110-471: William " Smokey " Robinson Jr. (born February 19, 1940) is an American R&B and soul singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive . He was the founder and frontman of the pioneering Motown vocal group the Miracles , for which he was also chief songwriter and producer. He led the group from its 1955 origins, when they were called The Five Chimes, until 1972, when he retired from
220-461: A doo-wop group, had the number four hit of the year with " Crying in the Chapel ". Fats Domino made the top 30 of the pop charts in 1952 and 1953, then the top 10 with " Ain't That a Shame ". Ray Charles came to national prominence in 1955 with " I Got a Woman ". Big Bill Broonzy said of Charles's music: "He's mixing the blues with the spirituals ... I know that's wrong." In 1954
330-650: A writer's block after his close collaborator (and fellow Miracle), Marv Tarplin , who joined him on the road in 1973 after Robinson left the Miracles, presented him a tune he had composed on his guitar. Robinson later wrote the lyrics that became his first solo top ten Pop single, " Cruisin' ". The song hit number one in Cash Box and peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 . It also became his first solo number one in New Zealand . Robinson would follow
440-840: A "rawer" or "grittier" sound than the more popular " beat groups ". During the 1960s, Geno Washington , the Foundations , and the Equals gained pop hits. Many British black musicians helped form the British R&;B scene. These included Geno Washington , an American singer stationed in England with the Air Force. He was invited to join what became Geno Washington & the Ram Jam Band by guitarist Pete Gage in 1965 and enjoyed top 40 hit singles and two top 10 albums before
550-546: A Dream ". Faye Adams 's " Shake a Hand " made it to number two in 1952. In 1953, the R&;B record-buying public made Willie Mae Thornton 's original recording of Leiber and Stoller 's " Hound Dog " the year's number three hit. Ruth Brown was very prominent among female R&B stars; her popularity most likely came from "her deeply rooted vocal delivery in African American tradition". That same year The Orioles ,
660-419: A Mirage " and " More Love " peaked in the top twenty. In 1965, the Miracles were the first Motown group to change their name when they released their 1965 album Going to a Go-Go as Smokey Robinson & the Miracles. Between 1962 and 1966, Robinson was also one of the major songwriters and producers for Motown, penning many hit singles such as " Two Lovers ", " The One Who Really Loves You ", " You Beat Me to
770-536: A United States embargo that still remains in effect today, the island nation had been forgotten as a source of music. By the time people began to talk about rock and roll as having a history, Cuban music had vanished from North American consciousness." At first, only African Americans were buying R&B discs. According to Jerry Wexler of Atlantic Records, sales were localized in African-American markets; there were no white sales or white radio play. During
880-475: A blues progression. Ike Turner recorded "Cubano Jump" (1954) an electric guitar instrumental, which is built around several 2–3 clave figures, adopted from the mambo. The Hawketts , in " Mardi Gras Mambo " (1955) (featuring the vocals of a young Art Neville), make a clear reference to Perez Prado in their use of his trademark "Unhh!" in the break after the introduction. Ned Sublette states: "The electric blues cats were very well aware of Latin music, and there
990-619: A boogie-woogie with a tresillo bass line, and lyrics proudly declaring the adoption of Cuban rhythm: Harlem's got a new rhythm, man it's burning up the dance floors because it's so hot! They took a little rhumba rhythm and added boogie-woogie and now look what they got! Rhumboogie, it's Harlem's new creation with the Cuban syncopation, it's the killer! Just plant your both feet on each side. Let both your hips and shoulder glide. Then throw your body back and ride. There's nothing like rhumbaoogie, rhumboogie, boogie-woogie. In Harlem or Havana, you can kiss
1100-552: A designated arts mentor under Turnaround Arts. On July 31, 2018, Robinson appeared on the Fox network's show Beat Shazam as a special guest. Robinson appeared on the song "Make It Better" from Anderson Paak 's 2019 album Ventura . In 2023, Robinson announced that he would release his first album in almost a decade in April 2023. The nine-track album will be called Gasms , and will feature entirely new music. The first single from
