Soul music (often referred to simply as soul) is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the 1950s and early 1960s. It combines elements of African-American gospel music, rhythm and blues and jazz. Soul music became popular for dancing and listening in the United States, where record labels such as Motown, Atlantic and Stax were influential during the Civil Rights Movement. Soul also became popular around the world, directly influencing rock music and the music of Africa. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of funky, secular testifying".
Introduction
Soul music
Soul music | Introduction
Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the 1950s and early 1960s Rock and roll, jazz, electric blues, as well as gospel and soul music. Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the 1950s and early 1960s. Sorry. I cannot find the answer based on the context.
how much did the blues brothers movie cost to make
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More than $17.5 million
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who directed it?
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John Landis
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who did its background score?
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By rhythm and blues (R&B), soul, and blues singers James Brown, Cab Calloway, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Chaka Khan, and John Lee Hooker
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who starred in this film?
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John Belushi and Dan Aykroy
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what is this r&b refers to?
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Rhythm and blues,  is a genre of popular music that originated in African American communities in the 1940s
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and the next one of r&b?
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Rhythm and blues, abbreviated as R&B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, 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 piano, one or two guitars, bass, drums, one or more saxophones, and sometimes background vocalists. R&B lyrical themes often encapsulate the African-American experience of pain and the quest for freedom and joy, as well as triumphs and failures in terms of relationships, economics, and aspirations.
Rhythm and blues | Introduction
R&B, an abbreviation for "rhythm and blues", is a style that arose in the 1930s and 1940s. Early R&B consisted of large rhythm units "smashing away behind screaming blues singers (who) had to shout to be heard above the clanging and strumming of the various electrified instruments and the churning rhythm sections". R&B was not extensively recorded and promoted because record companies felt that it was not suited for most audiences, especially middle-class whites, because of the suggestive lyrics and driving rhythms. Bandleaders like Louis Jordan innovated the sound of early R&B, using a band with a small horn section and prominent rhythm instrumentation.
Music of the United States | Soul, R&B and Pop
Rhythm and blues (R&B) is a popular music genre combining blues, gospel and jazz influences. Rhythm and blues may also refer to:
Rhythm and blues (disambiguation) | Introduction
Rhythm and blues (R&B) is a style that arose in the 1930s and 1940s, a rhythmic and uptempo form of blues with more complex instrumentation. Author Amiri Baraka described early R&B as "huge rhythm units smashing away behind screaming blues singers (who) had to shout to be heard above the clanging and strumming of the various electrified instruments and the churning rhythm sections.. R&B was recorded during this period, but not extensively, and it was not widely promoted by record companies that felt it was not suited for most audiences, especially middle-class whites, because of the suggestive lyrics and driving rhythms.
American popular music | Blues diversification and popularization
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 contributed to the development of rock and roll, the term "R&B" became used to refer to music styles that developed from and incorporated electric blues, as well as gospel and soul music. In the 1960s, several British rock bands such as the Rolling Stones, the Who and the Animals were referred to and promoted as being R&B bands; posters for the Who's residency at the Marquee Club in 1964 contained the slogan, "Maximum R&B".
Rhythm and blues | Introduction
Writer and producer Robert Palmer defined rhythm & blues as "a catchall term referring to any music that was made by and for black Americans". He has used the term "R&B" as a synonym for jump blues. However, AllMusic separates it from jump blues because of R&B's stronger gospel influences. Lawrence Cohn, author of "Nothing but the Blues", writes that "rhythm and blues" was an umbrella term invented for industry convenience. According to him, the term embraced all black music except classical music and religious music, unless a gospel song sold enough to break into the charts. Well into the 21st century, the term R&B continues in use (in some contexts) to categorize music made by black musicians, as distinct from styles of music made by other musicians.
Rhythm and blues | Etymology, definitions and description
For this period which no chart was published, "Billboard" now uses "Cash Box" magazine's Top 50 In R&B Locations singles chart for stats. Beginning August 23, 1969, the rhythm and blues was replaced in favor of "soul", and the chart was renamed to "Best Selling Soul Singles". The move was made by a "Billboard" editorial decision that the term "soul" more accurately accounted for the "broad range of song and instrumental material which derives from the musical genius of the black American". In late June 1982, the chart was renamed again, this time to "Black Singles" because the music that African-Americans were buying and listening to had a "greater stylistic variety than the soul sound" of the early 1970s.
Hot R&amp;B/Hip-Hop Songs | History
Soul music became a musical genre that came to include a wide variety of R&B-based music styles from the pop R&B acts at Motown Records in Detroit, such as The Temptations, Marvin Gaye and Four Tops, to "deep soul" singers such as Percy Sledge and James Carr.
Music genre | Soul music/R&B
Their mix of rock and roll and R&B is now known as "British rhythm and blues". By the 1970s, the term "rhythm and blues" changed again and was used as a blanket term for soul and funk. In the 1980s, a newer style of R&B developed, becoming known as "contemporary R&B". It combines rhythm and blues with elements of pop, soul, funk, disco, hip hop, and electronic music. Popular R&B vocalists at the end of the 20th century included Prince, Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, and Mariah Carey. In the 21st century, R&B has remained a popular genre, becoming more pop-oriented and alternative-influenced, with successful artists including Beyoncé, Rihanna, Chris Brown, Ne-Yo, Bruno Mars, SZA, Robin Thicke, Amir Tataloo, and The Weeknd.
Rhythm and blues | Introduction
Contemporary R&B (commonly referred to as simply R&B) is a music genre that combines rhythm and blues with elements of pop, soul, funk, hip hop, and electronic music. The genre features a distinctive record production style, drum machine-backed rhythms, pitch corrected vocals, and a smooth, lush style of vocal arrangement. Electronic influences are becoming an increasing trend and the use of hip hop or dance-inspired beats are typical, although the roughness and grit inherent in hip hop may be reduced and smoothed out. Contemporary R&B vocalists are often known for their use of melisma, popularized by vocalists such as Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, and Beyoncé.
