Rhythm and blues - Revision history

Edb: Expand the comprehensive music catalogue with reviewed distinct performances; prioritize recent discovery, retain good older music and preserve existing prose, recordings and fields.

2026-10-22T12:55:02Z

Expand the comprehensive music catalogue with reviewed distinct performances; prioritize recent discovery, retain good older music and preserve existing prose, recordings and fields.

Show changes

Edb: Add canonical MuGlobe favorite, current-hit and authentic fields to all recording links; preserve existing music and article content

2026-10-22T02:33:35Z

Add canonical MuGlobe favorite, current-hit and authentic fields to all recording links; preserve existing music and article content

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:33, 22 October 2026
Line 22:		Line 22:
	{\| class="wikitable muglobe-performances"		{\| class="wikitable muglobe-performances"
	\|+ MuGlobe representative performances		\|+ MuGlobe representative performances
	! Artist !! Performance / song / title !! Embedded player URL !! Notes		! Artist !! Performance / song / title !! Embedded player URL !! Notes !! Repertoire kind !! Repertoire date !! Recording date !! Format !! Opening !! Places !! Fit !! Evidence !! Review note !! MuGlobe favorite !! Current hit !! Authentic
	\|-		\|-
	\| Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five \|\| Caldonia — The Ed Sullivan Show, 1957 \|\| https://www.youtube.com/embed/UdMRcZ-y9wM \|\| The licensed television archive supplies a short jump-blues ensemble performance, an important part of early rhythm-and-blues history.<ref name="performance-rhythm-and-blues-1">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdMRcZ-y9wM Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five — Caldonia — The Ed Sullivan Show, 1957]. YouTube recording; metadata checked 2026-10-18.</ref>		\| Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five \|\| Caldonia — The Ed Sullivan Show, 1957 \|\| https://www.youtube.com/embed/UdMRcZ-y9wM \|\| The licensed television archive supplies a short jump-blues ensemble performance, an important part of early rhythm-and-blues history.<ref name="performance-rhythm-and-blues-1">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdMRcZ-y9wM Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five — Caldonia — The Ed Sullivan Show, 1957]. YouTube recording; metadata checked 2026-10-18.</ref> \|\| unknown \|\| unknown \|\| unknown \|\| unknown \|\| unknown \|\| unknown \|\| pending \|\| [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdMRcZ-y9wM Existing recording] \|\| Legacy accepted recording retained during curation-field migration; no new age or geographic claims. \|\| <muglobe-flag video="UdMRcZ-y9wM" field="muglobeFavorite" /> \|\| <muglobe-flag video="UdMRcZ-y9wM" field="currentHit" /> \|\| <muglobe-flag video="UdMRcZ-y9wM" field="authentic" />
	\|-		\|-
	\| Ruth Brown \|\| Hey Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean — live \|\| https://www.youtube.com/embed/BqmGZRGvKC8 \|\| A credited live video presents a foundational R&B singer and song, emphasizing vocal personality and rhythmic phrasing.<ref name="performance-rhythm-and-blues-2">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqmGZRGvKC8 Ruth Brown — Hey Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean — live]. YouTube recording; metadata checked 2026-10-18.</ref>		\| Ruth Brown \|\| Hey Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean — live \|\| https://www.youtube.com/embed/BqmGZRGvKC8 \|\| A credited live video presents a foundational R&B singer and song, emphasizing vocal personality and rhythmic phrasing.<ref name="performance-rhythm-and-blues-2">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqmGZRGvKC8 Ruth Brown — Hey Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean — live]. YouTube recording; metadata checked 2026-10-18.</ref> \|\| unknown \|\| unknown \|\| unknown \|\| unknown \|\| unknown \|\| unknown \|\| pending \|\| [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqmGZRGvKC8 Existing recording] \|\| Legacy accepted recording retained during curation-field migration; no new age or geographic claims. \|\| <muglobe-flag video="BqmGZRGvKC8" field="muglobeFavorite" /> \|\| <muglobe-flag video="BqmGZRGvKC8" field="currentHit" /> \|\| <muglobe-flag video="BqmGZRGvKC8" field="authentic" />
	\|-		\|-
	\| Ray Charles and the Raelettes featuring Billy Preston \|\| What’d I Say — The Ed Sullivan Show, 1967 \|\| https://www.youtube.com/embed/pVwIMNkTPSc \|\| The television archive identifies the accompanying singers and Preston, demonstrating R&B’s gospel-derived call-and-response in a staged band performance.<ref name="performance-rhythm-and-blues-3">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVwIMNkTPSc Ray Charles and the Raelettes featuring Billy Preston — What’d I Say — The Ed Sullivan Show, 1967]. YouTube recording; metadata checked 2026-10-18.</ref>		\| Ray Charles and the Raelettes featuring Billy Preston \|\| What’d I Say — The Ed Sullivan Show, 1967 \|\| https://www.youtube.com/embed/pVwIMNkTPSc \|\| The television archive identifies the accompanying singers and Preston, demonstrating R&B’s gospel-derived call-and-response in a staged band performance.<ref name="performance-rhythm-and-blues-3">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVwIMNkTPSc Ray Charles and the Raelettes featuring Billy Preston — What’d I Say — The Ed Sullivan Show, 1967]. YouTube recording; metadata checked 2026-10-18.</ref> \|\| unknown \|\| unknown \|\| unknown \|\| unknown \|\| unknown \|\| unknown \|\| pending \|\| [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVwIMNkTPSc Existing recording] \|\| Legacy accepted recording retained during curation-field migration; no new age or geographic claims. \|\| <muglobe-flag video="pVwIMNkTPSc" field="muglobeFavorite" /> \|\| <muglobe-flag video="pVwIMNkTPSc" field="currentHit" /> \|\| <muglobe-flag video="pVwIMNkTPSc" field="authentic" />
	\|}		\|}

