Rhythm and Blues today

The blues is a form of music that can be vocal, instrumental (blues guitar) or both. It uses the ‘blue’ notes which are based on a ‘minor pentatonic’ scale most of the time, otherwise known as the blues scale.

Blues music was derived from the African-American communities in the U.S. out of work songs, spiritual songs, field hollers, chants, shouts and simple ballads that rhymed. A lot of aspects of the blues are indicative of African influence.

The call-and-response aspect of the music came directly from African roots and there were a lot of lines that would get repeated twice or more. This later evolved into a line repeating twice and then on the third time around there would be an ‘answer line’. You can still find these characteristics of early blues in modern day music, especially hip-hop.

The term ‘The Blues’ refers to the ‘blue devils’ which means down spirits or sadness.

The blues guitar plays a heavy role in blues music as well as modern music. It has influenced Jazz, Rhythm and Blues, Bluegrass and even Rock N’ Roll tremendously.

The original blues of the early 1900’s, otherwise known as “poor man’s blues” was normally associated with hard times, oppression from white folk, cruelty of the police, gambling, economic depression, floods, magic, farming and dry periods. This music was fueled by a lot of heartache and depression. Usually a lost loved one or an overall harsh environment inspired the lyrics and the tone of the blues guitar.

After the world war, you began to see blues songs that were about relationships and sex. Also, humor was added to the mix. Here is a funny example:

“That must be your woman, cause mine don’t look like that…
I said That must be your woman, cause mine don’t look like that…
Have you seen my baby? She’s so big and fat…”

The blues guitar style emerged from the American South’s instruments of the time which were the banjo and the Diddley Bow. This was a home made one stringed instrument that was popular in the early 20th century. Figures such as Robert Johnson, Charley Patton, Son House and Blind Willie McTell were a part of the delta blues style which used a lot of finger picking techniques and slide guitar innovations.

Eventually, after WWII ‘electric blues’ became increasingly popular where the blues guitar was played on electric guitars as were the bass guitars. This was most prevalent in the Chicago area.

The history of blues guitar and poor man’s blues is rich with culture and stories of good times and bad. I could go on for days about the history of the blues guitar but let’s make this part 1 so you don’t fall asleep on me!



By: Zack Roberts

Born September 23, 1930, Ray Charles Robinson would become one of the most famous and influential pianists in the twentieth century. Though he was blind from about the age of seven, he was able to learn how to play and compose music at a school he attended for the deaf and blind. Originally from Greenville, Florida, Ray Charles would become well-known for the many different genres he played in, including Rhythm and blues, country blues, piano blues, pop, soul, country, jazz and gospel, to name a few. He would shorten his name to Ray Charles and would continue to have many hits throughout his musical career.

Though many people may not realize it, Ray Charles was not born blind. It wasn’t until he was seven that he would completely lose his sight. It is thought that his sight could have been lost due to glaucoma, but even today no one is sure. After this, he attended a school for the deaf and blind where he spent much of his time learning how to write music and play many musical instruments, aside from his academic learning. In 1951, Ray Charles had his first successful hit and would sign with Atlantic records in 1952. From there, he would continue to have many more hits and his reputation in the world of music would grow as well. In later years, he was putting out songs that were either a success or not, and he made appearances on film and commercials. Ray Charles was also known for singing and he did vocals for a few different projects as well. Some of his career may have been a little bumpy, as he was not perfect and did have addictions that he later dealt with, but none of this stopped him from becoming a man who will continue to be remembered by history. Much of his difficulties are overlooked by those who continue to enjoy his music.

Today, his music is still being listened to by young audiences, including many young musicians who dream of having a musical successful musical career. He may have been blind, but this did not stop him from becoming one of the many influential musicians of the late 1900s. He was also quite dynamic in that he wrote, played and saying many different genres in music. He was not one to be limited by his lack of sight and he was obviously also not to be limited to one or two specific genres in music. Music was what he loved and he was quite experimental in it, which could also be another reason for his playing and composing pieces in so many different genres.

Ray Charles was 74 when he passed away of liver cancer. He had a long and successful musical career that will be remembered by many for a very long time. The diversity of his work will continue to entertain audiences long into the future, especially as long as the recordings of his music are on the shelves. For any new musician looking for some inspiration, especially in rhythm and blues or jazz, Ray Charles is definitely one of the musicians whose work will be listened to with a keen ear.



By: Victor Epand

What do the Rap, Hip Hop, Funk, Soul, Jazz, Rhythm and Blues and Gospel all have in common?

They are all popular genres of music considered to be included under the general African American music umbrella having been influenced by the culture of African Americans. Historically, African American genres of music have been very significant in their affect across a broad range of socio-economic groups within the United States and overseas.

