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 African-American communities 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. From 1960s to 70s, some British groups were referred to and promoted as being R&B bands. 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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Voodoo is the second studio album by American R&B and neo soul musician D'Angelo, released January 25, 2000 on the Virgin Records-imprint label Cheeba Sound in the United States. Recording sessions for the album took place at Electric Lady Studios in New York City during 1998 to 1999, with an extensive line-up of soul, funk, jazz, and hip hop musicians associated with the Soulquarians musical collective, including Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, Pino Palladino, James Poyser, and Russell Elevado. Voodoo contains an experimental, groove-based funk sound with live instrumentation and a vintage production style, which contrasts the conventional structure of D'Angelo's debut album Brown Sugar (1995). It also exhibits a maturity in his songwriting with personal themes of spirituality, sexuality, love, growth, and fatherhood.

Following heavy promotion and an anticipated release, Voodoo was met with a considerable amount of commercial and critical success. The album became a chart success within weeks after release with the help of its hit third single, "Untitled (How Does It Feel)", and its controversial music video. Despite some criticism for its loose, experimental structure, the album received mostly positive reviews from writers and music critics that praised its diverse musical style and vintage influences, and it was also voted at or near the top of many publications' "best album" lists. It has been recognized as a creative milestone of the neo soul genre and has been considered by music writers as a masterpiece. In spite of its chart success and critical praise, the album did not parallel the sales and single-oriented success of his debut album.

Along with its critical and commercial legacy, Voodoo has been noted for serving as D'Angelo's last studio album prior to his period of legal controversies and absence from the music scene after the end of the album's international supporting tour in late 2000. While successful early on, the tour eventually became marked by internal issues. On March 1, 2000, Voodoo was certified platinum in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), following sales in excess of over one million copies. In 2003, the album was ranked number 488 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

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Brown in 1955

Ruth Alston Brown (née Weston; January 12, 1928 – November 17, 2006) was an American singer-songwriter and actress, sometimes referred to as the "Queen of R&B". She was noted for bringing a pop music style to R&B music in a series of hit songs for Atlantic Records in the 1950s, such as "So Long", "Teardrops from My Eyes" and "(Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean". For these contributions, Atlantic became known as "the house that Ruth built" (alluding to the popular nickname for the old Yankee Stadium). Brown was a 1993 inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Following a resurgence that began in the mid-1970s and peaked in the 1980s, Brown used her influence to press for musicians' rights regarding royalties and contracts; these efforts led to the founding of the Rhythm and Blues Foundation. Her performances in the Broadway musical Black and Blue earned Brown a Tony Award, and the original cast recording won a Grammy Award. Brown was a recipient of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016. In 2017, Brown was inducted into National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame. In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked Brown at number 146 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time. (Full article...)

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

Image 1Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings at Middelburg in 2009 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 2Georgie Fame, leader of one of the most widely influenced R&B groups, in 1968 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 3The Jam in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1982 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 4Alexis Korner in Hamburg in 1972 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 5Alternative R&B artist Frank Ocean performing at the Coachella Festival in 2012 (from Alternative R&B)
Image 6Michael Jackson holds the record for the best-selling new jack swing album with his 1991 release, Dangerous. (from New jack swing)
Image 7Kathy 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 8Muddy Waters, a major influence on the movement, pictured in 1971 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 9Lead 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 10Chris 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 11John Lee Hooker, whose visit to England was the anticipated R&B event of 1964, shown in 1978 (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 13The Moonglows, 1956 (from Doo-wop)
Image 14Led Zeppelin performing at Chicago Stadium in January 1975
Image 15Alicia 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 16Herman Santiago, original lead singer of the Teenagers (from Doo-wop)
Image 17The Animals in 1964 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 18Beyoncé was named by Billboard the most successful female act of the 2000s. (from Contemporary R&B)
Image 19Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac onstage in 1970 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 20The Ramones in Toronto (1976) (from Doo-wop)
Image 21The original line up of the Kinks, 1965 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 22The Jimi Hendrix Experience performing on Dutch television in 1967 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 23Usher 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)
Image 24The instruments of the skiffle group the Quarrymen, who would become the Beatles (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 25Janet Jackson's Control, released in 1986, was one of the most critically acclaimed albums of the 1980s. (from New jack swing)