R&B is Rhythm and Blues (English: Rhythm and Blues, abbreviated as: R&B or RnB, translated as "Rhythm and Blues" in mainland China, and "Rhythm and Blues" in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore and Malaysia), which is an American African music. American artists were the first to adopt and fuse the musical forms of jazz, gospel and blues. This musical term was coined by Billboard in the late 1940s.
Rhythm and blues was originally coined as a music marketing term by Jerry Wexler of Billboard magazine in the United States in 1947 [1], replacing race music (English: Race Music, also translated as black music; originally (originating from the black community, but considered offensive by postwar society) and Billboard classified it as a Harlem best-seller in 1949.
The term was originally used to define rock music that included a 12-bar blues format and an electric blues fusion jazz with a rhythmic background, which later transformed into a basic element of rock music.
Extended information
1. Development in the last century
In 1956, a "Top Star of 56" blues music tour was launched in North America. Many popular R&B musicians participated, such as Chuck Berry, Cathy Carr, Shirley & Lee, Della Reese, the Cleftones, etc.
This tour covered a wide range of cities, including Columbia, New York, Annapolis, Pittsburgh, and Buffalo. The band later came to Canada to perform. Finally it crossed the Midwest of the United States and ended in Texas. This tour greatly increased the influence and visibility of blues music.
During this period, the most famous R&B musician who entered the public eye was Elvis Presley, who we often call Elvis Presley. In 1957, his two R&B albums achieved top 5 sales, with "Jailhouse Rock"/"Treat Me Nice" ranking first and "All Shook Up" ranking fifth. This was considered an unprecedented achievement by a black artist.
Another jazz pianist and singer, Nat King Cole, has also made great achievements in R&B music. His works "Mona Lisa", "Too Young", "Looking Back"/"Do I Like It" also achieved top 5 results.
2. Modern Rhythm and Blues
The term R&B is today defined as African-American pop music. It originated in the 1980s, the follow-up to disco music, and blended soul music, black music Soul, funk, pop and hip-hop (after 1986), that is, contemporary rhythm and blues.
The compilation characteristics of modern R&B include the style of electronic recording and production, analog drum machine rhythm, and a softer, fuller and richer singing voice. Although it is mostly different from the more exciting and emotional music genre of black spirituals, the two actually have indispensable overlapping elements, especially in hip-hop music such as new jack swing, hip-hop soul, and neo-soul. This can be seen in the categories.
Baidu Encyclopedia-Rhythm and Blues