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Musical Genres - Rhythm and Blues

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Musical Genres - Rhythm and Blues Musical Genres - Rhythm and Blues Rhythm and Blues music (abbreviated to RnB) started in the 1940’s in the United States of America. RnB evolved from Blues music but had a faster tempo and a heavier beat. A typical RnB song used guitar, piano, bass, saxophone, drums, vocalist and bvox singers (backing vocalists). RnB lyrics often were about the American experience and the triumphs and failures in terms of relationships and aspirations. RnB started in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Memphis and Detroit and was influenced by the civil rights movement. African Americans migrated to the bigger cities for employment purposes and began to be influential in the production of popular music. RnB music is influenced by Gospel and Swing music which were very popular at the time. It is also derived from Electric Blues which was a more ‘pop’ version of the traditional Blues. The rhythm part of Rhythm and Blues comes from the 4 beat bar found in most RnB songs and the emphasis on beat 2 and 4. The blues comes from the melody line and the lyrics which were normally sad. Lyrics became more diverse as the genre became more popular. RnB originated as an alternative to Blues as people wanted a genre that was good to dance to and good to listen to on the radio or jukeboxes. This is why RnB has a heavier beat and more electric instruments than Blues. RnB directly led to the popularity of Rock n Roll Music in America and Elvis Presley became probably the most famous Rock n Roll singer of all time. One of his most famous tracks was called ‘Blue Suede Shoes and was released in 1956. In 1960’s America RnB music began to take on more of a soul influence. Soul music featured large ensembles of instruments such as bass, piano, keyboard, guitar, trumpet, saxophone, trombone and backing singers. The vocal delivery of the song was emotional and used driving rhythm and drums emphasising beats 2 and 4. The bass lines were based on repeated patterns (riffs) and repeated chordal parts on the piano and guitar. Call and response was common between the main singer and the backing singers and usually the songs had a simple structure of verse/chorus form. The tempo was usually around 120bpm. One of Stevie Wonder’s most famous hits is called ‘My Cherie Amour’ released in 1969. British RnB music developed in the 1960’s and started because of its popularity in America. British artists wanted to mirror the success of RnB artists in the USA. British RnB music tended to be ‘grittier’ than the genre in America and used heavier guitar riffs and less effects. The genre originated in the clubs in London where the live music scene was growing popular. One of the most famous bands that performed in London in the 1960’s was The Rolling Stones. The Beatles started out in Liverpool and by the mid 1960’s were very successful and had sold out tours all over the world. These two British bands started out writing and performing RnB tracks but later The Rolling Stones progressed into Rock music with a much more energetic and amplified sound. In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s hip hop music saw a rise a popularity both in America and the UK. It became more difficult for RnB artists to succeed and have their music heard. Some RnB artists decided to take more of a Hip Hop sound in their records and some even asked hip hop artists to collaborate with them. In the 2000’s RnB saw a resurgence in popularity and newer artists such as Usher, TLC, Beyonce, Alicia Keyes and Mary J Blige enjoyed success. In 2004 80% of the songs in the RnB chart also featured in the Billboard Top 100. RnB of this time was more refined and computerised with a smoother sound and less instruments. The subject content of the lyrics has not really changed, however, with RnB songs still being predominantly about the aspirations and failures of relationships. Hip Hop artists still collaborated on RnB records in the 00’s for example Jay Z performed with Alicia Keyes on the single ‘Empire State of Mind’. .
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