Contemporary R&amp;B | Introduction
British rhythm and blues (or R&B) was a musical movement that developed in the United Kingdom between the late 1950s and the early 1960s, and reached a peak in the mid-1960s. It overlapped with, but was distinct from, the broader British beat and more purist British blues scenes, attempting to emulate the music of American blues and rock and roll pioneers, such as Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf, Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley. It often placed greater emphasis on guitars and was often played with greater energy. The origins of the movement were in the British jazz, skiffle and folk movements of the 1950s.
British rhythm and blues | Introduction
Christian R&B (also known as gospel R&B, rhythm & praise music, and R&P) is a subgenre of rhythm and blues music consisting of Christian-based lyrics or of musicians typically known for writing such songs, with the purpose to uplift, entertain, or to give a Christian perspective on any topic. Some people may view Christian R&B as a subgenre of gospel music, or a cross-genre under both gospel and R&B.
Christian R&amp;B | Introduction
By the 1960s, the term "rhythm and blues" had no longer been in wide use; instead, terms like "soul music" were used to describe popular music by black artists. In the 1980s, however, "rhythm and blues" came back into use, most often in the form of "R&B", a usage that has continued to the present. Contemporary R&B arose when sultry funk singers like Prince became very popular, alongside dance-oriented pop stars like Michael Jackson and Madonna. By the end of the 1980s, pop-rock largely consisted of the radio-friendly glam metal bands, who used images derived from the British glam movement with macho lyrics and attitudes, accompanied by hard rock music and heavy metal virtuosic soloing.
American popular music | 1980s pop
Soul music has its roots in traditional African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues and as the hybridization of their respective religious and secular styles – in both lyrical content and instrumentation – that began in the 1950s. The term "soul" had been used among African-American musicians to emphasize the feeling of being an African-American in the United States. According to musicologist Barry Hansen,Though this hybrid produced a clutch of hits in the R&B market in the early 1950s, only the most adventurous white fans felt its impact at the time; the rest had to wait for the coming of soul music in the 1960s to feel the rush of rock and roll sung gospel-style.
Soul music | Origins
In the 1950s, soul music by Sam Cooke, Ray Charles and James Brown used gospel and blues music elements. In the 1960s and 1970s, gospel and blues were merged in soul blues music. Funk music of the 1970s was influenced by soul; funk can be seen as an antecedent of hip-hop and contemporary R&B. R&B music can be traced back to spirituals and blues. Musically, spirituals were a descendant of New England choral traditions, and in particular of Isaac Watts's hymns, mixed with African rhythms and call-and-response forms. Spirituals or religious chants in the African-American community are much better documented than the "low-down" blues.
Blues | Musical impact
Blues & Rhythm is run by an editorial board, since its inception it has carried on the long tradition of research into Blues, R&B and Gospel music including artists, musicians, record companies and associated subjects.
Blues &amp; Rhythm | Introduction
Soul music is a combination of R&B and gospel that began in the late 1950s in the United States. Soul music is characterized by its use of gospel techniques with a greater emphasis on vocalists, and the use of secular themes. The 1950s recordings of Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, and James Brown are commonly considered the beginnings of soul music. Solomon Burke's early recordings for Atlantic Records codified the style, and as Peter Guralnick writes, "it was only with the coming together of Burke and Atlantic Records that you could see anything resembling a movement". The Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan became successful with a string of heavily pop-influenced soul records, which were palatable enough to white listeners so as to allow R&B and soul to crossover to mainstream audiences.
American popular music | Soul
At first, only African Americans were buying R&B discs. According to Jerry Wexler of Atlantic Records, sales were localized in African-American markets; there was no white sales nor white radio play. During the early 1950s, more white teenagers started to become aware of R&B and to purchase the music. For example, 40% of 1952 sales at Dolphin's of Hollywood record shop, located in an African-American area of Los Angeles, were to whites. Eventually, white teens across the country turned their music taste towards rhythm and blues. Johnny Otis, who had signed with the Newark, New Jersey-based Savoy Records, produced many R&B hits in 1951, including: "Double Crossing Blues", "Mistrustin' Blues" and "Cupid's Boogie", all of which hit number one that year.
Rhythm and blues | Early to mid-1950s
Hypersoul maybe also be seen as a precursor to modern R&B.
Soul music | Hypersoul
Gospel music is one of the roots or influences of R&B music. While it might seem as if Christian R&B should be the subgenre of gospel music, R&B is rooted in several music genres and has matured and evolved over the decades, making its musical characteristics audibly different from the musical nuances of gospel music. Yet some modern musicians mix R&B elements with gospel music elements. R&B originated between the 1940s and 1950s, and Christian R&B followed close behind. Christian rhythm and blues have the same musical characteristics heard in regular or secular R&B music, with the only major difference between the two being the lyrics.
Christian R&amp;B | Origin and musical style
This is a list of rhythm and blues (R&B) music artists. This list includes artists who have either been very important to the genre or have had a considerable amount of exposure (such as those that have been on a major label). Bands are listed by the first letter in their name (not including articles), and individuals are listed by last name.
List of R&amp;B musicians | Introduction
Soul music is a musical genre, closely related to rhythm and blues, which grew out of the African-American gospel and blues traditions during the late 1950s and early 1960s in the United States. Soul music may also refer to:
Soul music (disambiguation) | Introduction
Rhythm and praise is another term for Christian R&B music. It's a type of music combining Christian-themed lyrics with the common musical characteristics of rhythm and blues.
Rhythm &amp; Praise music | Introduction
As of late, contemporary R&B rhythms are being combined with elements of hip hop and pop music.
Contemporary R&amp;B | Introduction
Paul Weller broke up the Jam in 1982 and formed the Style Council, who abandoned most of the elements of punk to adopt music much more based in R&B and early soul. Some major figures of the movement, including Robert Palmer and Steve Winwood, re-emerged as solo artists in the early 1980s, being as defined as blue-eyed soul singers. During the 1980s and 1990s, musicians, particularly African Americans, mixed pop with disco like beats and high tech electronic production to produce the new genre of contemporary R&B, adding elements of other genres, including funk, hip hop, and soul music.
