Rhythm and blues | Definition, History, Artists, Songs, & Facts

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class="font-serif font-weight-bold text-black link-blue" href="https://www.britannica.com/art/rhythm-and-blues">rhythm and blues</a> </div> <button aria-label="Close" class="js-sections-close-button btn-link btn-sm btn d-lg-none position-absolute top-0 p-10 right-0" > <em class="material-icons font-26" data-icon="close"></em> </button> </div> <div class="section-content pl-10 pr-20 pl-sm-50 pr-sm-60 pl-lg-5 pr-lg-10 pt-10 pt-lg-0 bg-gray-50 clear-catfish-ad"> <div class="toc mb-20"> <div class="font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-15 mb-15 mt-20"> Table of Contents </div> <span class="toc-extra-link selected link-gray-900 mt-15"> Introduction </span> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="https://www.britannica.com/art/rhythm-and-blues/additional-info">References & Edit History</a> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="/facts/rhythm-and-blues">Quick Facts & Related Topics</a> </div> <div class="tlr-media-slider pb-10 mb-30"> <a class="section-header link-gray-900 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Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). </div> <div class="type-menu"> <label for="feedback-type" class="label mb-10">Feedback Type</label> <select id="feedback-type" class="form-select mb-30" name="feedbackTypeId" required> <option value="" selected="selected">Select a type (Required)</option> <option value="1">Factual Correction</option> <option value="2">Spelling/Grammar Correction</option> <option value="3">Link Correction</option> <option value="4">Additional Information</option> <option value="5">Other</option> </select> </div> <label for="feedback" class="label mb-10">Your Feedback</label> <textarea id="feedback" class="form-control mb-30" name="feedback" maxlength="3000" rows="7" required></textarea> <button class="btn btn-blue" type="submit">Submit Feedback</button> </form> <div class="success-messaging d-none mt-30"> <div class="title">Thank you for your feedback</div> <p>Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="md-websites-modal size-lg d-none"> <div class="md-modal-body"> <div class="h2 font-serif pb-15 border-bottom font-weight-bold"> External Websites </div> <div class="pb-20"> <ul class="list-unstyled mt-20 lh-lg"> <li><a class="external" href="https://www.rhythmandbluesfoundation.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">Official Site of Rhythm and Blues Foundation</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/rhythm-and-blues-emc" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">The Canadian Encyclopedia - Rhythm and Blues</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://64parishes.org/entry/rhythm-and-blues-music" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">64 Parishes - Rhythm and Blues Music</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="md-websites-ebk-title">Britannica Websites</div> <div class="md-websites-ebk-subtitle">Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.</div> <ul class="list-unstyled bps-topic-web-sites lh-lg"> <li><a class="external" href="https://kids.britannica.com/students/article/rhythm-and-blues/606773" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rhythm and blues - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="toc-header-marker"></div> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 js-header-ai-ask-button d-none btn-sm btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 mr-0 mr-lg-10 ml-5 ml-sm-10 ml-lg-0 p-10"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> <div class="caption alternate-titles">Also known as: R & B</div> <div class="md-byline module-spacing "> <div class="font-serif font-12"> <span class="written-by text-gray-700"> Written by </span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor" href="/contributor/Ed-Ward/4375" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">Ed Ward</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 clamp-description text-black">(d. 2021)Rock critic and historian who wrote for <em>Rolling Stone</em>, <em>Cream</em>, and <em>Crawdaddy</em> magazines. Author of <em>The History of Rock & Roll, Volume...</em></div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> Ed Ward</span></div> <div class="font-serif font-12 text-gray-700"> <span class="qa-fact-checked-by">Fact-checked by</span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 font-12" href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 text-black">Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link font-12 "> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12 font-serif"> <span class="text-gray-700"> Last Updated: <time datetime="2024-11-15T00:00:00CST" >Nov 15, 2024</time> •</span> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://www.britannica.com/art/rhythm-and-blues/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button d-none d-sm-block js-sections-inline-button module-spacing btn d-lg-none"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="d-flex d-sm-none flex-row"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button js-sections-inline-button module-spacing"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 ai-ask-button btn border-2 module-spacing btn-sm js-inline-ai-ask-button btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 p-10 ml-5"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> </div> <div class="js-qf-module qf-module px-40 px-sm-20 py-15 mx-auto module-spacing font-14 bg-gray-50 rounded"> <div class="facts-list mt-10"> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Also called: </dt> <dd>rhythm & blues or R&B</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Key People: </dt> <dd><a href="/biography/SZA" topicid="2228721">SZA</a></dd> <dd><a href="/biography/H-E-R" topicid="2227456">H.E.R.</a></dd> <dd><a href="/biography/Michael-McDonald" topicid="1444894">Michael McDonald</a></dd> <dd><a href="/biography/Jessica-Mauboy" topicid="2093975">Jessica Mauboy</a></dd> <dd><a href="/biography/Janelle-Monae" topicid="2205162">Janelle Monáe</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Related Topics: </dt> <dd><a href="/art/blues-music" topicid="70493">blues</a></dd> <dd><a href="/art/doo-wop-music" topicid="169221">doo-wop</a></dd> <dd><a href="/art/jump-blues" topicid="308077">jump blues</a></dd> <dd><a href="/art/race-music" topicid="488041">race</a></dd> <dd><a href="/art/new-jack-swing" topicid="411670">new jack swing</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> <div class="text-center"> <a class="btn btn-sm btn-link p-0" href="/facts/rhythm-and-blues"> See all related content </a> </div> </div> </div> </div><div class="bg-gray-50 p-15 rounded module-spacing recent-news d-flex flex-column float-false"> <div> <h2 class="font-weight-bold font-14 m-0 d-inline"> News <span class="text-gray-600">•</span> </h2> <div class="recent-news-item first-recent-news-item d-inline"> <a class="font-14 gtm-ap-news-link" href="https://ca.