Portal:Rhythm and blues

Portal topics: Activities; Culture; Geography; Health; History; Mathematics; Nature; People; Philosophy; Religion; Society; Technology; Random portal

Wikipedia's Rhythm and Blues Portal

Introduction

Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is an African-American 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...)

Refresh with new selections below (purge)

edit

Selected article

Winter in America is a studio album by American soul musician and poet Gil Scott-Heron and musician Brian Jackson, released in May 1974 on Strata-East Records. Recording sessions for the album took place on three recording dates in September and October 1973 at D&B Sound Studio in Silver Spring, Maryland. The album serves as the third collaborational effort by Scott-Heron with Jackson, following the latter's contributions on Pieces of a Man (1971) and Free Will (1972). As their first record produced together, it was also the first of their recorded work to have Jackson receive co-billing for a release. Winter in America features introspective, socially-conscious lyrics by Scott-Heron with mellow instrumentation stylistically rooted in jazz and the blues. Jackson's free jazz arrangements accompany the fusion, which Scott-Heron dubbed as "bluesology". The album contains proto-rap elements such as spoken word-vocalization and stripped-down production, which allowed them to rely on traditional African and R&B sounds.

Winter in America serves as Gil Scott-Heron's and Brian Jackson's debut album for Strata-East Records following a dispute with their former label and departure, while also serving as the two musicians' only release for the independent jazz label. Upon its release, the album featured limited distribution in the United States and eventually became a rarity for record collectors prior to its subsequent U.S. re-release. However, with the help of the its only single "The Bottle", Winter in America proved to be Scott-Heron's and Jackson's breakthrough effort, as well as a commercial success in comparison to their previous work.

The album proved to be Gil Scott-Heron's and Brian Jackson's most critically acclaimed release and has often been viewed by many music writers and critics as their greatest work. In addition to earning such critical acclaim, Winter in America has also been noted by several critics for its influence on such music genres as neo soul and hip hop music, as the genre's artists have been influenced by Scott-Heron's and Jackson's unique approach regarding lyricism and sound. On March 10, 1998, Winter in America was reissued on compact disc for the first time in the United States by Gil Scott-Heron's Rumal-Gia Records.

Read more...

More articles

edit

Topics

edit

Featured Articles

Featured articles: "Baby Boy" · "Déjà Vu" · "Halo" · "Irreplaceable" · Janet Jackson · Michael Jackson · Mariah Carey · Sly & the Family Stone · Sons of Soul · The Supremes · Thriller · The Way I See It

Good articles: Afrodisiac · "Burn" · "Caught Up" · Christina Milian · Confessions · "Forgive Me" · FutureSex/LoveSounds · "Get Me Bodied" · "Green Light" · House of Music ·I Want You · LeToya Luckett · Let's Get It On · "Lose My Breath" · Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite · Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music · "My Boo" · My World · "Naughty Girl" · Nina Simone · Off the Wall · "Ring the Alarm" · Soul Food Taqueria · There's a Riot Goin' On · "Untitled (How Does It Feel)"· Voodoo · "We Belong Together" · "What Goes Around.../...Comes Around" · Winter in America · "Yeah!"

edit

WikiProjects

WikiProject R&B and Soul Music

Parentage

WikiProject Music
- WikiProject Music/Music genres task force

Selected biography - show another

Aaliyah in 2000

Aaliyah Dana Haughton (/ɑːˈliːə/ ah-LEE-ə; January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001) was an American singer and actress. She has been credited with helping to redefine contemporary R&B, pop, and hip hop, earning her the nicknames the "Princess of R&B" and "Queen of Urban Pop".

Born in Brooklyn and raised in Detroit, she first gained recognition at the age of 10, when she appeared on the television show Star Search and performed in concert alongside Gladys Knight. At the age of 12, Aaliyah signed with Jive Records and her uncle Barry Hankerson's Blackground Records. Hankerson introduced her to R. Kelly, who became her mentor, as well as lead songwriter and producer of her debut album, Age Ain't Nothing but a Number (1994). The album sold three million copies in the United States and was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). After allegations of an illegal marriage with Kelly, Aaliyah ended her contract with Jive and signed with Atlantic Records. (Full article...)

List of selected biographies

More biographical articles

General images - load new batch

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

Image 1Usher 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 2Janet Jackson's Control, released in 1986, was one of the most critically acclaimed albums of the 1980s. (from New jack swing)
Image 3Led Zeppelin performing at Chicago Stadium in January 1975
Image 4Kathy 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 5Lead 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 6The Animals in 1964 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 7Chris 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 8The instruments of the skiffle group the Quarrymen, who would become the Beatles (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 9Beyoncé was named by Billboard the most successful female act of the 2000s. (from Contemporary R&B)
Image 10The Ramones in Toronto (1976) (from Doo-wop)
Image 11Alicia 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 12The Moonglows, 1956 (from Doo-wop)
Image 13Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings at Middelburg in 2009 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 14The Cleftones during their participation in the doo-wop festival celebrated in May 2010 at the Benedum Center. (from Doo-wop)
Image 15Alternative R&B artist Frank Ocean performing at the Coachella Festival in 2012 (from Alternative R&B)
Image 16Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac onstage in 1970 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 17Muddy Waters, a major influence on the movement, pictured in 1971 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 18Georgie Fame, leader of one of the most widely influenced R&B groups, in 1968 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 19Alexis Korner in Hamburg in 1972 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 20The Jam in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1982 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 21Herman Santiago, original lead singer of the Teenagers (from Doo-wop)
Image 22The original line up of the Kinks, 1965 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 23The Jimi Hendrix Experience performing on Dutch television in 1967 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 24John Lee Hooker, whose visit to England was the anticipated R&B event of 1964, shown in 1978 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 25Michael Jackson holds the record for the best-selling new jack swing album with his 1991 release, Dangerous. (from New jack swing)