British rhythm and blues | 1980s
Soul music (often referred to simply as soul) is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the 1950s and early 1960s. It combines elements of African-American gospel music, rhythm and blues and jazz. Soul music became popular for dancing and listening in the United States, where record labels such as Motown, Atlantic and Stax were influential during the Civil Rights Movement. Soul also became popular around the world, directly influencing rock music and the music of Africa. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of funky, secular testifying".
Soul music | Introduction
Black Singles was deemed an acceptable term to encompass pop, funk, and early rap music popular in urban communities.
Hot R&amp;B/Hip-Hop Songs | History
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, hip-hop started to capture the imagination of America's youth. R&B started to become homogenized, with a group of high-profile producers responsible for most R&B hits. It was hard for R&B artists of the era to sell their music or even have their music heard because of the rise of hip-hop, but some adopted a "hip-hop" image, were marketed as such, and often featured rappers on their songs. Newer artists such as Usher, R. Kelly, Janet Jackson, TLC, Aaliyah, Destiny's Child, Tevin Campbell and Mary J. Blige, enjoyed success. L.A. Reid, the CEO of LaFace Records, was responsible for some of R&B's greatest successes in the 1990s in the form of Usher, TLC and Toni Braxton.
Rhythm and blues | 1980s to present
The synthesizer-heavy rhythm tracks of new jack swing was replaced by grittier East Coast hip hop-inspired backing tracks, resulting in a genre labelled "hip hop soul" by producer Sean Combs. The style became less popular by the end of the 1990s, but later experienced a resurgence. During the mid-1990s, Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey, Faith Evans, TLC, Xscape, Whitney Houston and Boyz II Men brought contemporary R&B to the masses.
1990s in music | Contemporary R&B
This music, and not cool jazz, was what chronologically separated bebop and hard bop in ghettos. Young jazz musicians, of course, enjoyed and listened to these R & B sounds which, among other things, began the amalgam of blues and gospel that would later be dubbed 'soul music.' And it is in this vigorously creative black pop music, at a time when bebop seemed to have lost both its direction and its audience, that some of hard bop's roots may be found.
Hard bop | History
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs is a chart published by "Billboard" that ranks the top-performing songs in the United States in African-American-oriented musical genres; the chart has undergone various name changes since its launch in 1942 to reflect the evolution of such genres. In 1968, it was published under the title Top Selling R&B Singles in the issue dated January 6, Best Selling R&B Singles through the issue dated March 30, and Best Selling Rhythm & Blues Singles thereafter. During that year, 20 different singles topped the chart, based on playlists submitted by radio stations and surveys of retail sales outlets. Unusually, the year started and ended with different versions of the same song at number one.
List of Best Selling Rhythm &amp; Blues Singles number ones of 1968 | Introduction
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs is a chart published by "Billboard" that ranks the top-performing songs in the United States in African-American-oriented musical genres; the chart has undergone various name changes since its launch in 1942 to reflect the evolution of such genres. The chart returned in the issue of "Billboard" dated January 30, 1965, having not been published since the issue dated November 23, 1963. No official explanation has ever been given as to why "Billboard" ceased producing R&B charts. Chart historian Joel Whitburn has contended that "there was so much crossover of titles between the R&B and pop singles (Hot 100) charts that "Billboard" considered the charts to be too similar".
List of Top Selling Rhythm &amp; Blues Singles number ones of 1965 | Introduction
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs is a chart published by "Billboard" that ranks the top-performing songs in the United States in African-American-oriented musical genres; the chart has undergone various name changes since its launch in 1942 to reflect the evolution of such genres. In 1961, it was published under the title Hot R&B Sides, reflecting the fact that rhythm and blues was the dominant genre. During that year, 14 different singles topped the chart, based on playlists submitted by radio stations and surveys of retail sales outlets. In the issue of "Billboard" dated January 2, Jerry Butler was at number one with "He Will Break Your Heart", the song's seventh week in the top spot.
List of Hot R&amp;B Sides number ones of 1961 | Introduction
Catchy rhythms, stressed by handclaps and extemporaneous body moves, are an important feature of soul music. Other characteristics are a call and response between the lead vocalist and the chorus and an especially tense vocal sound. The style also occasionally uses improvisational additions, twirls and auxiliary sounds. Soul music reflected the African-American identity and it stressed the importance of an African-American culture. The new-found African-American consciousness led to new styles of music, which boasted pride in being black. Soul music dominated the U.S. R&B chart in the 1960s, and many recordings crossed over into the pop charts in the U.S., Britain and elsewhere.
Soul music | Introduction
V. Wright and Ann Peebles) got R&B hits.
Rhythm and blues | 1960s–1970s
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs is a chart published by "Billboard" that ranks the top-performing songs in the United States in African-American-oriented musical genres; the chart has undergone various name changes since its launch in 1942 to reflect the evolution of such genres. In 1963, it was published under the title Hot R&B Singles, reflecting the fact that rhythm and blues was the dominant genre. During that year, 21 different singles topped the chart, based on playlists submitted by radio stations and surveys of retail sales outlets. After the issue dated November 23, 1963, "Billboard" discontinued the chart, which did not return until the issue dated January 30, 1965.
List of Hot R&amp;B Singles number ones of 1963 | Introduction
According to AllMusic, "[s]oul music was the result of the urbanization and commercialization of rhythm and blues in the '60s." The phrase "soul music" itself, referring to gospel-style music with secular lyrics, was first attested in 1961. The term "soul" in African-American parlance has connotations of African-American pride and culture. Gospel groups in the 1940s and '50s occasionally used the term as part of their names. The jazz style that originated from gospel became known as soul jazz. As singers and arrangers began using techniques from both gospel and soul jazz in African-American popular music during the 1960s, soul music gradually functioned as an umbrella term for the African-American popular music at the time.
Soul music | Origins
John Abbey, a devotee of American R&B music, established a magazine entitled "Home of the Blues" in 1966. This came about while Abbey was working for a travel agency in London. The magazine went on to publish its own musical charts, cover events and clubs and feature reviews, interviews and other musical articles. "Blues & Soul"'s R&B charts were compiled via a poll record sales throughout Britain. The publication soon gained further popularity in the UK and Europe covering genres of music such as soul, R&B, dance, jazz, hip hop, reggae and world music. With issue number 12 the magazine's title was changed to "Blues & Soul".
