Soul/R&B Music
In the music world, the terms rhythm and blues and soul both initially described types of African-American popular music with origins in the 1940s and '50s. However, the terms' definitions have evolved significantly over time, as both categories saw the incorporation of elements of pop and electronic music, among other changes. Celebrated soul and R&B artists include Etta James, Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, Amy Winehouse, Usher, and Alicia Keys.
Soul/R&B Music Encyclopedia Articles
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blues
Blues, secular folk music created by African Americans in the early 20th century, originally in the South. The simple but expressive forms of the blues became by the 1960s one of the most important influences...
Chris Brown
Chris Brown American rhythm-and-blues (R&B) singer, songwriter, and actor whose melodic voice and skilled dancing propelled him to fame, though his success was sometimes overshadowed by his tumultuous...
rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, term used for several types of postwar African-American popular music, as well as for some white rock music derived from it. The term was coined by Jerry Wexler in 1947, when he was editing...
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin was an American singer who defined the golden age of soul music of the 1960s. Franklin’s mother, Barbara, was a gospel singer and pianist. Her father, C.L. Franklin, presided over the New...
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye American soul singer-songwriter-producer who, to a large extent, ushered in the era of artist-controlled popular music of the 1970s. Gaye’s father was a storefront preacher; his mother was...
Mary J. Blige
Mary J. Blige American singer-songwriter and actress who has been called the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul. Blige’s childhood was divided between Savannah, Georgia, and a housing project in Yonkers, New York....
Mavis Staples
Mavis Staples American gospel and soul singer who was an integral part of the Staple Singers as well as a successful solo artist. At age 11, Staples joined the Staple Singers, a family gospel-singing group...
Motown
Motown, recording company founded by Berry Gordy, Jr., in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., in January 1959 that became one of the most successful Black-owned businesses and one of the most influential independent...
CeeLo Green
CeeLo Green American singer, rapper, and songwriter known for his soulful voice and flamboyant persona, both as a solo performer and as part of the rap group Goodie Mob and the eclectic duo Gnarls Barkley....
Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston American singer and actress who was one of the best-selling musical performers of the 1980s and ’90s. The daughter of Emily (“Cissy”) Houston—whose vocal group, the Sweet Inspirations,...
soul music
Soul music, term adopted to describe African American popular music in the United States as it evolved from the 1950s to the ’60s and ’70s. Some view soul as merely a new term for rhythm and blues. In...
Rihanna
Rihanna is a Barbadian pop and rhythm-and-blues (R&B) singer who became a worldwide star in the early 21st century. She is known for her distinctive and versatile voice and for her fashionable appearance....
Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, a child prodigy who developed into one of the most creative musical figures of the late 20th century. Blind from birth and raised...
Diana Ross
Diana Ross American pop singer and actress who achieved international stardom, first as leader of the vocal group the Supremes and later as a solo artist. Ross’s professional career began in 1959, when...
Mississippi Delta blues
Mississippi Delta blues, regional style of early 20th-century American folk music, centred in the Delta region of northwestern Mississippi. The pioneers of the style played a key role in developing the...
doo-wop
Doo-wop, style of rhythm-and-blues and rock-and-roll vocal music popular in the 1950s and ’60s. The structure of doo-wop music generally featured a tenor lead vocalist singing the melody of the song with...
Etta James
Etta James popular American rhythm-and-blues entertainer who in time became a successful ballad singer. James was reared by foster parents until her mother (who was 14 when James was born) took her 12-year-old...
Alicia Keys
Alicia Keys American singer-songwriter, pianist, and actress, who achieved enormous success in the early 2000s with her blend of R&B and soul music. Keys began performing at age four and playing piano...
Ray Charles
Ray Charles was an American pianist, singer, composer, and bandleader, a leading entertainer billed as “the Genius.” Charles was credited with the early development of soul music, a style based on a melding...
Amy Winehouse
Amy Winehouse was an English singer-songwriter who skyrocketed to fame after the release of her critically acclaimed multiple Grammy Award-winning album Back to Black (2006). However, her tempestuous love...
Lionel Richie
Lionel Richie American popular singer, songwriter, and producer most admired for his smooth and soulful love ballads of the 1970s and ’80s. A highly versatile musician, he was able to perform—and skillfully...
James Brown
James Brown was an American singer, songwriter, arranger, and dancer, who was one of the most important and influential entertainers in 20th-century popular music and whose remarkable achievements earned...
Dionne Warwick
Dionne Warwick is an American pop and rhythm and blues (R&B) singer whose soulful sound earned her widespread appeal. She is perhaps best known for her collaborations with such high-profile artists as...