An explanation of my genre describing the history and how it is doing currently

1. *

2. Brief history of the genre of R&B
1920’s-1930’s
• The migration of African Americans to the urban industrial centres of Chicago, Detroit, New York, Los Angeles and
elsewhere in the 1920s and 1930s created a new market for jazz, blues, and related genres of music, often
performed by full-time musicians, either working alone or in small groups. The precursors of rhythm and blues came
from jazz and blues, which overlapped in the Late-1920s,1930s through the work of musicians such as the Harlem
Hamfats, with their 1936 hit "Oh Red", as well as Lonnie Johnson, Leroy Carr, Cab Calloway, Count Basie and T-Bone
Walker
1940’s
• 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
• In 1949, the term "Rhythm and Blues" replaced the Billboard category Harlem Hit Parade. Also in that year "The
Huckle-Buck" recorded by band leader and saxophonist Paul Williams, was the number 1 R&B tune, remaining on top
of the charts for nearly the entire year
1950’s
• 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 in 1952, 40% of Dolphin's
Records' sales (in an African-American area of Los Angeles) were to whites
• Ruth Brown on the Atlantic label, placed hits in the top 5 every year from 1951 through 1954
• Johnny Otis who had signed with the Newark, New Jersey-based Savoy Records, produced many R&B hits in 1951,
which hit number one that year. Otis scored ten top ten hits that year also
• Two Elvis Presley records made the R&B top five in 1957
• 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 #1 and two #2 hits

3. 1960’s-1970’s
• Sam Cooke's #5 hit "Chain Gang" is indicative of R&B in 1960, as is Chubby Checker's #5 hit "The Twist". By the early
1960s, the music industry category previously known as rhythm and blues was being called soul music, and similar
music by white artists was labelled blue eyed soul. Motown Records had its first million-selling single in 1960 with
The Miracles' "Shop Around“
• By the 1970s, the term rhythm and blues was being used as a blanket term for soul, funk, and disco. Around the
same time, earlier R&B was an influence on British pub rock and later, the mod revival. Now the term R&B is almost
always used instead of the full rhythm and blues, and mainstream use of the term usually refers to contemporary
R&B, which is a newer version of soul and funk-influenced pop music that originated as disco faded from popularity
1980’s-Present
• 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, TLC, Beyoncé, and Mary J. Blige, enjoyed success
• 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 Hot 100, and on Top 40 Radio. From about 2005 to 2013, R&B sales declined.

4. The highest R&B album at the moment is In ‘The Lonely Hour’ by Sam Smith currently
11th. Even though Sam Smith can be associated with R&B he mainly produces music
relating to pop, so this could be counted out. However you would only need to move
two more places to 13th where there is Beauty Behind the Madness produced by the
Weeknd.

5. Following this the 23rd album in the charts is Royalty by Chris Brown who is a popular
R&B/ Hip Hop artist. This shows that there is popularity within the R&B genre.
However there are not too many other albums within the charts after that; R&B
albums are obviously less popular than Pop for example.

6. Looking at the charts for singles, there is a very positive representation of R&B. This is
because of the four R&B songs that are very close to the number 1, ‘IN2’ by WSTRN,
‘Hotline Bling’ by Drake, ‘The Hills’ and ‘Can’t Feel My Face’ by The Weeknd. This
shows the popularity of R&B singles very well.