Blues &amp; Soul | History
Miguel said he "definitely think[s] it's an R&B record, though other people may not ... [Listeners] are so conditioned to expect certain things out of current R&B, and it's about following a formula. But R&B was once live music, it was psychedelic, it was rock, it was funk, and all these genres stem from soul music ... There would be no hip-hop or rock without R&B. It was important for me to be true to what R&B is, and that is soulful."
Kaleidoscope Dream | Musical style
By the end of the 1970s, Philly soul, funk, rock and most other genres were dominated by disco-inflected tracks. During this period, funk bands like The O'Jays and The Spinners continued to turn out hits. After the death of disco in 1980, soul music survived for a short time before going through yet another metamorphosis. With the introduction of influences from electro music and funk, soul music became less raw and more slickly produced, resulting in a genre of music that was again called "R&B", usually distinguished from the earlier rhythm and blues by identifying it as "contemporary R&B".
American popular music | 1970s funk and soul
And you might not necessarily "miss it", but it's just inaccurate, and you'll miss a couple of things, contextually." He proceeds to point out that race and vocal delivery are stereotypical signifiers of R&B music, in turn forcing himself and his peers into a category they may not identify within; when considering "Nostalgia, Ultra" Ocean argues that if he were a different complexion and "people would listen to it and be like 'Yeah, he borrowed from R&B but it's just not R&B – it's a lot of things, and you can't just call it 'R&B.'"
Alternative R&amp;B | Response
Latin R&B (also known as Spanish R&B) is a style of R&B that originated in Latin America and the United States. It is a musical subgenre of American contemporary R&B and Latin trap that also takes influence from dancehall. The genre began to gain popularity in the late 2010s and has since spread throughout Latin America.
Latin R&amp;B | Introduction
The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by "Billboard". Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 positions but was shortened to 50 positions in October 2012. The chart is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, rock and roll, soul, and funk, it is today dominated by contemporary R&B and hip hop.
Hot R&amp;B/Hip-Hop Songs | Introduction
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs is a chart published by "Billboard" that ranks the top-performing songs in the United States in African-American-oriented musical genres; the chart has undergone various name changes since its launch in 1942 to reflect the evolution of such genres. In 1962, it was published under the title Hot R&B Sides through the issue of the magazine dated October 27 and Hot R&B Singles thereafter, reflecting the fact that rhythm and blues was the dominant genre. During that year, 16 different singles topped the chart, based on playlists submitted by radio stations and surveys of retail sales outlets. In the issue of "Billboard" dated January 6, Ray Charles and his orchestra moved up to number one with "Unchain My Heart", which held the top spot for two weeks.
List of Hot R&amp;B Singles number ones of 1962 | Introduction
https://web.archive.org/web/20071206041707/http://www.eastbayexpress.com/music/rebirth_of_the_blues/Content?oid=285943
Cafe R&amp;B | Selected discography
By the end of the 1940s, he had had several hits, and helped pave the way for contemporaries like Wynonie Harris and John Lee Hooker. Many of the most popular R&B songs were not performed in the rollicking style of Jordan and his contemporaries; instead they were performed by white musicians like Pat Boone in a more palatable mainstream style, which turned into pop hits. By the end of the 1950s, however, there was a wave of popular black blues rock and country-influenced R&B performers like Chuck Berry gaining unprecedented fame among white listeners. Motown Records became highly successful during the early and mid-1960s for producing music of black American roots that defied racial segregation in the music industry and consumer market.
Music of the United States | Soul, R&B and Pop
Later, Reid successfully marketed Boyz II Men. In 2004, 80% of the songs that topped the R&B charts, were also on top of the Hot 100. That period was the all-time peak for R&B and hip hop on the "Billboard" Hot 100, and on Top 40 Radio. From about 2005 to 2013, R&B sales declined. However; since 2010 Hip-Hop has started to take from the R&B sound choosing to adopt a softer smoother sound incorporating that of traditional R&B with rappers such as Drake who has opened an entire new door for the genre. This sound has gained in popularity and created great controversy for both hip-hop and R&B in how to identify it.
Rhythm and blues | 1980s to present
Soul and R&B have their roots in the civil rights movement of the 1960s. These genres focused on breaking down the barriers between black and white Americans. Most of the singers in this genre had Southern roots and sang in their churches. Artists in this genre include Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Bessie Smith, with the most well-known being Aretha Franklin. Aretha Franklin gained prominence in the 1960s. Franklin signed her record deal at the age of eighteen after singing at her church in Detroit. She was most successful working with artists whose background stemmed from gospel music. She chose to follow this path and reinvented herself landing five number one hits and a Grammy.
Black women in the music industry | R&B
Contemporary R&B originated in the 1980s, when musicians started adding disco-like beats, high-tech production, and elements of hip hop, soul and funk to rhythm and blues, making it more danceable and modern. The top mainstream R&B artists of 1980s included Michael Jackson, Prince, Jermaine Jackson, James Ingram, The S.O.S. Band, Stevie Wonder, Kool & the Gang, Jeffrey Osborne, Smokey Robinson, Rick James, Diana Ross, Lionel Richie, Earth, Wind & Fire, New Edition, Evelyn King, Marvin Gaye, The Jets, DeBarge, Midnight Star, Club Nouveau, Stephanie Mills, Jody Watley, Rockwell, Rene and Angela, and Freddie Jackson. In the mid-1980s, many of the recordings by artists Luther Vandross, Freddie Jackson, Sade, Anita Baker, Teddy Pendergrass, Peabo Bryson and others became widely heard on the new quiet storm radio format.
1980s in music | Contemporary R&B
This combination of R&B style and hip hop rhythms was termed "new jack swing", and was applied to artists such as Bobby Brown, Keith Sweat, Guy, Jodeci, and Bell Biv DeVoe.
