Portal:Rhythm and blues

Wikipedia's Rhythm and Blues Portal

Introduction

Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated within the Black 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 starting to become 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...)

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Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite is the debut album of American R&B and neo soul musician Maxwell released April 2, 1996, on Columbia Records in the United States. Recording sessions for the album took place between 1994 and 1995 at CRC Studios in Chicago and at Electric Lady Studios, RPM, Sorcerer and Chung King Studios in New York City. The album contains elements of R&B, funk, jazz and smooth soul, as well as featuring prominent classic influences in sound and musical style. A concept album, Urban Hang Suite is composed of a song cycle that focuses on an adult romance from first encounter to its conclusion, examining the concept with balladry and slow jams. The album's themes include love, sex, marriage, monogamy and spirituality. The concept was based on Maxwell's own personal experience.

After it was presented to Columbia label executives in 1995, Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite was shelved for nearly a year, partly due to doubts of its sales potential, before being released to generally positive reviews and considerable commercial success. In spite of an initial lack of mainstream interest, the album experienced a boost in sales with the help of the single "Ascension (Don't Ever Wonder)", which sold 500,000 copies within a year. Despite some negative criticism towards its lyrical substance, music writers lauded the album's vintage overtones and Maxwell's songwriting, and it was viewed as a departure from the hip hop-oriented contemporary R&B of the time. Urban Hang Suite earned Maxwell several accolades and comparisons to soul singer Marvin Gaye, and within a year it sold one million copies in the U.S..

The album had a considerable impact on Maxwell's career. Its success helped elevate his reputation to that of a sex symbol as well as a serious performer on the music scene. Maxwell has been credited with shaping the "neo soul" movement that rose to prominence during the late 1990s. Along with D'Angelo's debut album Brown Sugar (1995), Urban Hang Suite has been recognized by writers for helping provide commercial visibility to the neo soul genre, a musical style that focuses on classic influences rather than the mainstream sound of its contemporary R&B counterpart. It has been cited as Maxwell's greatest work and remains as his best-selling release. In 2002, the album was certified double platinum in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), following sales in excess of two million copies.

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LaBelle in 2004

Patricia Louise Holte (born May 24, 1944), known professionally as Patti LaBelle, is an American R&B singer and actress. She has been referred to as the "Godmother of Soul". LaBelle began her career in the early 1960s as lead singer and frontwoman of the vocal group Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles. After the group's name change to Labelle in the 1970s, they released the number-one hit "Lady Marmalade" before disbanding in 1976.

in 1977, LaBelle began a solo career, starting with her critically acclaimed debut album, which included the career-defining song "You Are My Friend". LaBelle became a mainstream solo star in 1984 following the success of the singles "If Only You Knew", "Love, Need and Want You" (later sampled for 2002's "Dilemma"), "New Attitude" and "Stir It Up". In 1986, LaBelle released a number-one album, Winner in You, and its number-one single "On My Own", a duet with Michael McDonald. In 1989, the standard "If You Asked Me To" (later covered by Celine Dion) was released on Be Yourself. LaBelle won a 1992 Grammy for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for her 1991 album Burnin', an album that featured "Somebody Loves You Baby (You Know Who It Is)", "Feels Like Another One", and "When You've Been Blessed (Feels Like Heaven)". She won a second Grammy for the live album Live! One Night Only. Her 1990s albums Burnin, Gems (1994), and Flame (1997) continued her popularity with young R&B audiences throughout the decade. She reunited with her Labelle bandmates for the album Back to Now, which was followed by a well-received promotional tour. ('Full article...)

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

Image 1Chris 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 2The Jimi Hendrix Experience performing on Dutch television in 1967 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 3Alexis Korner in Hamburg in 1972 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 4The Jam in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1982 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 5The original line up of the Kinks, 1965 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 6John Lee Hooker, whose visit to England was the anticipated R&B event of 1964, shown in 1978 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 7Lead Belly's recordings were major part of British R&B repertoires: he never performed in the UK (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 8Alicia 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 9Led Zeppelin performing at Chicago Stadium in January 1975
Image 10Georgie Fame, leader of one of the most widely influenced R&B groups, in 1968 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 11Herman Santiago, original lead singer of the Teenagers (from Doo-wop)
Image 12Muddy Waters, a major influence on the movement, pictured in 1971 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 13Usher 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 14Janet Jackson's Control, released in 1986, was one of the most critically acclaimed albums of the 1980s. (from New jack swing)
Image 15Alternative R&B artist Frank Ocean performing at the Coachella Festival in 2012 (from Alternative R&B)
Image 16Beyoncé was named by Billboard the most successful female act of the 2000s. (from Contemporary R&B)
Image 17The Animals in 1964 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 18Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings at Middelburg in 2009 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 19The instruments of the skiffle group the Quarrymen, who would become the Beatles (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 20The Moonglows, 1956 (from Doo-wop)
Image 21Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac onstage in 1970 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 22The Cleftones during their participation in the doo-wop festival celebrated in May 2010 at the Benedum Center. (from Doo-wop)
Image 23Kathy 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 24The Ramones in Toronto (1976) (from Doo-wop)