorded work to have Jackson receive co-billing for a release. Winter in America features introspective, socially-conscious lyrics by Scott-Heron with mellow instrumentation stylistically rooted in jazz and the blues. Jackson's free jazz arrangements accompany the fusion, which Scott-Heron dubbed as "bluesology". The album contains proto-rap elements such as spoken word-vocalization and stripped-down production, which allowed them to rely on traditional African and R&B sounds.

Winter in America serves as Gil Scott-Heron's and Brian Jackson's debut album for Strata-East Records following a dispute with their former label and departure, while also serving as the two musicians' only release for the independent jazz label. Upon its release, the album featured limited distribution in the United States and eventually became a rarity for record collectors prior to its subsequent U.S. re-release. However, with the help of its only single "The Bottle", Winter in America proved to be Scott-Heron's and Jackson's breakthrough effort, as well as a commercial success in comparison to their previous work.

The album proved to be Gil Scott-Heron's and Brian Jackson's most critically acclaimed release and has often been viewed by many music writers and critics as their greatest work. In addition to earning such critical acclaim, Winter in America has also been noted by several critics for its influence on such music genres as neo soul and hip hop music, as the genre's artists have been influenced by Scott-Heron's and Jackson's unique approach regarding lyricism and sound. On March 10, 1998, Winter in America was reissued on compact disc for the first time in the United States by Gil Scott-Heron's Rumal-Gia Records.

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Babyface in 2013

Kenneth Brian Edmonds (born April 10, 1958), better known by his stage name Babyface, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He has written and produced over 26 number-one R&B hits throughout his career and has won 13 Grammy Awards. He was ranked number 20 on NME's 50 of The Greatest Producers Ever list. (Full article...)

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The following are images from various rhythm and blues-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Led Zeppelin performing at Chicago Stadium in January 1975
Image 2The Moonglows, 1956 (from Doo-wop)
Image 3Alternative R&B artist Frank Ocean performing at the Coachella Festival in 2012 (from Alternative R&B)
Image 4Georgie Fame, leader of one of the most widely influenced R&B groups, in 1968 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 5Alicia Keys ranked fifth on Billboard Artist of the Decade list. "No One" ranks No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs of the decade. (from Contemporary R&B)
Image 6The original line up of the Kinks, 1965 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 7The Ramones in Toronto (1976) (from Doo-wop)
Image 8Muddy Waters, a major influence on the movement, pictured in 1971 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 9The Jimi Hendrix Experience performing on Dutch television in 1967 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 10Kathy Young with the Earth Angels performing Kathy's hit "A Thousand Stars" during the festival of this genre celebrated at the Benedum Center for the Performing Arts in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in May 2010 (from Doo-wop)
Image 11Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac onstage in 1970 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 12The Cleftones during their participation in the doo-wop festival celebrated in May 2010 at the Benedum Center. (from Doo-wop)
Image 13Alexis Korner in Hamburg in 1972 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 14The Jam in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1982 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 15The Animals in 1964 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 16Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings at Middelburg in 2009 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 17Chris Barber, one of the major figures in the early popularisation of the blues in Britain, playing at the Musikhalle, Hamburg, 1972 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 18Herman Santiago, original lead singer of the Teenagers (from Doo-wop)
Image 19Beyoncé was named by Billboard the most successful female act of the 2000s. (from Contemporary R&B)
Image 20The instruments of the skiffle group the Quarrymen, who would become the Beatles (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 21John Lee Hooker, whose visit to England was the anticipated R&B event of 1964, shown in 1978 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 22Lead Belly's recordings would be a major part of British R&B repertoires, although he never performed in the UK (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 23Janet Jackson's Control, released in 1986, was one of the most critically acclaimed albums of the 1980s. (from New jack swing)
Image 24Usher was cited by Billboard as the no. 1 Hot 100 artist of the 2000s decade, with 7 number-one singles that accumulated 42 weeks at the top. (from Contemporary R&B)