Slow jam
A slow jam is music with rhythm and blues and soul influences. Slow jams are commonly R&B ballads or downtempo songs, and are mostly soft-sounding with heavily emotional or romantic lyrical content. The earliest known use of the term is from a July 1, 1961, article in The Chicago Defender.[1]
Essence magazine compiled a list of the "25 Best Slow Jams of All Time", containing songs of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s,[2] and Complex compiled a list of 100 slow jams in "The Best Songs to Get You in the Mood".[3][4]
In radio
In 1983, Kevin "Slow Jammin'" James created the radio show Slow Jam on WKYS, named after the Midnight Star song, then later the Weekend Slow Jam show.[5]
In 1994, R Dub! created the radio show Sunday Night Slow Jams on Power 1490 KJYK in Tucson, AZ.[6] Today, Sunday Night Slow Jams can be heard on over 200 radio stations in 17 countries.[7]
In 2024, the mayors of San Diego, California and Tucson, Arizona proclaimed the date of June 21 to be "Slow Jams Day", honoring the debut broadcast of Sunday Night Slow Jams with R Dub!.[8][9]
See also
References
- ^ "Slow jam". Oxford English Dictionary. Retrieved 5 January 2025.
- ^ "25 Best Slow Jams of All Time". 29 October 2020.
- ^ "The Best Songs to Get You in the Mood". Complex.
- ^ "100 Slow Jams That Will Definitely Get You Laid". 5 August 2015.
- ^ "Kevin "Slow Jammin'" James". soultracks.com. 12 May 2007.
- ^ "The Story of Sunday Nite Slow Jams". slowjams.com. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
- ^ "Sunday Night Slow Jams Radio Stations". slowjams.com.
- ^ "San Diego declares June 21 'Slow Jams Day'". KPBS Public Media. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
- ^ Blaser, Sierra (14 June 2024). "Popular radio show started in Tucson returns for 30th anniversary concert". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved 19 August 2024.