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/snoop-dogg-dr-dre-jhene-gorgeous-rb-hip-hop-airplay-chart-1235828307/" rel="nofollow">Snoop Dogg & Dr. Dre Return to R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay Chart for First Time in 13 Years</a> <span class="font-14 text-gray-600"> <span>•</span> Nov. 14, 2024, 3:56 AM ET (Billboard) </span> </div> </div> <div class="rest-of-recent-news-items"> <button class="js-toggle-recent-news d-flex btn btn-unstyled font-14 pr-10 rounded-sm mt-10" aria-label="Toggle additional news items"> Show less <em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_less"></em> </button> </div> </div><span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><span id="ref666820"></span>rhythm and blues</strong>, term used for several types of postwar African-American popular <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/music" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">music</a>, as well as for some white <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/rock-music" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">rock</a> music <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="derived" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/derived" data-type="EB">derived</a> from it. The term was coined by <span id="ref666827"></span>Jerry Wexler in 1947, when he was editing the charts at the trade journal <em><span id="ref666824"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Billboard-American-magazine" class="md-crosslink ">Billboard</a></em> and found that the record companies issuing Black <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/popular-music" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">popular music</a> considered the chart names then in use (Harlem Hit Parade, Sepia, <span id="ref666822"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/race-music" class="md-crosslink ">Race</a>) to be demeaning. The magazine changed the chart’s name in its June 17, 1949, issue, having used the term <em>rhythm and blues</em> in news articles for the previous two years. Although the records that appeared on <em>Billboard</em>’s rhythm-and-blues chart thereafter were in a variety of different styles, the term was used to <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="encompass" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/encompass" data-type="MW">encompass</a> a number of contemporary forms that emerged at that time.</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Perhaps the most commonly understood meaning of the term is as a description of the sophisticated <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/urban-contemporary-music" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">urban music</a> that had been developing since the 1930s, when <span id="ref987181"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Louis-Jordan" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Louis Jordan</a>’s small combo started making blues-based records with humorous lyrics and upbeat rhythms that owed as much to <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/boogie-woogie" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">boogie-woogie</a> as to classic <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/blues-music" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">blues</a> forms. This music, sometimes called <span id="ref666823"></span>jump blues, set a pattern that became the dominant Black popular music form during and for some time after <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/World-War-II" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">World War II</a>. Among its leading practitioners were Jordan, <span id="ref1286801"></span>Amos Milburn, Roy Milton, <span id="ref1286802"></span>Jimmy Liggins, Joe Liggins, <span id="ref1286800"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Floyd-Dixon" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Floyd Dixon</a>, <span id="ref1286799"></span>Wynonie Harris, <span id="ref987182"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Big-Joe-Turner" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Big Joe Turner</a>, and <span id="ref987183"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-Brown" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Charles Brown</a>. While many of the numbers in these performers’ <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="repertoires" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/repertoires" data-type="MW">repertoires</a> were in the classic 12-bar A-A-B blues form, others were straight pop songs, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/instrumentals" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">instrumentals</a> that were close to light <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/jazz" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">jazz</a>, or pseudo-Latin <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="compositions" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/compositions" data-type="MW">compositions</a>.</p><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="19071" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/65/23165-050-CF609CD6/Charles-Brown.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/501938/19071"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/65/23165-050-CF609CD6/Charles-Brown.