According to Nero (n.d) Rhythm and blues is a term used to describe the blues-influenced form of music predominantly performed by African Americans since late 1930’s. Jerry Wexler was the first person to introduce the term Rhythm and Blues in the billboard magazine (Sacks, 1993). However, according to Cohn(1993) the term ‘Race music’ was first used to describe this type of music and been changed into Rhythm and Blues after the world war because it was deemed to be offensive. R&B music can be said to be an evolution of blues music and only contrasted when R&B music tends to have more volume and intensity compared to blues music to suit the condition. This is done so by introducing new instruments such as electric guitar and bass (Cahoon, 2004). Among the popular rhythm and blues tracks in its early days includes Nat Cole trio’s “that ain’t right” …show more content…
It generally but not always featured a tenor lead, a soaring falsetto, a vocal bass run and nonsense lyrics in the background supporting all the other elements.
The ‘doo-wop’ sound effects by the group members to harmonize the song that gave a rise to this genres name. Emmett et al. (2011) stated that doo wop is a combination of gospel and barbershop styles with an element of jazz and blues. It was due to the rich vocal harmonies of the group members that made doo wop music so famous. Among the famous vocal groups that performs doo wop includes The Raven, the Orioles, and the Drafters.
The third subgenre is contemporary R&B. Contemporary R&B is a polished version of the old R&B that has influences of electronic music that are used in hip-hop and dance beats. According to Ripani (2006 ,pp. 130–155) contemporary R&B is "crafted a new sound that fuses the rhythmic elements of funk and disco, along with heavy doses of synthesizers, percussion, sound effects, and a rap music