1210-519: A job he had taken on by the mid-1960s after Esther Gordy Edwards had left the position. However, the success of the group's "Tears of a Clown" made Robinson stay with the group until 1972. His last performance with the group was in July 1972 in Washington, D.C. After a year of retirement , Robinson announced his comeback with the release of the eponymous Smokey album, in 1973. The album included
SECTION 10
#17327806808911320-404: A mainstay in rock and roll. At the urging of Leonard Chess at Chess Records, Chuck Berry reworked a country fiddle tune with a long history, entitled " Ida Red ". The resulting " Maybellene " was not only a number three hit on the R&B charts in 1955, but also reached into the top 30 on the pop charts. Alan Freed , who had moved to the much larger market of New York City in 1954, helped
1430-529: A non-African American artist into a music category known for being created by blacks. Nat King Cole , also a jazz pianist who had two hits on the pop charts in the early 1950s (" Mona Lisa " at number two in 1950 and " Too Young " at number one in 1951), had a record in the top five in the R&B charts in 1958, " Looking Back "/"Do I Like It". In 1959, two black-owned record labels, one of which would become hugely successful, made their debut: Sam Cooke 's Sar and Berry Gordy 's Motown Records . Brook Benton
1540-445: 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
1650-455: A partnership with George Tobin and with Tobin, Robinson released his next several Motown albums, Yes It's You Lady , which produced the hit "Tell Me Tomorrow", Touch the Sky and Essar . In 1983, Robinson teamed up with fellow Motown label mate Rick James recording the R&B ballad, " Ebony Eyes ". In 1987, following a period of personal and professional issues, Robinson made a comeback with
1760-497: A primarily African-American clientele. Freed began referring to the rhythm and blues music he played as "rock and roll". In 1951 Little Richard Penniman began recording for RCA Records in the jump blues style of late 1940s stars Roy Brown and Billy Wright . However, it was not until he recorded a demo in 1954 that caught the attention of Specialty Records that the world would start to hear his new uptempo funky rhythm and blues that would catapult him to fame in 1955 and help define
1870-442: A quintet consisting of a vocal quartet with accompanying guitarist, sang a distinctive-sounding combination of blues and gospel. They had the number five hit of the year with " Don't You Know I Love You " on Atlantic. Also in July 1951, Cleveland, Ohio DJ Alan Freed started a late-night radio show called "The Moondog Rock Roll House Party" on WJW (850 AM). Freed's show was sponsored by Fred Mintz, whose R&B record store had
1980-415: A saxophone-section riff) on his own 1949 disc "Country Boy" and subsequently helped make it the most over-used rhythmic pattern in 1950s rock 'n' roll. On numerous recordings by Fats Domino , Little Richard and others, Bartholomew assigned this repeating three-note pattern not just to the string bass, but also to electric guitars and even baritone sax, making for a very heavy bottom. He recalls first hearing
2090-673: A similar approach with his next album, Warm Thoughts , which produced another top 40 hit, "Let Me Be the Clock", though it did not repeat the success of "Cruisin'". In 1981, Robinson topped the charts again with another sensual ballad, " Being with You ", which was another number one hit in Cash Box and peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100. It also hit number one in the UK Singles Chart , becoming his most successful single to date. The Gold-plus parent album sparked
2200-695: A sold-out performance with 8,000 seats. Roads were clogged for seven hours. Filmmakers took advantage of the popularity of "rhythm and blues" musicians as "rock n roll" musicians beginning in 1956. Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Big Joe Turner, the Treniers , the Platters , and the Flamingos all made it onto the big screen. Two Elvis Presley records made the R&B top five in 1957: " Jailhouse Rock "/" Treat Me Nice " at number one, and " All Shook Up " at number five, an unprecedented acceptance of
2310-552: A solo artist (1983) and as a member of The Miracles (2009). In 2022, he was inducted into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame . William Robinson Jr. was born to an African-American father and a mother of African-American and French descent in a poor family in the North End area of Detroit, Michigan . He had two maternal half-sisters, and his parents divorced when he was three years old. Robinson's ancestry
SECTION 20
