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...)
Selected article
What's Going On is a studio album by soul musician Marvin Gaye, released May 21, 1971 on the Motown-subsidiary label Tamla Records.[2] Recording sessions for the album took place in June of 1970 and March–May of 1971 at Hitsville U.S.A., Golden World and United Sound Studios in Detroit and at The Sound Factory in West Hollywood, California. The first Marvin Gaye album for it to be credited as produced solely by the artist himself, What's Going On is a unified album consisting of nine songs, most of which lead into the next. It has also been categorized as a song cycle, since the album ends on a reprise to the album's opening theme. The album is told from the point of view of a Vietnam War veteran returning to the country he had been fighting for, and seeing nothing but injustice, suffering and hatred.
What's Going On was the first album on which Motown Records' main studio band, The Funk Brothers, received an official credit. Featuring introspective lyrics about drug abuse, poverty and the Vietnam War, the album was also the first to reflect the beginning of a new trend in soul music. What's Going On was an both an immediate commercial and critical success and has endured as a classic of early-1970s soul. In worldwide critics/artists and public surveys, it has been voted as one of the landmark recordings in pop music history and is considered to be one of the greatest albums ever made.[3]
In March 1970, Marvin Gaye had fallen into a deep depression after the death of his singing partner Tammi Terrell. He refused to record and perform, and went as far as to attempt a career in football with the Detroit Lions. After an unsuccessful Lions tryout, Gaye came in contact with Al Cleveland and the Four Tops' Renaldo Benson, who were working on a politically conscious song called "What's Going On". Gaye helped Cleveland and Benson complete the composition, and planned to produce it as a recording for Motown act The Originals. Cleveland and Benson persuaded Gaye to record the song himself, and in June 1970 Gaye recorded "What's Going On" and his own composition, "God Is Love".
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WikiProjects
Selected biography -
Francella Ruby Turner MBE (born 22 June 1958) is a British Jamaican R&B and soul singer, songwriter, and actress.
In a music career spanning more than 40 years, Turner is best known for her album and single releases in Europe and North America. She is also known for her work as a session backing vocalist, with artists including Bryan Ferry, UB40, Steel Pulse, Steve Winwood, Jools Holland, and Mick Jagger. She has also written songs that have been covered by musicians including Lulu, Yazz and Maxi Priest. (Full article...)
General images -
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Alicia 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) -
Chris 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) -
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The Jam in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1982 (from British rhythm and blues) -
Usher 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) -
The Cleftones during their participation in the doo-wop festival celebrated in May 2010 at the Benedum Center. (from Doo-wop) -
Janet Jackson's Control, released in 1986, was one of the most critically acclaimed albums of the 1980s. (from New jack swing) -
The Animals in 1964 (from British rhythm and blues) -
Lead 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) -
Herman Santiago, original lead singer of the Teenagers (from Doo-wop) -
The Jimi Hendrix Experience performing on Dutch television in 1967 (from British rhythm and blues) -
Georgie Fame, leader of one of the most widely influenced R&B groups, in 1968 (from British rhythm and blues) -
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Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings at Middelburg in 2009 (from British rhythm and blues) -
Alexis Korner in Hamburg in 1972 (from British rhythm and blues) -
The instruments of the skiffle group the Quarrymen, who would become the Beatles (from British rhythm and blues) -
The Ramones in Toronto (1976) (from Doo-wop) -
Kathy 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) -
The original line up of the Kinks, 1965 (from British rhythm and blues) -
John Lee Hooker, whose visit to England was the anticipated R&B event of 1964, shown in 1978 (from British rhythm and blues) -
Alternative R&B artist Frank Ocean performing at the Coachella Festival in 2012 (from Alternative R&B) -
The Moonglows, 1956 (from Doo-wop) -
Led Zeppelin performing at Chicago Stadium in January 1975 -
Muddy Waters, a major influence on the movement, pictured in 1971 (from British rhythm and blues)
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Sources
- ^ "Ruth Brown, the Queen of R&B, was born 93 years ago today". Frank Beacham's Journal. Archived from the original on January 24, 2021. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
- ^ Discogs.com - What's Going On (US LP). Discogs. Retrieved on 2008-08-17.
- ^ Acclaimed Music - What's Going On. Acclaimedmusic.net. Retrieved on 2008-08-23.