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/65/23165-050-CF609CD6/Charles-Brown.jpg?w=300" alt="Charles Brown" data-width="1292" data-height="1600" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/65/23165-050-CF609CD6/Charles-Brown.jpg" data-href="/media/1/501938/19071">Charles Brown</a><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">Within this <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="genre" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/genre" data-type="MW">genre</a> there were large-group and small-group rhythm and blues. The former was practiced by singers whose main experience was with big bands and who were usually hired employees of bandleaders such as <span id="ref1286804"></span>Lucky Millinder (for whose band Harris sang) or <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Count-Basie" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Count Basie</a> (whose vocalists included Turner and Jimmy Witherspoon). The small groups usually consisted of five to seven pieces and counted on individual musicians to take turns in the limelight. Thus, for instance, in <span id="ref666828"></span>Milton’s group, Milton played drums and sang, <span id="ref1286803"></span>Camille Howard played piano and sang, and the alto and <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="tenor" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/tenor" data-type="EB">tenor</a> saxophonists (Milton went through several of them) each would be featured at least once. Another hallmark of small-group rhythm and blues was the relegation of the guitar, if indeed there was one, to a time-keeping status, because guitar soloing was considered “country” and unsophisticated. The most extreme example of this was Brown, both in his early work with Johnny Moore’s Three Blazers and in his subsequent work as a bandleader; in both cases the band consisted of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/piano" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">piano</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/double-bass" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">bass</a>, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/guitar" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">guitar</a>, but solos almost totally were handled by Brown on the piano.</p><a class="link-module shadow-sm d-block qa-quiz-module" href="/quiz/sound-check-musical-vocabulary-quiz" data-link-module-iframe-link=""> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/30/254330-131-1B200240/young-girl-playing-trumpet.jpg" alt="Young girl wearing a demin jacket playing the trumpet (child, musical instruments, Asian ethnicity)" class="rounded-sm mr-15" width="70" /> <div class="line-clamp clamp-5"> <div class="module-title bg-green">Britannica Quiz</div> <div class="font-weight-semi-bold mt-5">Sound Check: Musical Vocabulary Quiz</div> </div> </a><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD4 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Early rhythm and blues was recorded largely in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/rock-Los-Angeles-1950s-overview-1371230" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Los Angeles</a> by small independent record labels such as Modern, RPM, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/money/Specialty-Records-Little-Richard-Lloyd-Price-and-a-Los-Angeles-Label-1688489" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Specialty</a>. The founding of <span id="ref666825"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/money/Atlantic-Records-1688327" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Atlantic Records</a> in 1947 by <span id="ref666826"></span>Ahmet Ertegun, a jazz fan and the son of a Turkish diplomat, and <span id="ref1286805"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Herb-Abramson" class="md-crosslink ">Herb Abramson</a>, a music industry professional, shifted the industry’s centre to <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/New-York-City" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">New York City</a>. In 1953 they brought in Wexler as a partner, and he and Ertegun were instrumental in moving rhythm and blues forward. Atlantic hired jazz musicians as studio players and, owing to its engineer, <span id="ref987184"></span>Tom Dowd, paid particular attention to the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/timbre" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">sound quality</a> of their recordings. It introduced some of the top female names in rhythm and blues—most notably <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ruth-Brown" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Ruth Brown</a> and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/LaVern-Baker" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">LaVern Baker</a>—and signed <span id="ref987185"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ray-Charles" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Ray Charles</a>, who had been imitating Charles Brown, and helped him find a new direction, which eventually would evolve into soul. Wexler and Ertegun worked closely with <span id="ref987186"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Clyde-McPhatter" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Clyde McPhatter</a> (both in and out of his group the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/the-Drifters" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Drifters</a>) and Chuck Willis, both of whom were important figures in early 1950s rhythm and blues. <a href="https://www.britannica.com/money/King-Records-in-the-Queen-City-1688401" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">King Records</a> in Cincinnati, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Ohio-state" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Ohio</a>, the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/money/Chess-Records-From-Muddy-to-Maybellene-1688337" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Chess</a> and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/money/Vee-Jay-Records-1688499" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Vee Jay</a> labels in Chicago, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Duke-and-Peacock-Records-1688347" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Duke/Peacock Records</a> in Houston, Texas, also played pivotal roles in the spread of rhythm and blues, as did <span id="ref987187"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/money/Sun-Records-Sam-Phillipss-Memphis-Recording-Service-1688494" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Sun Records</a> in Memphis, Tennessee—before Sam Phillips turned his attention to <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Elvis-Presley" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Elvis Presley</a> and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/rockabilly" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">rockabilly</a> music—and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/J-M-Studio-Making-Musical-Magic-in-New-Orleans-1688369" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">J&M Studio</a> in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/New-Orleans-Louisiana" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">New Orleans</a>, Louisiana, where a number of the most important records released on the Los Angeles-based labels were recorded.