From the early influences on mainstream American music in the 19th century to the popularity today of Hip Hop, Rap and RnB, the influence of African Americans on the American music industry continues with a plethora of successful solo artists and groups maintaining a strong presence in the charts.

Although in earlier years of it’s history, not all African American musicians achieved mainstream success. During the 1950’s Little Richard (Rev. Richard Wayne Penniman) who became an important identity in the transition from rythm and blues to rock and roll received his first accolade and has continued to achieve extraordinary success and acknowledgement throughout his musical career. In 2007 his original hit “Tutti Frutti” took out first place in Mojo magazine’s poll of “The Top 100 Records That Changed The World.”

Sly and the Family Stone, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Prince, Marvin Gaye, India Arie, Erykah Badu and in particular Destiny’s Child who some years ago became known as the highest selling female vocal group of all time are to name a few of the highly successful African American singers and song-writers. In more recent times Alicia Keys was the first woman to log three weeks at number one with her “As I am” hit and she is the first African American woman to remain at number one for has long as she did since 2002 when Ashanti hit the charts with her debut album.

Expressing themselves and celebrating their culture creatively, spiritually, politically and socially, these and many more talented artists have enhanced the reputation and popularity of the myriad of genres of music that claim their roots in African American music.

Ragtime to Rap, Scott Joplin to Curtis James Jackson 111, aka 50 Cent, the genres of Blues, Jazz, Motown, disco, Funk, Rock and Roll, Hip Hop, Techno and Electric Jazz all increased in popularity for their time and during the 1950’s and more so during the 1970’s African American music was appealing to wider more mainstream audiences including crossover audiences.

Along with the evolution of African American music came the evolution of dance and the introduction of dance, block and rave parties where the Mc’s and the DJ’s themselves have become celebrities in their own rights.

Over decades if not centuries the rising popularity of African American music has bought more attention to African American culture including the landmark signing of legislation in 2003 for the creation and development of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.



By: John Thomson

Humble Pie were a rock, rhythm and blues band from England and were one of the first supergroups of the 70th. The original band line-up featured Steve Marriott (former lead singer, songwriter and lead guitarist of Small Faces), Peter Frampton (former lead singer and guitarist of The Herd), Greg Ridley (former bass guitarist of Spooky Tooth) and seventeen-year-old drummer Jerry Shirley. www.humble-pie.net … Blues Rock Peter Frampton Steve Marriott Jerry Shirley Greg Ridley Anthony Jones …

The term “blues” for the music genre is taken from the fact that it is music generated from blue notes. These notes are the kind that is sung in a lower pitch relative to the major notes in the musical scale. Other than that, there are really no common characteristics to the music genre since it is integrated into many music types itself. Among the many popular music genres that uses the blues are jazz, rhythm and blues, bluegrass, rock and roll, hip-hop and many others. In truth, the blues has become the foundation and root of so many popular music forms.

The best guitar for the blues can bring out the real beauty of the music genre. This is because the modern day blues is known to be based off the mixed musical traditions from Europe and Africa, where the artistic effects of vocals and guitar are wonderfully blended into a new genre that incidentally, is also responsible for acting as the foundation for so many popular music genres. Conversely, these popular music genres also use the best guitar for the blues when they make music. For example, genres like electric blues and rock and roll focus on the guitar’s base strings for accompaniment such as the shuffle rhythm, a cool but steady way of playing the guitar’s base.

For country blues performers, the best guitar for the blues is used with the slide guitar style, wherein the instrument is fretted or strummed with a coin, the edge of a knife or half a bottle cap. There are actually many sub genres of the country blues that use the slide guitar style, making it a very significant method of making the genre. Although this method can also be done with a banjo, the modernization of music makes the guitar a more ideal alternative between the two string instruments.

The best guitar for the blues is also used for many blues musicians from Memphis, Tennessee. The Memphis blues style is made up of many unconventional instruments like the fiddle and mandolin. More importantly, the style also uses a guitar with the ensemble.

For the music genre, it seems that the best guitar for the blues really depends on the style in which every blues artist wants to express in the music. Because the blues does not really have strict common characteristics, it becomes one of the more versatile music genres of its kind.



By: Manuel Wiggins

, Joe Van Loan), the Ravens primarily existed to showcase bass singer Jimmy “Ricky” Ricks. In this, they were so successful, that Ricks’ voice became the standard against which every rhythm and blues bass was measured for the next generation. It is not an exaggeration to say that every aspiring rhythm and blues singer with a low voice wanted to sound like Ricks. His voice was so deep and rich, however, that few even came close; no one surpassed him. In spite of this, the Ravens had few …

Gomez video for Rhythm Blues Alibi. … gomez rhythm blues alibi liquid skin