Music history of the United States in the 1980s | Contemporary R&B
In 1948, RCA Victor was marketing black music under the name "Blues and Rhythm". In that year, Louis Jordan dominated the top five listings of the R&B charts with three songs, and two of the top five songs were based on the boogie-woogie rhythms that had come to prominence during the 1940s. Jordan's band, the Tympany Five (formed in 1938), consisted of him on saxophone and vocals, along with musicians on trumpet, tenor saxophone, piano, bass and drums. Lawrence Cohn described the music as "grittier than his boogie-era jazz-tinged blues". Robert Palmer described it as "urbane, rocking, jazz-based music with a heavy, insistent beat".
Rhythm and blues | Late 1940s
Some Christians who perform R&B may not explicitly mention God, Jesus Christ, or other overtly religious terms, but their lyrics still fit within the Christian moral standards, or may be ethically neutral. A few early gospel R&B musicians can be found as far back as the 1950s. One R&B vocal group, for example, known as the Orioles, sang "gospel-styled reworkings of songs that had been popular country, blues, or R&B songs." In 1953, the Orioles recorded a gospel song called "Crying in the Chapel"; yet the band was considered to be R&B.
Christian R&amp;B | Origin and musical style
In Jamaica, R&B influenced the development of ska. In 1969 black culture and rhythm and blues reached another great achievement when the Grammys first added the Rhythm and Blues category, giving academic recognition to the category. By the 1970s, the term "rhythm and blues" was being used as a blanket term for soul, funk, and disco. Around the same time, mods band influenced by R&B The Who played Motown hit "Heat Wave". In the 70s, Philadelphia International (featuring The O'Jays, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, Jerry Bell, Archie Bell & The Drells and Billy Paul) and Hi Records (featuring Al Green, O.
Rhythm and blues | 1960s–1970s
He goes on to say that, from there, artists made it become a subgenre, calling it R&P for short.
Rhythm &amp; Praise music | Terminology
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs is a chart published by "Billboard" that ranks the top-performing songs in the United States in African-American-oriented musical genres; the chart has undergone various name changes since its launch in 1942 to reflect the evolution of such genres. In 1969, it was published under the title Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles through the issue of "Billboard" dated August 16 and Best Selling Soul Singles thereafter. During that year, 17 different singles topped the chart, based on playlists submitted by radio stations and surveys of retail sales outlets. In the issue of "Billboard" dated January 4, Marvin Gaye was at number one with "I Heard It Through the Grapevine", the song's fourth week in the top spot.
List of Best Selling Soul Singles number ones of 1969 | Introduction
Almost every R&B Soul artist performed, it was live acts from 12 noon to 3 am, after that was continuous disco.
Barry &quot;Reazar&quot; Richards | Concert promoter
"Alternative R&B" was once used by the music industry during the late 1990s to market neo soul artists, such as D'Angelo, Aaliyah, Erykah Badu, and Maxwell. There has been a variety of discussion about the differing genre terms, with several critics describing the music under the broad category of "alternative R&B" or "indie R&B". The term "hipster R&B" has been commonly used, as has the term "PBR&B"—a combination of "PBR" (the abbreviation for Pabst Blue Ribbon, a beer most recently associated with the hipster subculture) and R&B. The first use of "PBR&B" was on Twitter by "Sound of the City" writer Eric Harvey on a March 22, 2011, post.
Alternative R&amp;B | Etymology
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs is a chart published by "Billboard" that ranks the top-performing songs in the United States in African-American-oriented musical genres; the chart has undergone various name changes since its launch in 1942 to reflect the evolution of such genres. In 1966, it was published under the title Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles through the issue dated April 2 and Top Selling R&B Singles thereafter. During that year, 20 different singles topped the chart, based on playlists submitted by radio stations and surveys of retail sales outlets. In the issue of "Billboard" dated January 1, James Brown was at number one with "I Got You (I Feel Good)", the song's fifth week in the top spot.
List of Top Selling R&amp;B Singles number ones of 1966 | Introduction
Contemporary R&B, as in the post-disco version of soul music, remained popular throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Male vocal groups in the style of soul groups such as The Temptations and The O'Jays were particularly popular, including New Edition, Boyz II Men, Jodeci, Dru Hill, Blackstreet, and Jagged Edge. Girl groups, including TLC, Destiny's Child, SWV and En Vogue, were also highly successful. Singer-songwriters such as R. Kelly, Mariah Carey, Montell Jordan, D'Angelo, Aaliyah and Raphael Saadiq of Tony! Toni! Toné! were also significantly popular during the 1990s, and artists including Mary J. Blige, Faith Evans, and BLACKstreet popularized a fusion blend known as hip-hop soul.
African-American music | 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s
This book Neal's analysis of R&B as it functions in all facets of black life. In it he argues that Rhythm and Blues is more than a haphazard collection of love songs. Here he exhibits the genre as a type of catalogue for black life that expresses all of the joys, sacrifices, struggles, and contradictions involved in the history of black people. He discusses everything from Marvin Gaye, to Macy Gray to Black Entertainment Television; the later of which he charges with the promotion of hyper-sexualized, skewed views of black music. "Neal creates a dense, sensuous space for a critical cultured black perspective, what "Soul Babies" called the post-soul aesthetic in black America.
Mark Anthony Neal | "Songs in the Keys of Black Life: A Rhythm and Blues Nation" (2003)
Several of the bands and their members went on to become leading rock music performers of the late 1960s and early 1970s, helping to create psychedelic, progressive and hard rock and making rhythm and blues a key component of that music. In the mid to late-1970s, British R&B enjoyed a revival through the British soul and disco scenes, the pub rock circuit, new wave music and the mod revival, and has enjoyed a resurgence of interest since the late 1980s. In the 2000s, a British version of contemporary R&B began gaining popularity, and since the late 2000s the success of British female singers influenced by soul and R&B led to talk of another "R&B British invasion".
British rhythm and blues | Introduction
This combination of R&B style and hip hop rhythms was termed "new jack swing" and was applied to artists such as Michael Jackson, Bobby Brown and Bell Biv DeVoe.