</p><span class="marker MOD4 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD5 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">By mid-decade rhythm and blues had come to mean Black popular music that was not overtly aimed at teenagers, since the music that was becoming known as <span id="ref666829"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/rock-and-roll-early-style-of-rock-music" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">rock and roll</a> sometimes featured lyrics that concerned first love and parent-child conflict, as well as a less subtle approach to rhythm. Many <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/doo-wop-music" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">doo-wop</a> vocal groups, therefore, were considered rock-and-roll acts, as were performers such as <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Little-Richard" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Little Richard</a> and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Hank-Ballard" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Hank Ballard</a> and the Midnighters. Because the distinction between rock and roll and rhythm and blues was not based on any hard-and-fast rules, most performers issued records that fit in both categories. Moreover, some vocalists who were later considered jazz performers—in particular, <span id="ref987188"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Dinah-Washington" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Dinah Washington</a>—also appeared on the rhythm-and-blues charts, and a steady stream of saxophone-led instrumentals firmly in the rhythm-and-blues tradition continued to be produced by performers such as Joe Houston, Chuck Higgins, and Sam (“The Man”) Taylor but were considered rock and roll and were often used as theme music by disc jockeys on <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/United-States-1371176" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">rock-and-roll radio</a>.</p><span class="marker MOD5 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD6 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The division based on the age of the intended audience for Black popular music also meant that, by the mid-1950s, much of the guitar-led electric blues music coming from <span id="ref666830"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/Chicago-blues" class="md-crosslink ">Chicago</a> and Memphis was now considered rhythm and blues, since it appealed to older buyers. Thus, although they had little to nothing in common with the earlier generation of band-backed blues shouters, performers such as <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Muddy-Waters" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Muddy Waters</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Howlin-Wolf" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Howlin’ Wolf</a>, and <span id="ref987189"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/B-B-King" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">B.B. King</a> (who, because he used a horn section when he could, was perhaps more like the older generation than the Chicago bluesmen) became regarded as rhythm-and-blues performers. One important figure in this <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="transition" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/transition" data-type="EB">transition</a> was <span id="ref666832"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ike-Turner" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Ike Turner</a>, a piano-player-turned-guitarist from Mississippi who worked as a talent scout for several labels and fronted a band called the Kings of Rhythm, which backed many of his discoveries on records. When Turner married the former Anna Mae Bullock and rechristened her <span id="ref666831"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Tina-Turner" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Tina Turner</a>, the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ike-Turner" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Ike and Tina Turner</a> Revue became a significant force in the modernization of rhythm and blues, dispensing with the horn section but including a trio of female backing singers who were modeled on Ray Charles’s Raelettes.</p><span class="marker MOD6 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD7 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="295765" data-asm-type="video"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="video" video-id="250945"><a data-id="250945" class="gtm-assembly-link d-flex justify-content-center" style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9" href="/video/sammy-davis-entertainer/-295765"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/45/250945-138-826DE4F1/sammy-davis-entertainer.jpg?w=800&h=450&c=crop" alt="What made Sammy Davis, Jr., the world's greatest entertainer?" loading="lazy"><script type="application/json"> { "sources": [ { "file" : "//content.jwplatform.com/manifests/w16zYVdx.m3u8" } ], "image": "https://cdn.britannica.com/45/250945-138-826DE4F1/sammy-davis-entertainer.jpg" ,"tracks": [ { "file" : "//assets-jpcust.jwpsrv.com/tracks/Oj0Q8ICG.vtt", "label": "English" } ] ,"adfile": "//content.jwplatform.com/manifests/4c3uQIIi.m3u8" } </script><div class="btn btn-xl btn-white btn-circle position-absolute shadow" style="top: 50%; transform: translateY(-50%)"><em class="material-icons" data-icon="play_arrow"></em></div></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><span class="md-assembly-title font-weight-bold mr-5 d-inline font-sans-serif md-video-caption" video-control="250945">What made Sammy Davis, Jr., the world's greatest entertainer?</span><span>Davis recorded more than 50 albums and starred in three Broadway shows.