Edb: Add sourced representative performance playlist; preserve article prose and hotspot mushrooms

2026-10-18T18:02:38Z

Add sourced representative performance playlist; preserve article prose and hotspot mushrooms

muglobe-article
← Older revision		Revision as of 18:02, 18 October 2026
Line 16:		Line 16:
	== Artists ==		== Artists ==
	Louis Jordan, Ruth Brown, Wynonie Harris, Big Joe Turner, Fats Domino, Ray Charles, Etta James and vocal groups such as the Drifters offer contrasting introductions. Each career crosses categories and periods, so individual recordings are the best starting points. Band members and arrangers also matter: a repeated horn phrase or piano figure can be as recognizable as the singer. Compare a small-combo shuffle, a rolling New Orleans recording and a vocal-harmony ballad. Their differences reveal why a broad historical family is more useful than a rigid checklist of instruments.		Louis Jordan, Ruth Brown, Wynonie Harris, Big Joe Turner, Fats Domino, Ray Charles, Etta James and vocal groups such as the Drifters offer contrasting introductions. Each career crosses categories and periods, so individual recordings are the best starting points. Band members and arrangers also matter: a repeated horn phrase or piano figure can be as recognizable as the singer. Compare a small-combo shuffle, a rolling New Orleans recording and a vocal-harmony ballad. Their differences reveal why a broad historical family is more useful than a rigid checklist of instruments.

			== Representative performances ==
			These recordings offer listening examples of the genre. Notes identify the performance setting and any adaptation or mixed repertoire.

