Rock and Roll and Rhythm and blues

What Is Rock ’n’ Roll Music?

Rock ’n’ roll is a popular music genre that combines elements of rhythm and blues
(R&B), jazz, and country music with the addition of electric instruments. Originally
associated with youth revolt and transgression, the genre is known for energetic
performances, catchy melodies, and often insightful lyrics.i

In the earliest rock and roll styles, either the piano or saxophone was typically the lead
instrument. These instruments were generally replaced or supplemented by guitar in the
middle to late 1950s.[9] The beat is essentially a dance rhythm[10] with an
accentuated backbeat, almost always provided by a snare drum.[11] Classic rock and roll
is usually played with one or two electric guitars (one lead, one rhythm) and a double
bass (string bass). After the mid-1950s, electric bass guitars ("Fender bass") and drum
kits became popular in classic rock.[9]

Origins[edit]

Main article: Origins of rock and roll

There is general agreement that it arose in the Southern United States - through the
meeting of various influences that embodied a merging of the African musical tradition
with European instrumentation. .[33] The migration of many former slaves and their
descendants to major urban centers such as St. Louis, Memphis, New York
City, Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland, and Buffalo meant that black and white residents
were living in close proximity in larger numbers than ever before, and as a result heard
each other's music and even began to emulate each other's fashions.[34][35] Radio stations
that made white and black forms of music available to both groups, the development
and spread of the gramophone record, and African-American musical styles such
as jazz and swing which were taken up by white musicians, aided this process of
"cultural collision".[36]
The immediate roots of rock and roll lay in the rhythm and blues, then called "race
music",[37] in combination with either boogie-woogie and shouting gospel[38] or
with country music of the 1940s and 1950s. Particularly significant influences were
jazz, blues, gospel, country, and folk.[32] Commentators differ in their views of which of
these forms were most important and the degree to which the new music was a re-
branding of African-American rhythm and blues for a white market, or a new hybrid of
black and white forms.[39][40][41]ii

4 Characteristics of Rock ’n’ Roll Music

Rock music is highly eclectic with varying characteristics across its many subgenres,
but there are a few consistent traits.

1. 1. Energy: Compared to earlier forms of popular music like big band and show-
tune standards, rock music offers surging, propulsive energy. As a result, early
rock ’n’ roll appealed heavily to teenagers.

2. 2. Propulsive rhythms: Most rock music is written in the 4/4 time signature,
although some rock classics have been penned in triple meter like 3/4 and 12/8.
Rock tempos vary immensely, but many rockers favor a range of 100 to 140
beats per minute.

3. 3. Electric instruments and drum kits: Most rock bands are anchored around an
electric guitar, electric bass, and drum kit. Some bands have keyboard players,
and many rock guitarists double on acoustic guitar, but the core of the band
tends to be electric (and often quite loud). Virtuoso rock musicians include
guitarist Jimi Hendrix, drummer Neal Peart, bassist John Entwistle, and
keyboardist Keith Emerson.

4. 4. A wide array of lyrical subjects: Compared to the blues, country, folk, big
band, and swing music that preceded it, rock music allows for a vast range of
lyrical content. Some rockers—including Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Leonard
 Cohen, Morrissey, and Jeff Tweedy—have written lyrics considered to be in
league with fine poetry.iii

Cultural influence[edit]

Main article: Social effects of rock music

Rock and roll influenced lifestyles, fashion, attitudes, and language.[123] In addition,
rock and roll may have contributed to the civil rights movement because both African-
American and white American teens enjoyed the music.[12]

Many early rock and roll songs dealt with issues of cars, school, dating, and clothing.
The lyrics of rock and roll songs described events and conflicts to which most listeners
could relate through personal experience. Topics such as sex that had generally been
considered taboo began to appear in rock and roll lyrics. This new music tried to break
boundaries and express emotions that people were actually feeling but had not
discussed openly. An awakening began to take place in American youth culture.[124]

Race[edit]

In the crossover of African-American "race music" to a growing white youth audience,

the popularization of rock and roll involved both black performers reaching a white
audience and white musicians performing African-American music.[125]

The coming together of white youth audiences and black music in rock and roll
inevitably provoked strong white racist reactions within the US, with many whites
condemning its breaking down of barriers based on color.[12] Many observers saw rock
and roll as heralding the way for desegregation, in creating a new form of music that
encouraged racial cooperation and shared experience.[127] Many authors have argued
that early rock and roll was instrumental in the way both white and black teenagers
identified themselves.[128]

Teen culture[edit]
Main article: Youth subculture

Several rock historians have claimed that rock and roll was one of the first music genres
to define an age group.[129] It gave teenagers a sense of belonging, even when they were
alone.[129] Rock and roll is often identified with the emergence of teen culture who had
greater relative affluence and leisure time and adopted rock and roll as part of a distinct
subculture.[130] This involved not just music, but also extended to film, clothes, hair,
cars and motorcycles, and distinctive language. The youth culture exemplified by rock
and roll was a recurring source of concern for older generations, who worried about
juvenile delinquency and social rebellion, particularly because, to a large extent, rock
and roll culture was shared by different racial and social groups.[130]

Dance styles[edit]

From its early 1950s beginnings through the early 1960s, rock and roll spawned
new dance crazes[133] including the twist. Teenagers found the
syncopated backbeat rhythm, Sock hops, school and church gym dances, and home
basement dance parties became the rage. From the mid-1960s on, as "rock and roll" was
rebranded as "rock," later dance genres followed, leading to funk, disco, house, techno,
and hip hop. iv

What Is R&B Music?