#17327806808912420-407: A strong sexual connotation in jump blues and R&B, but when DJ Alan Freed referred to rock and roll on mainstream radio in the mid-1950s, "the sexual component had been dialed down enough that it simply became an acceptable term for dancing". The great migration of Black Americans to the urban industrial centers of Chicago, Detroit, New York City, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C. and elsewhere in
2530-410: A successful copyright lawsuit for $ 35,000, which is said to have led Sam Phillips of Sun Records to sell Elvis Presley 's recording contract to RCA . In Rock Eras: Interpretations of Music and Society ISBN 0-87972-368-8 , Jim Curtis says that "the series of answer songs which were hits in 1960 ... indicates the dissociation of the singer from the song ... Answer songs rode on
2640-478: A triplet or shuffle feel to even or straight eighth notes. Concerning the various funk motifs, Stewart states that this model "... is different from a time line (such as clave and tresillo) in that it is not an exact pattern, but more of a loose organizing principle." Johnny Otis released the R&B mambo "Mambo Boogie" in January 1951, featuring congas, maracas, claves, and mambo saxophone guajeos in
2750-486: A version of " Stagger Lee " at number one and " Personality " at number five in 1959. The white bandleader of the Bill Black Combo, Bill Black , who had helped start Elvis Presley's career and was Elvis's bassist in the 1950s, was popular with black listeners. Ninety percent of his record sales were from black people, and his " Smokie, Part 2 " (1959) rose to the number one position on black music charts. He
2860-589: Is 'Longhair's Blues Rhumba,' where he overlays a straightforward blues with a clave rhythm." Longhair's particular style was known locally as rumba-boogie . In his "Mardi Gras in New Orleans", the pianist employs the 2–3 clave onbeat/offbeat motif in a rumba boogie " guajeo ". The syncopated, but straight subdivision feel of Cuban music (as opposed to swung subdivisions) took root in New Orleans R&;B during this time. Alexander Stewart states that
2970-475: 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,
3080-419: Is also part Nigerian , Scandinavian , Portuguese , and Cherokee . His uncle Claude gave him the nickname "Smokey Joe" when he was a child. In 2012, Robinson explained: My Uncle Claude was my favorite uncle. He was also my godfather. He and I were really, really close. He used to take me to see cowboy movies all the time when I was a little boy because I loved cowboy movies. He got a cowboy name for me, which
3190-455: Is an attempt to blend African American and Afro-Cuban music. The word mambo , larger than any of the other text, is placed prominently on the record label. In his composition "Misery", New Orleans pianist Professor Longhair plays a habanera-like figure in his left hand. The deft use of triplets is a characteristic of Longhair's style. Gerhard Kubik notes that with the exception of New Orleans, early blues lacked complex polyrhythms, and there
3300-590: Is often cited as a precursor to rock and roll or as one of the first records in that genre. In a later interview, however, Ike Turner offered this comment: "I don't think that 'Rocket 88' is rock 'n' roll. I think that 'Rocket 88' is R&B, but I think 'Rocket 88' is the cause of rock and roll existing". Ruth Brown , performing on the Atlantic label, placed hits in the top five every year from 1951 through 1954: " Teardrops from My Eyes ", "Five, Ten, Fifteen Hours", " (Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean " and " What
3410-549: Is the current owner and host of the SiriusXM channel Soul Town , a station that plays R&B and soul hits from the 1950s to the early 1980s. Released under the banner Smokey's Soul Town , Robinson occasionally appears on the channel, recalling his best moments with Motown and meeting other artists as well as pick his favorite songs during that time period. On February 22, 1983, Smokey was awarded an individual star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame. Four years later, in 1987, Robinson
Smokey Robinson - Misplaced Pages Continue
3520-617: The boogie-woogie rhythms that had come to prominence during the 1940s. Jordan's band, the Tympany Five (formed in 1938), consisted of him on saxophone and vocals, along with musicians on trumpet, tenor saxophone, piano, bass and drums. Lawrence Cohn described the music as "grittier than his boogie-era jazz-tinged blues". Robert Palmer described it as "urbane, rocking, jazz-based music ... [with a] heavy, insistent beat". Jordan's music, along with that of Big Joe Turner , Roy Brown , Billy Wright , and Wynonie Harris , before 1949,
