Rhythm and blues (R&B) appeared in the late 1940s, drawing from traditional blues, boogie-woogie jazz and gospel. Most of the original musicians were black Americans, but by the late 1950s mainstream Rock & Roll had adopted many of the elements of R&B, starting with Elvis Presley's hit recordings "Jailhouse Rock" and "All Shook Up".
The R&B genre, always wide, later evolved into soul, funk and even disco. But the powerful tunes of the 1950s and 1960s remain popular with a wide audience, and are still played by many modern bands.
This page provides links to resource sites that talk about the history of R&B, and give bios of some of the noted Blues, R&B and Rock & Roll artists of the 1950s and 1960s.
Wikipedia article on Rhythm & Blues A short history of R&B with links to many other articles. Founded in 1988, The Rhythm & Blues Foundation has been the only independent nonprofit service organization solely dedicated to the historical and cultural preservation of Rhythm & Blues music. Encarta Article on Rhythm & Blues A longer article on the subject, with some interesting views on what makes "true" Rhythm & Blues. Links to blues sites, mostly local blues organizations. | Shades of Blue is very much a personal commentary on some of the great blues and authentic soul music produced from the 1940s to the present day - the power of the blues, the deep emotion to be found in the best of soul, the sheer inventiveness that came with popular success - all shades of blue in fact! A brief history of Rhythm'n'Blues A chapter of Piero Scaruffi's History of Popular Music. Biographies of classic R&B Vocal Groups of the 1940s, 1950s and early 1960s. |