Contemporary R&amp;B | History
I just sang that melody. I figured out the cadence in my head, and then I went to my guitar to figure out the chords." "To me, this record is very urban," Mellencamp told "Billboard" Magazine's Craig Rosen in a July 3, 1993 story. "We had a lot of discussions about the rhythm and blues music of the day. We explored what a lot of these current bands are doing—these young black bands that are doing more than just sampling. "The rhythms in songs like 'Birmingham' or 'French Shoes' or 'Junior' are R&B, but to me R&B is the basic beat that propels the human body.
Human Wheels | Background
D'Angelo was dissatisfied with the direction of R&B and soul music when conceiving the album. In an interview for "Jet", he said that "the term R&B doesn't mean what it used to mean. R&B is pop, that's the new word for R&B." He also found contemporary R&B to be "a joke", adding that "the funny thing about it is that the people making this shit are dead serious about the stuff they're making. It's sad—they've turned black music into a club thing." In the liner notes for "Voodoo", Saul Williams examined the album's concept and echoes D'Angelo's dissatisfaction with the mainstream direction of contemporary R&B/soul and hip hop, noting a lack of artistic integrity in the two music genres.
Voodoo (D'Angelo album) | Concept
Contemporary R&B originated at the end of the disco era in the late-1970s, when Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones added more electronic elements to the sound of the time to create a smoother dancefloor-friendly sound. The first result was "Off the Wall" (1979), which—according to Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic—"was a visionary album, that found a way to break disco wide open into a new world where the beat was undeniable, but not the primary focus" and "was part of a colorful tapestry of lush ballads and strings, smooth soul and pop, soft rock, and alluring funk". Richard J. Ripani wrote that Janet Jackson's "Control" (1986) was "important to the development of R&B for a number of reasons", as she and her producers, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, "crafted a new sound that fuses the rhythmic elements of funk and disco, along with heavy doses of synthesizers, percussion, sound effects, and a rap music sensibility." Ripani wrote that "the success of "Control" led to the incorporation of stylistic traits of rap over the next few years, and Janet Jackson was to continue to be one of the leaders in that development." That same year, Teddy Riley began producing R&B recordings that included hip hop influences.
Contemporary R&amp;B | History
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by "Billboard" magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LP's in the issue dated January 30, 1965, in an effort by the magazine to further expand into the field of rhythm and blues music. It then went through several name changes, being known as Soul LPs in the 1970s and Top Black Albums in the 1980s, before returning to the R&B identification in 1990 and affixing a hip hop designation in 1999 to reflect the latter's growing sales and relationship to R&B during the decade.
Top R&amp;B/Hip-Hop Albums | Introduction
Nat King Cole, also a jazz pianist who had two hits on the pop charts in the early 1950s ("Mona Lisa" at number two in 1950 and "Too Young" at number one in 1951), had a record in the top five in the R&B charts in 1958, "Looking Back"/"Do I Like It". In 1959, two black-owned record labels, one of which would become hugely successful, made their debut: Sam Cooke's Sar, and Berry Gordy's Motown Records. Brook Benton was at the top of the R&B charts in 1959 and 1960 with one number-one and two number-two hits. Benton had a certain warmth in his voice that attracted a wide variety of listeners, and his ballads led to comparisons with performers such as Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett.
Rhythm and blues | Late 1950s
In his review for AllMusic, Bill Dahl states "Give this New Orleans master enough studio time, and he'll redo the entire history of postwar R&B his own way."
Soul's Edge | Reception
Blues & Soul is a British music magazine, established in 1967 by John Abbey. "The Independent" has noted "Blues & Soul" as being the equal of magazines such as "NME" and "Q". "Billboard" magazine has called "Blues & Soul" "a respected publication."
Blues &amp; Soul | Introduction
Contemporary R&B had not been as prominent in the early 2010s as it was from the late 1980s to the mid-2000s when new jack swing was a fixture in popular music. Slow jams had largely been replaced by dance numbers and pop ballads. Contemporary R&B had begun to influence hipster musicians, creating a new genre called alternative R&B. New players had emerged from this subgenre, like The Weeknd, Solange, Blood Orange, SZA, The Internet, Steve Lacy, Kali Uchis, Syd, How to Dress Well, Kilo Kish, Sampha, Lion Babe, Jhene Aiko, Normani, Frank Ocean, Ravyn Lenae, Kehlani, Tinashe, Sabrina Claudio, H.E.R., Tory Lanez, Gallant, Daniel Caesar, King, Moses Sumney, Kelela, dvsn, Jorja Smith, PartyNextDoor, Jeremih, Khalid, Bryson Tiller, and Ella Mai.
2010s in music | Contemporary R&B and soul
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs is a chart published by "Billboard" that ranks the top-performing songs in the United States in African-American-oriented musical genres; the chart has undergone various name changes since its launch in 1942 to reflect the evolution of such genres. In 1959, it was published under the title Hot R&B Sides, reflecting the fact that rhythm and blues was the dominant genre. During that year, 17 different singles topped the chart, based on playlists submitted by radio stations and surveys of retail sales outlets. In the issue of "Billboard" dated January 5, Jackie Wilson occupied the number-one position with "Lonely Teardrops", the song's fourth week in the top spot.
List of Hot R&amp;B Sides number ones of 1959 | Introduction
Soul blues is a style of blues music developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s that combines elements of soul music and urban contemporary music.
Soul blues | Introduction
Although Jerry Wexler of "Billboard" magazine is credited with coining the term "rhythm and blues" as a musical term in the United States in 1948, the term was used in "Billboard" as early as 1943. It replaced the term "race music", which originally came from within the black community, but was deemed offensive in the postwar world. The term "rhythm and blues" was used by "Billboard" in its chart listings from June 1949 until August 1969, when its "Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles" chart was renamed as "Best Selling Soul Singles". Before the "Rhythm and Blues" name was instated, various record companies had already begun replacing the term "race music" with "sepia series".
Rhythm and blues | Etymology, definitions and description
Soul and R&B became a major influence on surf, as well as the chart-topping girl groups including The Angels and The Shangri-Las, only some of whom were white. In 1959, Hank Ballard releases a song for the new dance style "The Twist" which became the new dance crave from the early 60's into the 70's.