3630-408: The conga drum , bongos , maracas and claves . According to John Storm Roberts , R&B became the vehicle for the return of Cuban elements into mass popular music. Ahmet Ertegun , producer for Atlantic Records , is reported to have said that "Afro-Cuban rhythms added color and excitement to the basic drive of R&B." As Ned Sublette points out though: "By the 1960s, with Cuba the object of
3740-443: The 1800s with the popularity of the Cuban contradanza (known outside of Cuba as the habanera ). The habanera rhythm can be thought of as a combination of tresillo and the backbeat . For the more than a quarter-century in which the cakewalk , ragtime and proto-jazz were forming and developing, the Cuban genre habanera exerted a constant presence in African American popular music. Jazz pioneer Jelly Roll Morton considered
3850-552: The 1920s and 1930s created a new market for jazz, blues, and related genres of music. These genres of music were often performed by full-time musicians, either working alone or in small groups. The precursors of rhythm and blues came from jazz and blues, which overlapped in the late-1920s and 30s through the work of musicians such as the Harlem Hamfats , with their 1936 hit "Oh Red", as well as Lonnie Johnson , Leroy Carr , Cab Calloway , Count Basie , and T-Bone Walker . There
3960-450: The 1930s to the 1950s. Answer songs were also popular in country music in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, sometimes as female responses to an original hit by a male artist or male responses to a hit by a female artist. The original " Hound Dog " song sung by Big Mama Thornton reached number 1 in 1953, and there were six answer songs in response; the most successful of these was "Bear Cat", by Rufus Thomas which reached number 3. That led to
4070-633: The American children's animated series ToddWorld for Discovery Kids , TLC and Mike Young Productions. Two years later, Robinson released the standards album, Timeless Love , in 2006 on Universal Records. In 2009, he issued the album, Time Flies When You're Having Fun on his own label, Robso Records. It reached number 59 on the Billboard album chart, his highest showing since One Heartbeat . He subsequently released "Now And Then" in 2010, which peaked at number 131. Smokey & Friends
4180-500: The Blues , writes that "rhythm and blues" was an umbrella term invented for industry convenience. According to him, the term embraced all black music except classical music and religious music , unless a gospel song sold enough to break into the charts. Well into the 21st century, the term R&B continues in use (in some contexts) to categorize music made by black musicians, as distinct from styles of music made by other musicians. In
4290-607: The CEO of LaFace Records , was responsible for some of R&B's greatest successes in the 1990s in the form of Usher , TLC and Toni Braxton . Later, Reid successfully marketed Boyz II Men . In 2004, 80% of the songs that topped the R&B charts were also at the top of the Hot 100. That period was the all-time peak for R&B and hip hop on the Billboard Hot 100 and on Top 40 Radio. From about 2005 to 2013, R&B sales declined. However, since 2010, hip-hop has started to take cues from
4400-550: The Chords ' " Sh-Boom " became the first hit to cross over from the R&B chart to hit the top 10 early in the year. Late in the year, and into 1955, " Hearts of Stone " by the Charms made the top 20. At Chess Records in the spring of 1955, Bo Diddley 's debut record " Bo Diddley "/" I'm a Man " climbed to number two on the R&B charts and popularized Bo Diddley's own original rhythm and blues clave-based vamp that would become
4510-595: The Cleftones , and the Spaniels with Illinois Jacquet 's Big Rockin' Rhythm Band. Cities visited by the tour included Columbia, South Carolina; Annapolis, Maryland; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo, New York; and other cities. In Columbia, the concert ended with a near riot as Perkins began his first song as the closing act. Perkins is quoted as saying, "It was dangerous. Lot of kids got hurt". In Annapolis, 50,000 to 70,000 people tried to attend
Smokey Robinson - Misplaced Pages Continue
4620-762: The Heritage Award at the Soul Train Music Awards . In 2005, Robinson was voted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame. At its 138th Commencement Convocation in May 2006, Howard University conferred on Robinson the degree of Doctor of Music, honoris causa . In December 2006 Robinson was one of five Kennedy Center honorees, along with Dolly Parton , Zubin Mehta , Steven Spielberg and Andrew Lloyd Webber . On March 20, 2009,
