The Black Music Discussion, Pt. 1
Music lover DLT, recently put forth a great series of questions about R&B and its various genres.
DLT: So...when did "soul music" become "R&B"?
TG: Hmm. I’d have to dig a little deeper to be more definitive. But I think “R&B” was originally coined as a radio station format, back in the day, in order to market black music in a more palatable way. (I would assume, as the music became more popular, the term “race music” had less appeal...and limited marketability.)
I read an opinion that Michael Jackson's classic Off The Wall (1979) is considered to be the “nexus” where soul, disco, funk, and jazz converged. Sounds like a pretty hefty claim. But because I have so much love and respect for OTW—and great memories of my sister and I listening to it as kids—I think I will agree. Other albums of that specific era—such as Funkadelic's One Nation Under a Groove (1978), Earth, Wind & Fire's The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1 (1978), Stevie Wonder's Hotter than July (1980), and even Prince’s solid yet less iconic late-’70s work—fused several black forms of music, and helped form the beginnings of what we know as modern R&B.
But I digress. An entry on the Library of Congress website may shed a bit more light on the question at hand. Below is a quote from that article:
The term "rhythm and blues," often called "R&B," originated in the 1940s when it replaced "race music" as a general marketing term for all African American music, though it usually referred only to secular, not religious music. The term first appeared in commercial recording in 1948, when RCA Victor records began using "blues and rhythm" music as a descriptor for African American secular songs. The migration of African Americans to urban centers in the Northeast and Midwest during the early twentieth century helped to bring various regional styles of African American music together to influence one another. The migration also created new markets for these styles of music. Early on the term "rhythm and blues" was used for boogie woogie, African American swing, jazz, and blues. All of these styles influenced the development of what is called rhythm and blues today.
The National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame website is also a great source of information:
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. From 1960s to 1970s, several British bands such as the Rolling Stones, the Who and the Animals were referred to and promoted as being R&B bands. By the end of the 1970s, the term "rhythm and blues" had changed again and was used as a blanket term for soul and funk. In the late 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.
DLT: Is there a difference between “soul” and “classic soul”?
TG: I don't know that there's a general consensus on this. But oddly, I've heard radio announcers refer to “soul, funk, and R&B”…as if they were three separate genres/styles. What's more likely the case is that soul, blues, funk, and other black musical styles are parked under the umbrella of R&B...which itself has tended to evolve, over the decades. (Which is probably why you will get a different answer, depending on whom you ask.)
My personal thought is that “classic soul” is probably referencing the black music that began with Motown, up through the ’70s. “Soul” is probably more associated with the modern R&B era that started in the ’80s.
Labeling music is a tricky thing. It's not always fair, accurate, or consistent. And the labels seem to get more nuanced and confusing over time. But if the simplified reasoning above works for you...it works for me!
DLT: I'm curious, did you listen to soul and R&B, back in the day? Do you still?
TG: Of course! But as you know, not every black household had the same listening habits.
DLT: I know! My parents were so heavily into “classic” soul that it’s in my DNA. Aretha...Natalie...Patti! Oooo, CHILE!! And my dad and his two brothers were all about some Isaac Hayes, Curtis Mayfield, and Barry White!!!
TG: My grandparents were almost exclusively into church music…with a little Nat King Cole on the side. But as a youngster, old negro spirituals and 1940s jazz were not in my DNA. Instead, I was allowed (or basically forced) to seek out my own musical tastes and influences. Armed with my trusty, Radio Shack transistor radio, that's exactly what I did…all up and down the FM dial!
I credit that as the reason my musical tastes became so broad, so early on...and a bit unorthodox for a black kid! Because my tastes were not already defined by what my folks were listening to. For their part, they were too busy busting out hymns on the family piano. (Which is the “DNA” I got from them…that sacred love of playing piano!)
Then starting around age ten (the dawn of the 1980s), it was the music of my dad and uncle that got me into modern soul/funk/R&B. Stevie, EWF, Funkadelic, MJ, Sade...and of course Prince!
DLT: Prince’s music found me! In fact, all of my Prince was purchased by me...starting with the 45-RPM vinyl of “Erotic City.” Which segues perfectly into our next discussion topic: The Funk!
Now, that’s gonna be a great conversation! Not only will we be discussing “classic” funk, but also how it evolved, and went on to influence so much of today’s popular music. Stay tuned for "Part 2”…coming soon! In the meantime, feel free to join the discussion by commenting below.
For further edification…
Trust me, the handpicked links below are more authoritative, informative, and well-researched than my simple musings above. So go forth and be curious:
Library of Congress > Popular Songs of the Day > Rhythm & Blues
National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame > History of R&B Music
Carnagie Hall > Timeline of African American Music
Wikipedia > Off the Wall
(Michael Jackson’s all-time greatest album…yes, I said it!)