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div><a class="font-14 mt-10 d-inline-block" href="/art/rhythm-and-blues/images-videos">See all videos for this article</a></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">By 1960 rhythm and blues was, if not a spent force, at least aging with its audience. Performers such as Washington, Charles, and Ruth Brown were appearing more in nightclubs than in the multiperformer revues in which they had made their names. Although younger performers such as <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jackie-Wilson" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Jackie Wilson</a> and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sam-Cooke" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Sam Cooke</a> clearly owed a debt to the previous generation of rhythm-and-blues performers, they were more transitional figures who were, like Charles, establishing the new genre of soul. Significantly, in the August 23, 1969, issue of <em>Billboard</em>, the Black pop chart’s name was changed again, to soul. Although <em><span id="ref666833"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/soul-music" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">soul</a></em> then became the preferred term for Black popular music, in some quarters <em>rhythm and blues</em> continued to be used to refer to nearly every genre of post-World War II Black music.</p><div class="module-spacing"> <DIV class="marketing-INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION marketing-content" data-marketing-id="INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION"><style> .student-promo-banner-wrapper { container-type: inline-size; margin-bottom: 15px; } @container (min-width: 475px) { .student-promo-banner { flex-direction: row; } .student-promo-banner-img-wrapper { margin-bottom: 0; margin-right: 10px; justify-content: flex-start; } .student-promo-banner-text-wrapper { text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; } .student-promo-banner-button-wrapper { margin-right: 0; } }</style> <div class="student-promo-banner-wrapper"> <div class="student-promo-banner d-flex flex-column align-items-center bg-blue rounded p-20"> <div class="student-promo-banner-img-wrapper mb-20 mr-0 d-flex justify-content-center"> <img class="rounded" style="max-width: 100px; min-width: 80px" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/marketing/BlueThistle.webp" /> </div> <div class="student-promo-banner-text-wrapper ml-0 mb-10 text-center text-white"> <div class="h2 mb-10">Get Unlimited Access</div> <div class="h4 font-weight-semi-bold">Try Britannica Premium for free and discover more.</div> </div> <div class="student-promo-banner-button-wrapper d-flex justify-content-center align-items-center ml-auto mr-auto"> <a class="btn btn-m btn-orange" href="https://premium.britannica.com/premium-membership/?utm_source=premium&utm_medium=inline-cta&utm_campaign=black-friday-2024">Subscribe</a> </div> </div> </div> </DIV></div><div class="one-good-fact-module"> </div><span class="marker MOD7 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD8 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The term <em>rhythm and blues</em>, however, <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="attained" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/attained" data-type="EB">attained</a> a new meaning thanks to the British bands that followed in the wake of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/the-Beatles" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Beatles</a>. Most of these groups, notably the <span id="ref987190"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/the-Rolling-Stones" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Rolling Stones</a>, played a mixture of Chicago blues and Black rock and roll and described their music as rhythm and blues. Thus, the <span id="ref1311472"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/the-Who" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Who</a>, although a quintessential mod rock band, advertised their early performances as “Maximum R&B” to attract an audience. Although bands that followed this generation—<a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Mayall" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">John Mayall</a>’s Bluesbreakers and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Fleetwood-Mac" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Fleetwood Mac</a>, for example—called themselves blues bands, rhythm and blues remained the rubric for the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Animals" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Animals</a>, <span id="ref1311470"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Them-Irish-rock-group" class="md-crosslink ">Them</a>, <span id="ref1311471"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/the-Pretty-Things" class="md-crosslink ">the Pretty Things</a>, and others. Today a band that advertises itself as rhythm and blues is almost certainly following in this tradition rather than that of the early pioneers.</p><span class="marker MOD8 mod-inline"></span></section><span class="md-signature"><a href="/contributor/Ed-Ward/4375">Ed Ward</a></span><span class="marker end-of-content"></span><span class="marker after-article"></span></div> <div id="chatbot-root"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ai-dialog-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> <aside class="col-md-da-320"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article></div> </div></div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <script type="text/javascript" id="_informizely_script_tag"> var IzWidget = IzWidget || {}; (function (d) { var scriptElement = d.createElement('script'); scriptElement.type = 'text/javascript'; scriptElement.async = true; scriptElement.src = "https://insitez.blob.core.windows.net/site/f780f33e-a610-4ac2-af81-3eb184037547.js"; var node = d.getElementById('_informizely_script_tag'); node.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, node); } )(document); </script>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Topic","templateName":"DESKTOP","pageNumber":1,"pagesTotal":1,"pageId":501938,"pageLength":1295,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.130.14"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/dist/topic-page.js?v=3.130.14' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"D","adLeg":"D","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Topic","pageSubtype":null,"articleTemplateType":"LARGE","gisted":false,"pageNumber":1,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":false} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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Rhythm and blues | Definition, History, Artists, Songs, & Facts | Britannica