			{\| class="wikitable muglobe-performances"
			\|+ MuGlobe representative performances
			! Artist !! Performance / song / title !! Embedded player URL !! Notes
			\|-
			\| Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five \|\| Caldonia — The Ed Sullivan Show, 1957 \|\| https://www.youtube.com/embed/UdMRcZ-y9wM \|\| The licensed television archive supplies a short jump-blues ensemble performance, an important part of early rhythm-and-blues history.<ref name="performance-rhythm-and-blues-1">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdMRcZ-y9wM Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five — Caldonia — The Ed Sullivan Show, 1957]. YouTube recording; metadata checked 2026-10-18.</ref>
			\|-
			\| Ruth Brown \|\| Hey Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean — live \|\| https://www.youtube.com/embed/BqmGZRGvKC8 \|\| A credited live video presents a foundational R&B singer and song, emphasizing vocal personality and rhythmic phrasing.<ref name="performance-rhythm-and-blues-2">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqmGZRGvKC8 Ruth Brown — Hey Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean — live]. YouTube recording; metadata checked 2026-10-18.</ref>
			\|-
			\| Ray Charles and the Raelettes featuring Billy Preston \|\| What’d I Say — The Ed Sullivan Show, 1967 \|\| https://www.youtube.com/embed/pVwIMNkTPSc \|\| The television archive identifies the accompanying singers and Preston, demonstrating R&B’s gospel-derived call-and-response in a staged band performance.<ref name="performance-rhythm-and-blues-3">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVwIMNkTPSc Ray Charles and the Raelettes featuring Billy Preston — What’d I Say — The Ed Sullivan Show, 1967]. YouTube recording; metadata checked 2026-10-18.</ref>
			\|}

	== Related genres ==		== Related genres ==
Line 2:		Line 2:
	"category": "genre",		"category": "genre",
	"templatePageId": 17,		"templatePageId": 17,
	"templateRevisionId": 86,		"templateRevisionId": 1065,
	"templateVersion": 8		"templateVersion": 9
	}		}

Edb: Create researched genre article and inferred regional musical landscapes; Ed’s approved authoring method

2026-10-18T02:08:02Z

Create researched genre article and inferred regional musical landscapes; Ed’s approved authoring method

New page

== Summary ==
Rhythm and blues names a changing African American popular-music field rather than one stable rhythm or ensemble. In its historical sense it includes postwar blues-derived bands, vocal groups and dance-oriented recordings that helped reshape American popular sound. Later usage encompasses different soul, funk and contemporary R&B relationships. This article emphasizes the historical family while acknowledging that living terminology. The music's cultural identity rests in Black creativity, social dancing, expressive language and community institutions, not simply in the commercial category once used to organize record sales. <ref name="smith-rnb">[https://folklife.si.edu/magazine/freedom-sounds-tell-it-like-it-is-a-history-of-rhythm-and-blues Tell It Like It Is: A History of Rhythm and Blues — Smithsonian Folklife].</ref>

== Contemporary and trending ==
Historical repertoire remains active through performance, family listening, specialist radio, dance communities and reinterpretation. Artists working in blues, soul and roots traditions carry selected approaches forward, while current R&B uses a related name for a substantially changed musical field. Those continuities should not erase difference. A listener who expects a contemporary sparse vocal production may find a 1940s or 1950s rhythm-and-blues band startlingly different. Both become easier to understand when the article separates changing musical practice from the persistence of an industry label and an inherited family of expressive resources.

== History ==
The term gained currency as the recording industry changed its language for Black popular music. Postwar urban growth and migration connected southern experience with northern and western entertainment networks. Jump blues, boogie-derived piano, vocal harmony, gospel resources and other approaches interacted in different local settings. The Smithsonian account emphasizes rhythmic breadth rather than one compulsory pattern. Musicians, dancers and listeners helped shape a public that commercial charts only partially represented. Subsequent rock-and-roll, soul and other categories emerged through overlapping practices rather than neat replacement of one finished genre by another. <ref name="folkways-blackmusic">[https://folkways-media.si.edu/docs/folkways/artwork/SFW47003.pdf The Sounds of Twentieth-Century America — Smithsonian Folkways liner notes].</ref>

== Musical characteristics ==
Listen to how the backbeat relates to bass movement, piano or guitar articulation and the singer's phrasing. A shuffle produces one kind of motion; a straighter pattern or differently accented dance rhythm produces another. Horn riffs can answer a vocal, build pressure or supply a short recognizable hook. Vocal-group blend changes the texture again. The Smithsonian history's varied examples are a reminder that rhythm-and-blues is not confined to a twelve-bar structure. Lyrics can describe work, desire, humor or everyday predicaments through a voice that makes familiar circumstances vivid. <ref name="smith-rnb" />