African-American music | Mid-20th century (1940s–1960s)
Music journalist Jerry Wexler (who coined the phrase "rhythm and blues") once said of Motown: "[They] did something that you would have to say on paper is impossible. They took black music and beamed it directly to the white American teenager." Berry Gordy founded Motown in 1959 in Detroit, Michigan. It was one of few R&B record labels that sought to transcend the R&B market (which was definitively black in the American mindset) and specialize in crossover music. The company emerged as the leading producer (or "assembly line," a reference to its motor-town origins) of black popular music by the early 1960s and marketed its products as "The Motown Sound" or "The Sound of Young America"—which combined elements of soul, funk, disco and R&B.
Music of the United States | Soul, R&B and Pop
Contemporary R&B originated in the 1980s, when musicians started adding disco-like beats, high-tech production, and elements of hip hop, soul and funk to rhythm and blues, making it more danceable and modern. The top mainstream R&B artists of 1980s included Michael Jackson, Prince, Jermaine Jackson, The Whispers, The S.O.S. Band, Stevie Wonder, Kool & the Gang, Yarbrough and Peoples, Smokey Robinson, Rick James, Diana Ross, Lionel Richie, Earth, Wind & Fire, Dazz Band, Evelyn King, Marvin Gaye, Mtume, DeBarge, Midnight Star, and Freddie Jackson. In the mid-1980s, many of the recordings by artists Luther Vandross, Freddie Jackson, Sade, Anita Baker, Teddy Pendergrass, Peabo Bryson and others became known as "quiet storm".
Music history of the United States in the 1980s | Contemporary R&B
British R&B continued to be played in the Northern Soul club scene, where early soul records, particularly those of Motown, were highly prized. There were also bands on the London pub rock circuit. Occasional R&B-based pub rock acts like Dr Feelgood managed to build a following through tireless touring. They topped the British charts with live album "Stupidity" (1976), but failed to make a significant impact in the US.
British rhythm and blues | Revivals
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs is a chart published by "Billboard" that ranks the top-performing songs in the United States in African-American-oriented musical genres; the chart has undergone various name changes since its launch in 1942 to reflect the evolution of such genres. In 1960, it was published under the title Hot R&B Sides, reflecting the fact that rhythm and blues was the dominant genre. During that year, 15 different singles topped the chart, based on playlists submitted by radio stations and surveys of retail sales outlets. In the issue of "Billboard" dated January 4, the top spot was held by "The Clouds" by the Spacemen, the single's third week at number one.
List of Hot R&amp;B Sides number ones of 1960 | Introduction
Blues & Rhythm, The Gospel Truth is a British monthly music magazine dealing with all aspects of blues and gospel music. Founded in July 1984 it is - along with its American counterpart "Living Blues" - considered to be the premier magazine for all aspects of research into blues and rhythm & blues music (pre- and post-war blues, rhythm and blues, doo-wop vocal groups, vintage soul, gospel and the contemporary blues scene). "Blues & Rhythm"′s team of writers and reviewers consists of record collectors and some of the world's foremost experts on the history of Blues/R&B/Doo Wop/Gospel and Soul music.
Blues &amp; Rhythm | Introduction
In the late 1940s, New Orleans musicians were especially receptive to Cuban influences precisely at the time when R&B was first forming. The first use of tresillo in R&B occurred in New Orleans. Robert Palmer recalls:
Rhythm and blues | Afro-Cuban rhythmic influence
At the start of 1958, "Billboard" magazine published two charts specifically covering the top-performing songs in the United States in rhythm and blues and related African-American-oriented music genres. The R&B Best Sellers in Stores chart ranked records based on their "current national selling importance at the retail level", based on a survey of record retailers "with a high volume of sales in rhythm and blues records" and the Most Played R&B by Jockeys chart ranked songs based on the "number of plays on disk jockey radio shows" according to a weekly survey of "top disk jockey shows in all key markets".
List of Billboard number-one R&amp;B songs of 1958 | Introduction
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs is a chart published by "Billboard" that ranks the top-performing songs in the United States in African-American-oriented musical genres; the chart has undergone various name changes since its launch in 1942 to reflect the evolution of such genres. In 1971, it was published under the title Best Selling Soul Singles. During that year, 21 different singles topped the chart, based on playlists submitted by radio stations and surveys of retail sales outlets. In the issue of "Billboard" dated January 2, King Floyd reached number one with "Groove Me", displacing the final number one of 1970, "Stoned Love" by the Supremes.
List of Best Selling Soul Singles number ones of 1971 | Introduction
The 1950s recordings of Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, and James Brown are commonly considered the beginnings of soul. Charles' "Modern Sounds" (1962) records featured a fusion of soul and country music, country soul, and crossed racial barriers in music at the time. One of Cooke's most well-known songs "A Change Is Gonna Come" (1964) became accepted as a classic and an anthem of the American Civil Rights Movement during the 1960s. According to AllMusic, James Brown was critical, through "the gospel-impassioned fury of his vocals and the complex polyrhythms of his beats", in "two revolutions in black American music. He was one of the figures most responsible for turning R&B into soul and he was, most would agree, the figure most responsible for turning soul music into the funk of the late '60s and early '70s."
Music of the United States | Soul, R&B and Pop
However, Haley's music was "more arranged" and "more calculated" than the "looser rhythms" of rockabilly, which also, unlike Haley, did not use saxophones or chorus singing. R&B remained extremely popular during the 1950s among black audiences, but the style was not considered appropriate for whites, or respectable middle-class blacks, because of its suggestive nature. Many popular R&B songs instead were performed by white musicians like Pat Boone, in a more palatable, mainstream style, and turned into pop hits. By the end of the 1950s, however, there was a wave of popular black blues-rock and country-influenced R&B performers gaining unprecedented fame among white listeners; these included Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry.
