Historical Influences
I have chosen the genre of R&B (Rhythm 'n' Blues) for my music magazine. This is because it is the main genre of music I listen to and it's the genre I am most familiar with. Therefore, I can relate to it because I know a rough idea of what the audience want and what the target audience is. Also, because the genre is very interesting because many artists that have completely different personalities are classed as R&B and some of these artists also are known to be a pop artists.
I can't really remember when I was first introduced to R&B music because it has been played around the house by my parents ever since I was really young. Also, my dad plays lots of different genres of music all the time and this genre stands out for me and is my favourite to listen to. Artists that I listen to are; Rihanna, Beyonce, Christina Aguilara and many others.
Artists
Here are some of the popular R&B artists:
Rihanna
I like the sound of Rihanna's music and thats why I listen to her. Also because I like her fashion, so I can relate to her.
Beyonce
She was born on September 4th 1981 in Houston, Texas, Beyoncé Knowles first captured the public's eye as lead vocalist of the R&B group Destiny's Child. She later established a solo career, becoming one of music's top-selling artists with sold-out tours and a slew of awards. Knowles has also starred in several films, including Dream Girls. She married hip-hop recording artist Jay-Z in 2008.
I listen to Beyonce because her music is upbeat and there are good songs to dance to. Also, my mum used to listen to her all the time so it is familiar to me. I can also relate to Beyonce because she is very fashionable.
I listen to Beyonce because her music is upbeat and there are good songs to dance to. Also, my mum used to listen to her all the time so it is familiar to me. I can also relate to Beyonce because she is very fashionable.
Christina Aguilara
Singer/Songwriter Christina Maria Aguilera was born on December 18th 1980 in Staten Island, New York. Aguilera began her career as a cast member on The New Mickey Mouse Club. She rapidly rose to stardom following the release of her hit single, "Genie In A Bottle," which earned her a Grammy award for Best New Artist. Her other hit singles include "What A Girl Wants," "Come on Over Baby," "Lady Marmalade" and the sexually charged "Dirrty." I like Christina Aguilara because she has a unique, inspiring voice, which makes me want to listen to her. My mum also used to listen to Christina Aguilara when I was growing up, so I have been listening to it my whole life.
Here are some videos of these artists performing
This is Rihanna's music video to one of her number 1 singles - 'S&M'. This relates to me because I always hear it in day to day life and it's a popular song which is drip fed in society by being played on the radio a lot and the more you hear something it gets stuck in your mind to make people want to listen to it.
This is Beyonce's music video to one of her many number 1 singles over the years - 'Single Ladies'. I enjoy listening to Beyonce like many other teenage girls because she is glamorous and girls inspire to be like her, which makes her a role model. I also enjoy listening to her because her style and image.
This is Christina Aguilara's music video to one of her number one singles - 'Candyman'. I listen to Christina Aguilara because her songs are very upbeat and she dances in a lot of her performances, which I enjoy because I enjoy performing.
History of R&B
The blues was mutating according to the changing social and artistic landscape. The 32 beats of white pop music, the dramatic emphasis of gospel singers, the heavy rhythm of jump blues, the tight brassy riffs of swing orchestras, the witty attitude of minstrel shows, all had a role in making blues music more malleable and entertaining. Transplanted in the dancehalls, the juke joints and the vaudeville theaters, blues music became energetic and exuberant. Form (arrangement, rhythm and vocal style) began to prevail over content (message and emotion). While the lyrics were still repeating the traditional themes of segregation, the music was largely abandoning its original traits.70's R&B
The entire makeup of R&B music has done a complete 180-degree shift from the 1970s to the present. In the 70s, R&B music was all about setting a personal identity, both musically and vocally; it was about defining your own sound. Bands never sounded the same. Even the artists that shared the same sub-genres that are found within 70s R&B (Philly soul, the Ohio sound, the Motown sound) had uniqueness to their music. However, there are two factors which contributed to the demise of individualism in R&B music:1) Disco:
Although disco had an extremely short run as a musical fad (it's height was from 1977-1979), it did extensive damage to the individualistic qualities that made 70's R&B so diverse. Mind you, this was a slow transition. But by the time 1980 rolled around, many artists had shifted their focus from R&B to the more pop-minded sophisticated-funk-disco style of R&B. This type of R&B lacked the edginess that was present in the music beforehand, and helped kickstart the conformist principles that would haunt the R&B genre through the 1980s.
