Swear to Tell the Truth for Tuesday, September 17th (10:00 to 12:00 noon)
The term “R&B” is still used today to describe “urban” or African-American style music that is not hiphop. Just our opinion but it seems unfortunate that no more accurate term has been applied to this current field of music.
The term “rhythm & blues” was introduced in 1949 by Billboard Magazine to categorize what previously was categorized as “race music”. Jerry Wexler has been credited with advocating the new term. “Rhythm & Blues” thus began to be used as a term for marketing and merchandising music but it would soon applied more specifically to the music that emerged around the time of the Second World War and appeared to be a hybrid of jazz and blues.
It’s in that sense that we apply the term on The Blues & Rhythm Show and we also talk about “classic” rhythm & blues” by which we mean music that began to form at the end of the 1930s and remained broadly popular until roughly 1954 when rock and roll entered the scene in a major way while social and economic change and, importantly, changing aspirations, began to have an impact upon blues culture.
This week a survey of what we call Classic Rhythm & Blues spanning the years 1941 to 1955. Stars of the R&B era as well as less prominent performers are included in the mix. Also, a selection of retro performances of music from the classic R&B era.
On the Show:
Earl Jackson – Buddy Johnson & His Orchestra – Bull Moose Jackson – Mabel Smith – Rubberlegs Williams – Roomful of Blues – Shakura S’Aida – Johnny Nocturne Band – Roy Milton – Percy Mayfield – Dinah Washington – Charles Brown – Johnny Ace & Big Mama Thornton – and others
Listen to the program each week at FM 93.3 in Hamilton, live on Cogeco Cable 288 or on CFMU online at the CFMU website. The program will be available to stream or download until November 12th. CFMU podcasts now available for 8 weeks. Just go the website, bring up the playlist and stream or download the show.
Contact Us:
To reach us with comments or queries, write us at sweartotellthetruth@gmail.com.
You can also follow the program at sweartotellthetruth@nosignifying on Twitter.
Next week
Stars of classic R&B
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