== Geography and communities ==
Southern, Great Lakes, northeastern and western American landscapes form connected source and continuing cultural worlds. Clubs and record companies were concentrated in cities, but performers and audiences connected them to smaller towns, migration routes and regional publics. Britain and continental Europe developed substantial adopted performance and collecting cultures, with additional specialist communities elsewhere. The fields therefore map broad musical familiarity rather than historic company addresses. They also avoid treating every later R&B listener as a devoted participant in the older band-centered style: historical inheritance and present genre preference can overlap without being identical.

== Artists ==
Louis Jordan, Ruth Brown, Wynonie Harris, Big Joe Turner, Fats Domino, Ray Charles, Etta James and vocal groups such as the Drifters offer contrasting introductions. Each career crosses categories and periods, so individual recordings are the best starting points. Band members and arrangers also matter: a repeated horn phrase or piano figure can be as recognizable as the singer. Compare a small-combo shuffle, a rolling New Orleans recording and a vocal-harmony ballad. Their differences reveal why a broad historical family is more useful than a rigid checklist of instruments.

== Related genres ==
Blues, jazz, gospel, rock and roll, soul and contemporary R&B share musicians and selected musical resources with this field. Commercial naming has sometimes concealed those relationships or distributed credit unequally. Careful listening restores attention to the craft of Black singers, instrumentalists and writers without assuming that every later style sounds the same. Rhythm and blues offers a way to hear social motion becoming musical motion: an ensemble organizes a compelling pulse, a voice places experience inside it, and an audience responds through recognition, humor, dancing and repeated return.

=== References and further reading ===
<references />

* [https://www.allmusic.com/style/ma0000002809 AllMusic — R&B]

== Hotspot mushrooms ==
Historical R&B source landscapes extend through southern roots and northern/western migration-linked publics. Adopted overseas roots-music and dance cultures appear more softly than American core regions.

These fields are editorial illustrations of musical affinity and cultural reach, not listener statistics. Radius marks the zero edge of the fade; overlapping fields of this genre combine by maximum.

{| class="wikitable muglobe-hotspots"
|+ MuGlobe hotspot mushrooms
! ID !! Location !! Latitude !! Longitude !! Radius (km) !! Strength !! Notes

|-
| rhythm-and-blues-south || Southern American Rhythm and blues landscape || 33 || -88 || 1900 || 1 || Sustained regional production, shared listening and cultural adoption beyond individual venues; soft edge is an editorial interpretation, not measured audience share.

|-
| rhythm-and-blues-north || Great Lakes and northeastern Rhythm and blues landscape || 41 || -82 || 1900 || 0.95 || Sustained regional production, shared listening and cultural adoption beyond individual venues; soft edge is an editorial interpretation, not measured audience share.

|-
| rhythm-and-blues-west || Western American Rhythm and blues landscape || 36 || -119 || 1650 || 0.8 || Sustained regional production, shared listening and cultural adoption beyond individual venues; soft edge is an editorial interpretation, not measured audience share.

|-
| rhythm-and-blues-britain || British Rhythm and blues adopted landscape || 54 || -2 || 1100 || 0.8 || Sustained regional production, shared listening and cultural adoption beyond individual venues; soft edge is an editorial interpretation, not measured audience share.

|-
| rhythm-and-blues-europe || Continental European Rhythm and blues circuit || 49 || 9 || 1750 || 0.6 || Sustained regional production, shared listening and cultural adoption beyond individual venues; soft edge is an editorial interpretation, not measured audience share.

|-
| rhythm-and-blues-japan || Japanese Rhythm and blues specialist circuit || 36 || 137 || 1050 || 0.5 || Sustained regional production, shared listening and cultural adoption beyond individual venues; soft edge is an editorial interpretation, not measured audience share.

|}