Rhythm and blues, commonly known as R&B, is a musical genre developed by Black
Americans in the 1940s that’s been continuously refined through the present day. R&B
derived from gospel, jazz, folk, and traditional blues music and emerged in tandem with
rock ‘n’ roll.

R&B notably diverged from rock music in later decades. Contemporary R&B is often
driven by keyboards, synthesizers, strong bass lines, and looped drum beats. In this
sense, it has more in common with hip hop than rock music. Contemporary R&B songs
regularly top charts, making R&B one of the most commercially successful genres in
the modern music industry.
A Brief History of R&B Music

In the 1940s, R&B music exploded in urban centers like New York, Chicago, Detroit,
Philadelphia, and Los Angeles—all of which had seen increased Black American
presence due to the Great Migration.

• Roots in southern church music: Many musicians steeped in blues and Black
American church music brought new songs from the south, and eventually
secured recording contracts in northern cities. Their music emphasized electric
guitars, double bass, piano, and drum sets.

• R&B meets rock ‘n’ roll: The genre’s early stars were simultaneously
categorized as R&B and rock ‘n' roll. These included James Brown, Fats
Domino, and Little Richard. Chicago’s Chess Records promoted R&B singers
who crossed over into blues such as Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry, both of
whom were also categorized rock performers. In the 1950s, R&B still shared
nearly all its musical characteristics with rock ‘n’ roll, yet both genres took on
racial connotations as a result of widespread segregation. In the 1950s and ’60s,
nearly all white artists playing blues-based pop music were categorized as rock
‘n’ roll; meanwhile, most Black musicians playing songs with the same
influences were branded R&B artists.

• R&B deviated from rock in the 1960s: Crooners like Etta James and Sam Cooke
brought a smoother veneer to pop music while white rockers pushed toward
heavier sounds and psychedelic experimentation. R&B began to share more
commonalities with the burgeoning genre of soul music. In Detroit, soul label
Motown Records produced a commercially polished sound centered around
glamorous singers and propulsive rhythm sections. In Memphis, Stax Records
merged southern blues with soulful crooning from the likes of Otis Redding and
Carla Thomas.

• R&B evolved further in the ’70s: R&B musicians began experimenting with
syncopated rhythms and more Afrocentric lyrical content in the 1970s. Artists
such as Isaac Hayes and the Reverend Al Green mixed church music, African
rhythms, and expanded instrumentation into R&B, leading to the development
of funk and disco.
 • Smooth R&B: In recent decades, R&B music pushed away from guitars and
toward a smooth sound geared toward dance clubs and urban radio. R&B
vocalists like Toni Braxton, Mariah Carey, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson,
Boyz II Men, TLC, Usher and Lauryn Hill racked up hits and Grammys by
emphasizing melismatic, soulful singing and catchy melodies. Beyoncé, Drake,
and Mary J. Blige have pushed the rhythmic boundaries of R&B by
collaborating with rappers and electronic producers.

The present-day R&B scene has changed notably from that of the 1950s and 1960s, yet
it remains one of the most popular genres in American music.

3 Characteristics of Classic R&B

Classic R&B of the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s is united by several key elements.

1. 1. Strong overlap with rock music: Many of the best R&B acts of this early
era were co-categorized as rock ‘n' roll. These predominantly Black artists in
turn inspired many white rock bands, including the Beatles and the Rolling
Stones.

2. 2. Guitar-based instrumentation: The electric guitar was the central

instrument in early R&B. It was backed by drums, a double bass (later an
electric bass guitar), and piano. Melodies were performed by lead vocalists or
the occasional saxophone.

3. 3. Inspiration from blues and church music: Many early R&B artists were
steeped in blues and gospel traditions. Some R&B albums from this era contain
openly Christian themes, while others reworked blues standards for
contemporary audiences.

3 Characteristics of Contemporary R&B

Contemporary R&B music shares some traits with the original R&B genre but differs in
notable ways.
 1. 1. Keyboard-based instrumentation: While early R&B was driven by guitars,
most contemporary R&B is based around keyboards, synthesizers, and drum
machines. Some R&B singers, like Alicia Keys, favor acoustic piano, but many
others embrace electronic keyboards and software loops.

2. 2. Incorporation of hip hop: In recent years, the line between hip hop and
R&B has blurred. Bryson Tiller's debut album Trapsoul and Drake's
debut Thank Me Later feature equal parts singing and rapping. The trend dates
back to the 1980s, when producers Teddy Riley and Bernard Belle introduced
the "new jack swing" style of production.

3. 3. Smooth, melismatic vocals: R&B singers like Luther Vandross, Whitney

Houston, and Mariah Carey made vocal virtuosity an integral part of the genre
upheld by artists like Jazmine Sullivan, Alicia Keys, and Erykah Badu.v

i https://www.masterclass.com/articles/rock-n-roll-music-guide

ii https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_and_roll

iii https://www.masterclass.com/articles/rock-n-roll-music-guide

iv https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_and_roll

v https://www.masterclass.com/articles/r-and-b-music-guide