4730-573: The Jewish writer, music publishing executive, and songwriter Arnold Shaw , during the 1940s in the US, there was generally little opportunity for Jews in the WASP -controlled realm of mass communications , but the music business was "wide open for Jews as it was for blacks". Jews played a key role in developing and popularizing African American music, including rhythm and blues, and the independent record business
4840-489: The Miracles were finally honored as a group with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Smokey was present with original Miracles members Bobby Rogers , Pete Moore , (Bobby's cousin) Claudette Rogers , and Gloria White, accepting for her husband, the late Ronnie White , whose daughter Pamela and granddaughter Maya were there representing him as well. Smokey's replacement, 1970s Miracles lead singer Billy Griffin ,
4950-558: The Miracles as lead singer, chief songwriter and producer, including several top ten hits such as " You've Really Got a Hold on Me ", " Mickey's Monkey ", " I Second That Emotion ", " Baby Baby Don't Cry " and the group's only number-one hit during their Robinson years, " The Tears of a Clown ". Other notable hits such as " Ooo Baby Baby ", " Going to a Go-Go ", the multi-award-winning " The Tracks of My Tears ", " (Come Round Here) I'm The One You Need ", " The Love I Saw in You Was Just
5060-463: The Miracles tribute song, "Sweet Harmony", and the hit ballad "Baby Come Close". In 1974, Robinson's second album, Pure Smokey , was released but failed to produce hits. Robinson struggled to compete with his former collaborators Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and former Temptations member Eddie Kendricks , as all three had multiple hit singles during this period. Former Beatle George Harrison featured
5170-469: The Miracles' release of their first record. Gordy formed Tamla Records , which was later reincorporated as Motown. The Miracles became one of the first acts signed to the label, although they had actually been with Gordy since before the formation of Motown Records. In late 1960, the group recorded their first hit single, " Shop Around ", which became Motown's first million-selling hit record. Between 1960 and 1970, Robinson would produce 26 top forty hits with
5280-461: The New Orleans sound. Robert Palmer reports that, in the 1940s, Professor Longhair listened to and played with musicians from the islands and "fell under the spell of Perez Prado's mambo records." He was especially enamored with Afro-Cuban music. Michael Campbell states: "Professor Longhair's influence was ... far-reaching. In several of his early recordings, Professor Longhair blended Afro-Cuban rhythms with rhythm and blues. The most explicit
5390-768: The Punch " and " My Guy " for Mary Wells ; " The Way You Do The Things You Do ", " My Girl ", " Since I Lost My Baby " , " It's Growing " , and " Get Ready " for the Temptations ; " Still Water (Love) " for the Four Tops ; " When I'm Gone " and " Operator " for Brenda Holloway ; " Don't Mess With Bill ", " The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game " and " My Baby Must Be a Magician " for the Marvelettes ; and " I'll Be Doggone " and " Ain't That Peculiar " for Marvin Gaye . After
5500-481: The R&B sound, choosing to adopt a softer, smoother sound that incorporates traditional R&B with rappers such as Drake , who has opened an entire new door for the genre. This sound has gained in popularity and created great controversy for both hip-hop and R&B as to how to identify it. In 2010, the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame was founded by LaMont "ShowBoat" Robinson . According to
5610-527: The UK group ABC released a tribute song, " When Smokey Sings ". He was inducted as a solo artist to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988, later igniting controversy as the committee had inducted only Robinson and not members of his group, the Miracles, which Robinson saw as an affront. In 2012, however, the committee rectified the mistake announcing that the group would be inducted on their own merit. Though Robinson
SECTION 50
#17327806808915720-606: The United States in 1948, the term had been used in Billboard as early as 1943. However, the company's first list of songs popular among African Americans was named Harlem Hit Parade ; created in 1942, it listed the "most popular records in Harlem ," and is the predecessor to the Billboard RnB chart. “Rhythm and Blues” replaced the common term " race music ", a term coined by Okeh producer Ralph Peer based on
5830-445: The album, One Heartbeat and the singles, " Just to See Her " and " One Heartbeat ", which were Top 10 hits on Billboard ' s Pop, Soul, and Adult Contemporary charts. They were aided by popular music videos. "Just to See Her" won Robinson his first Grammy Award in 1988. The album became one of his most successful ever, selling over 900,000 copies in the United States alone. In the same year, Robinson released One Heartbeat ,
