True Meaning Of Rhythm And Blues

The True Meaning of Rhythm and Blues

I was born with music inside me. Music was one of my parts. Like my ribs, my kidneys, my liver, my heart, [sic} Like my blood. It was a force already within me when I arrived on the scene. It was a necessity for me-like [sic] or water.

- Ray Charles

Rhythm and blues has become an original heartbeat of America. People love the sound. The term "rhythm and blues" emerged as the most acceptable designation for the music that had developed during pre-World War II blues styles (Develop 1 of 7). Rhythm and blues comes from the emotions of an artist. People function from the sound of rhythm and blues. The meaning of rhythm of rhythm and blues does not come from the beat of instruments; rhythm and blues comes from the soul of America.

Rhythm and blues was and still is a term used for a number of postwar American music forms. The term is credited to Jerry Wexler in 1947, when he was editing the charts at the trade journal "Billboard" and found that the record companies issuing black music considered the chart names then in use (Harlem Hit Parade, Sepia, Race) to be demeaning (Rhythm and Blues 1of 3). Rhythm and blues replaced the term "race music" which was deemed offensive, and was initially the style of music that developed into "rock and roll" (Original 1 of 3). Rhythm and blues clearly has its origin in the secular folk music of the American black musician - the Blues. The Blues is essentially about emotional expression and is predominantly a vocal medium -although there are many examples of blues instrumentals to refute this assertion, it is the singer who expresses the feelings of the of the blues; and there are a number of vocal techniques which are used to create the desired effects. The Blues has influenced just about everything musically which subsequently developed Rhythm and Blues, such as the way the artists show emotional feelings in their songs (Shade 2 of 6).

Rhythm and blues is compared with many different types of music, such as soul, funk, jazz, and blues (Original 1 of 3). The sound of soul is a combination of rhythm and blues and gospel. Many rhythm and blues artists such as Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, and James Brown are commonly considered the singers who began soul music (Soul 1 of 3). Funk is a distinct style of music originated by African-Americans. Funk typically uses more complex rhythms, while song structures are simpler. Funk best can be recognized by its syncopated rhythms such as thick bass line, razor-sharp rhythm guitars and prominent percussions (Funk 1 of 3). Jazz and blues are considered the parents of rhythm and blues. Jazz is best defined as "America Classical Music" (Jazz 1 of 3). These major styles of music have been a major influences to rhythm and blues (Blues 1 of 3).

Today, the acronym "R&B" is almost always used instead of "rhythm and blues" (Original 1 of 3). Rhythm and blues, today, is not like the rhythm and blues from the past. The late Luthor Vandross stated, "Music is not like