2) 1980s instruments:
The 1980s saw a dramatic change in instrumentation within R&B music. While synthesizers and vocoders had been around for ages (electronic music developers Wendy Carlos and Robert Moog created one of the first musical vocoders in 1970), The drum machine was a fairly new development, and the most crucial implement in the shift from idiosyncratic R&B to the more conventional R&B that would be the norm through the 1980s, and even through to today.
How R&B has changed over the years
This mood board shows how R&B artists have changed over the years. It demonstrates how the style and the image of the artists have changed.
Some R&B artists from the 1950's are;
Johnny Ace
He was rock's first tragedy that was a smooth balladeer that influenced countless R&B tenors. He was one of the most popular black artists and every song charted. He was also an Urban bluesman and pianist, who mastered many genre's styles. Later on in his life he accidentally shot himself in backstage of a concert on Christmas night with his won pistol and it was rumoured that he was playing Russian Roulette but he was actually put it up against his head to show that the pistol wasn't loaded.
Big Joe Turner
He was the key player on the Kansas City Jazz scene of the thirties and his voice was amoung the loudest in Rock and Roll history. he first made a name for himself on the Kansas City Curcuit as a singing bartender. At the age of 43, he had become a major influence on the latest teen craze and was nicknamed 'The Boss of the Blues'.
Chuck Willis
He was known as 'The King of the Stroll' for his slow R&B groove and was an important bridge between R&B and soul. He got his start in his native Atlanta, singing at YMCA youth dances; by his early twenties, he was a fixture on the local scene, fronting not one but two local bands.
Clyde McPhatter
He was the first R&B singer to inject Gospel into his performances which helped to create soul music. He sang many influential songs by the Dominoes and The Drifters before he started his solo career and his remarkable high tenor inspired influenced everyone from Smokey Robinson to Aaron Neville.
Etta James
She was an R&B, Blues, Gospel, Soul and Jazz artist and was ones of worlds greatest R&B and blues divas. She gave R&B a big boost into the mainstream and helped develop the rock craze in the process with her 1955 hit "The Wallflower" (a/k/a "Roll With Me, Henry"). Her signature song, 1961's "At Last," is one of the most popular wedding soundtracks of all time. She was a major influence on rough blues-rock singers such as Janis Joplin, Bonnie Raitt, and Rod Stewart and was well-known for her saucy and sometimes scandalous stage demeanor.
Hank Ballard and the Midnighters
The Midnighters were a crucial link between R&B and Rock and Roll and were initially known as the Royales, a doo-wop group formed at Detroit's Dunbar High School in 1951; when they entered a talent show at the local Paradise Theater, bandleader and talent scout Johnny Otis (later of "Willie and the Hand Jive" fame) was impressed enough to sign them to the Federal label. Their first single, "Every Beat Of My Heart," was written by Otis for another Paradise discovery, Jackie Wilson, but the Royals' version, inspired by the smooth sound of Sonny Til and the Orioles, went nowhere.
Jackie Wilson
He was one of R&B's first big crossover stars and helped bring about the foundation of "soul" music. He brought an operatic vocal method to pop and R&B and developed a stage show that practically defined rock showmanship and was a tremendous influence on Elvis Presley, James Brown, Michael Jackson, and other flamboyant rock stars.
LaVern Baker
She was one of the first R&B artists to cross over onto the pop charts as a rock and roll act and one of the most successful female R&B artists of her era. She was also the first black artist to file a legal grievance against white artists who produced pop covers of their hits and was a pioneer in bringing gospel vocal stylings to secular music. She was one of the first R&B acts to appear on The Ed Sullivan Show, opening the genre to middle American ears and created a sultry yet hard image that inspires female R&B singers to this day.
Lloyd Prince.
He created one of the first rock and roll songs with 1952's massive hit "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" and was Instrumental in transforming blues and R&B into rock and roll and also pure pop. He also brought full swing-band orchestration into R&B and rock and roll and was an underrated vocalist who possessed incredible power and clarity and epitomized classic New Orleans rock and roll.
What Influence has other Media Platforms had?
MTV has influenced R&B music because of the way they represent it. They always have it on the MTV music channel, which drip feeds people R&B music becasue if they put on the channel they have to listen to that and by it being on all the time, people get into it and begin to like it and start listening to it more and more. People can then tell their friends about what they like and then their friends can get into the music.This increased the audience that listen to R&B and this made R&B music more popular over the years.
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