Portal:Rhythm and blues

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Wikipedia's Rhythm and Blues Portal

Introduction

Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated within the African-American community in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to African Americans, at a time when "rocking, jazz based music ... [with a] heavy, insistent beat" was becoming more popular. In the commercial rhythm and blues music typical of the 1950s through the 1970s, the bands usually consisted of a piano, one or two guitars, bass, drums, one or more saxophones, and sometimes background vocalists. R&B lyrical themes often encapsulate the African-American history and experience of pain and the quest for freedom and joy, as well as triumphs and failures in terms of societal racism, oppression, relationships, economics, and aspirations.

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 had contributed to the development of rock and roll, the term "R&B" became used in a wider context. It referred to music styles that developed from and incorporated electric blues, as well as gospel and soul music. By the 1970s, the term "rhythm and blues" had changed once again and was used as a blanket term for soul and funk. (Full article...)

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"My Boo" is a duet between Usher and Alicia Keys, written by Jermaine Dupri, Keys, Usher, Manuel Seal and Adonis Shropshire. Set over a hip hop-style track, the song was produced by Dupri. It was included in the re-release of Usher's fourth album Confessions. The song received mixed reviews from critics, and garnered awards.

The song was released as the fourth single from the album in 2004. The single stayed on the top of Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks, but failed to equal the success of the album's first two releases, "Yeah!" and "Burn".

Usher and American R&B-soul singer Alicia Keys had previously collaborated with the remix of Keys' 2004 single "If I Ain't Got You", which was released in the United Kingdom. During the production of Usher's fourth studio album, Confessions, they thought for various female singers to pair him with the song. However, Jermaine Dupri, who co-wrote the song including Usher's number-one hits "Yeah!", "Burn" and "Confessions Part II", felt that he had established good relationship with Keys since she had worked with him and Usher.

Dupri based the concept of the song from the perspective of Keys and Usher had relationship in the past.For him, Usher and Keys "talk about how they used to be in love and how those feelings are still lingering despite the two not being involved anymore."^[2] For Keys, "The song is talking about the first person you ever really had feelings for. I think we all know what that feels like. Even though you move on and meet new people, you always remember that first person."

"My Boo" is an R&B-hip hop song with a mid-tempo melody. It is composed in the key of F major, in common time. The lyrics are constructed in verse-chorus-chorus form. Usher starts the intro, and Keys followed her rap-intro, with background vocals from Usher. He proceeds to the first verse and chorus, leading to Keys singing another chorus, altering some of the lyrics of the original chorus to create a dialogue. Keys sings the second verse and Usher for the chorus, with background vocals from Keys. Keys repeats her version for the chorus. The song breaks with Usher and Keys singing "My oh, My oh, My oh, My oh, My Boo", one after the other. Usher repeats the chorus again, and they sing the intro of Keys.

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Cox during an interview in February 2020

Deborah Cox (born July 13, 1974) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Born and raised in Toronto, she began performing on television commercials at age 12, and entered various talent shows in her teenage years before becoming a professional backing vocalist for Celine Dion. In 1994, Cox relocated to the United States and was signed to Arista Records by Clive Davis, releasing her self-titled debut album the following year. Her second studio album, One Wish (1998), was certified platinum in the United States. It was marked by the commercial success of the pop crossover single "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here", which would become her most successful entry on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at number two and remaining there for eight consecutive weeks. Cox signed with J Records for her third studio album The Morning After (2002), which saw moderate commercial success.

Cox ventured into acting in the 2000s, making her film debut in the Canadian drama film Love Come Down (2000) and her stage debut in 2004, in the title role in the Broadway musical Aida. She has since appeared in smaller films and several musical productions, including the horror-drama Jekyll & Hyde, the biographical musical Josephine, the musical adaptation of The Bodyguard, and the 2023 revival of The Wiz. Cox's most recent studio albums, Destination Moon (2007) and The Promise (2008), have been released through her own independent record label, Deco Recording Group. In 2017, her single "Let the World Be Ours Tonight" became her 13th number-one hit on Billboard's Dance Club Songs over the span of three consecutive decades. In 2016, Billboard listed Cox at 23rd on its list of the Greatest of All Time Top Dance Club Artists. An eight-time Juno Award nominee, she has won four awards and is often cited as Canada's top R&B artist. She received her first Grammy Award nomination for The Wiz in the Best Musical Theater Album category. (Full article...)

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The following are images from various rhythm and blues-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1The Ramones in Toronto (1976) (from Doo-wop)
Image 2Kathy Young with the Earth Angels performing Kathy's hit "A Thousand Stars" during the festival of this genre celebrated at the Benedum Center for the Performing Arts in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in May 2010 (from Doo-wop)
Image 3The Moonglows, 1956 (from Doo-wop)
Image 4Alicia Keys ranked fifth on Billboard Artist of the Decade list. "No One" ranks No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs of the decade. (from Contemporary R&B)
Image 5John Lee Hooker, whose visit to England was the anticipated R&B event of 1964, shown in 1978 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 6Georgie Fame, leader of one of the most widely influenced R&B groups, in 1968 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 7The original line up of the Kinks, 1965 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 8Alexis Korner in Hamburg in 1972 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 9Alternative R&B artist Frank Ocean performing at the Coachella Festival in 2012 (from Alternative R&B)
Image 10Herman Santiago, original lead singer of the Teenagers (from Doo-wop)
Image 11Usher was cited by Billboard as the no. 1 Hot 100 artist of the 2000s decade, with 7 number-one singles that accumulated 42 weeks at the top. (from Contemporary R&B)
Image 12Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings at Middelburg in 2009 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 13Beyoncé was named by Billboard the most successful female act of the 2000s. (from Contemporary R&B)
Image 14The instruments of the skiffle group the Quarrymen, who would become the Beatles (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 15The Animals in 1964 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 16Muddy Waters, a major influence on the movement, pictured in 1971 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 17Led Zeppelin performing at Chicago Stadium in January 1975
Image 18Janet Jackson's Control, released in 1986, was one of the most critically acclaimed albums of the 1980s. (from New jack swing)
Image 19The Jam in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1982 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 20The Jimi Hendrix Experience performing on Dutch television in 1967 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 21The Cleftones during their participation in the doo-wop festival celebrated in May 2010 at the Benedum Center. (from Doo-wop)
Image 22Chris Barber, one of the major figures in the early popularisation of the blues in Britain, playing at the Musikhalle, Hamburg, 1972 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 23Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac onstage in 1970 (from British rhythm and blues)
Image 24Lead Belly's recordings would be a major part of British R&B repertoires, although he never performed in the UK (from British rhythm and blues)