American popular music | 1950s and 1960s
The terms "deep soul" and "southern soul" generally refer to a driving, energetic soul style combining R&B's energy with pulsating southern United States gospel music sounds. Memphis, Tennessee label Stax Records nurtured a distinctive sound, which included putting vocals further back in the mix than most contemporary R&B records, using vibrant horn parts in place of background vocals, and a focus on the low end of the frequency spectrum. The vast majority of Stax releases were backed by house bands Booker T & the MGs (with Booker T. Jones, Steve Cropper, Duck Dunn, and Al Jackson) and the Memphis Horns (the splinter horn section of the Mar-Keys, trumpeter Wayne Jackson and saxophonist Andrew Love).
Soul music | Deep soul and southern soul
Between 1948 and 1955, there were separate charts published for Best Sellers and Juke Box plays, and in 1955 a third chart was added, the Jockeys chart based on radio airplay. These three charts were consolidated into a single R&B chart in October 1958. From November 30, 1963 to January 23, 1965, there were no "Billboard" R&B singles charts. The "Hot R&B Singles" chart was discontinued when "Billboard" determined it unnecessary due to so much crossover of titles between the R&B and pop charts in light of the rise of Motown. The chart was reinstated as "Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles" on January 30, 1965.
Hot R&amp;B/Hip-Hop Songs | History
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs is a chart published by "Billboard" that ranks the top-performing songs in the United States in African-American-oriented musical genres; the chart has undergone various name changes since its launch in 1942 to reflect the evolution of such genres. In 1978, it was published under the title Hot Soul Singles. During that year, 22 different singles topped the chart, based on playlists submitted by radio stations and surveys of retail sales outlets. Three acts which formed part of George Clinton's Parliament-Funkadelic collective, known for its eclectic mix of funk and psychedelic rock and its use of science fiction imagery, topped the chart in 1978.
List of Hot Soul Singles number ones of 1978 | Introduction
Since its inception, the chart has changed its name many times in order to accurately reflect the industry at the time.
Hot R&amp;B/Hip-Hop Songs | Introduction
There was also a resurgence of contemporary R&B acts from the 1990s and 2000s to achieve commercial success during the 2010s, such as Monica, Kelly Rowland, Brandy, Maxwell, D'Angelo, and Janet Jackson.
2010s in music | Contemporary R&B and soul
Over time, producers in the R&B field gradually turned to more rock-based acts like Little Richard and Fats Domino.
American popular music | 1950s and 1960s
White R&B musicians popular in the UK included Steve Winwood, Frankie Miller, Scott Walker & the Walker Brothers, the Animals from Newcastle, the Spencer Davis Group, and Van Morrison & Them from Belfast. None of these bands exclusively played rhythm and blues, but it remained at the core of their early albums. Many British black musicians created the British R&B scene. These included Geno Washington, an American singer stationed in England with the Air Force. He was invited to join what became Geno Washington & the Ram Jam Band by guitarist Pete Gage in 1965 and enjoyed top 40 hit singles and two top 10 albums before the band split up in 1969.
Rhythm and blues | British rhythm and blues
The resulting "Maybellene" was not only a #3 hit on the R&B charts in 1955, but also reached into the top 30 on the pop charts. Stax Records was founded in 1957 as Satellite Records. The label was a major factor in the creation of the Southern soul and Memphis soul styles.
1950s in music | R&B
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs is a chart published by "Billboard" that ranks the top-performing songs in the United States in African-American-oriented musical genres; the chart has undergone various name changes since its launch in 1942 to reflect the evolution of such genres. In 1976, it was published under the title Hot Soul Singles. During that year, 29 different singles topped the chart, based on playlists submitted by radio stations and surveys of retail sales outlets. Natalie Cole and the band Earth, Wind & Fire were the only two acts to achieve more than one number one during the year; both acts had two chart-toppers.
List of Hot Soul Singles number ones of 1976 | Introduction
An asterisk (*) after a song title means that the song lost and then regained the number-one spot.
List of Billboard number-one R&amp;B singles of the 1940s | Number-one R&B songs
After Soul II Soul's breakthrough R&B hits "Keep on Movin'" and "Back to Life" in 1989, existing black soul acts, including Omar and acid jazz bands Incognito, Jamiroquai, and Brand New Heavies, were now able to pursue mainstream recording careers. Particularly noticeable was the proliferation of British female black singers including Mica Paris, Caron Wheeler, Gabrielle and Heather Small.
Music of the United Kingdom (1990s) | Soul
34 in the Hot 100.
Latin R&amp;B | History
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs is a chart published by "Billboard" that ranks the top-performing songs in the United States in African-American-oriented musical genres; the chart has undergone various name changes since its launch in 1942 to reflect the evolution of such genres. In 1977, it was published under the title Hot Soul Singles. During that year, 21 different singles topped the chart, based on playlists submitted by radio stations and surveys of retail sales outlets. In the issue of "Billboard" dated January 1, the group Rose Royce was at number one with "Car Wash", the song's second week in the top spot.
List of Hot Soul Singles number ones of 1977 | Introduction
Alternative R&B (also referred to as alt-R&B, PBR&B, indie R&B, experimental R&B, hipster R&B and emo R&B) is a term used by music journalists to describe a stylistic alternative to contemporary R&B.
Alternative R&amp;B | Introduction
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs is a chart published by "Billboard" that ranks the top-performing songs in the United States in African-American-oriented musical genres; the chart has undergone various name changes since its launch in 1942 to reflect the evolution of such genres. In 1970, it was published under the title Best Selling Soul Singles. During that year, 16 different singles topped the chart, based on playlists submitted by radio stations and surveys of retail sales outlets. In the issue of "Billboard" dated January 3, Diana Ross & the Supremes were at number one with "Someday We'll Be Together", the song's fourth and final week in the top spot.
List of Best Selling Soul Singles number ones of 1970 | Introduction
Impactful and underrated Birmingham soul is a driving and strongly rhythmic style, which combined elements of gospel music with the uptempo energy of R&B. As a soul city it is thoroughly influenced by the hard driving "southern soul" of the Civil Rights Movement era and the musical and social legacy of that time. The rise of Muscle Shoals Alabama as a recording center was in part influenced by professional musicians coming north from Birmingham such as Barry Beckett, of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section also known as the "Swampers" and bringing their musical influence with them to the Tennessee Valley.
Soul music | Birmingham soul