5940-666: The album, called "If We Don't Have Each Other", was already available on streaming services by January 2023. Robinson married a fellow Miracles member, Claudette Rogers , in 1959. The couple had two children: a son, Berry Robinson (born 1968), named after Motown's first label founder Berry Gordy , and a daughter, Tamla Robinson (born 1971), named after the original "Tamla" label set up by Gordy that would eventually become Motown. According to Robinson, he had affairs with multiple women while married to Claudette, among them an approximately year-long affair with Diana Ross . According to Robinson, Ross ended it because she felt uncomfortable as she
6050-981: The arrival of Holland–Dozier–Holland and the team of Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong , Robinson was eclipsed as a top writer and producer for the label, and other Motown artists such as Gaye and Stevie Wonder began to compose more original material. Later in his career, Robinson wrote lyrics and music for the Contours such as " First I Look at the Purse ", as well as the Four Tops ' " Still Water " and The Supremes ' " Floy Joy ". The other Miracles—Bobby Rogers, Pete Moore, Ronnie White, and Marv Tarplin—collaborated with him as writers on many of these hits, and Pete Moore also doubled as co-producer with Robinson on several of them. By 1969, Robinson wanted to retire from touring to focus on raising his two children with his wife Claudette, and on his duties as Motown's vice president,
6160-439: The article said that rock and roll combined R&B with pop and country music. Fats Domino was not convinced that there was any new genre. In 1957, he said, "What they call rock 'n' roll now is rhythm and blues. I've been playing it for 15 years in New Orleans". According to Rolling Stone , "this is a valid statement ... all Fifties rockers, black and white, country born and city bred, were fundamentally influenced by R&B,
6270-656: The audition, Robinson had brought along with him a "Big 10" notebook with 100 songs he wrote while in high school. Gordy was impressed with Robinson's vocals and even more impressed with Robinson's ambitious songwriting. With his help, the Miracles released their first single, "Got a Job", an answer song to the Silhouettes' hit single "Get a Job" on End Records . It was the beginning of a long and successful collaboration. During this time, Robinson attended college and started classes in January 1959, studying electrical engineering . He dropped out after only two months, following
6380-401: The backbeat (two-side). The " Bo Diddley beat " (1955) is perhaps the first true fusion of 3–2 clave and R&B/rock 'n' roll. Bo Diddley has given different accounts of the riff's origins. Sublette asserts: "In the context of the time, and especially those maracas [heard on the record], 'Bo Diddley' has to be understood as a Latin-tinged record. A rejected cut recorded at the same session
6490-531: The band split up in 1969. Another American GI , Jimmy James , born in Jamaica, moved to London after two local number one hits in 1960 with The Vagabonds, who built a strong reputation as a live act. They released a live album and their studio debut, The New Religion, in 1966 and achieved moderate success with a few singles before the original Vagabonds broke up in 1970. White blues rock musician Alexis Korner formed new jazz rock band CCS in 1970. Interest in
6600-421: 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
6710-468: The black popular music of the late Forties and early Fifties". In 1956, an R&B "Top Stars of '56" tour took place, with headliners Al Hibbler , Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, and Carl Perkins , whose " Blue Suede Shoes " was very popular with R&B music buyers. Some of the performers completing the bill were Chuck Berry, Cathy Carr , Shirley & Lee , Della Reese , Sam "T-Bird" Jensen,
SECTION 60
#17327806808916820-475: The blues would influence major British rock musicians, including Eric Clapton , Mick Taylor , Peter Green , and John Mayall , the groups Free and Cream adopted an interest in a wider range of rhythm and blues styles. Answer song An answer song , response song or answer record is a song (usually a recorded track ) made in answer to a previous song, normally by another artist. The concept became widespread in blues and R&B recorded music in
6930-426: The coattails, as it were, of the popularity of the first song, and resembled parodies in that their success depended on a knowledge of the original ... Answer songs were usually one-hit flukes by unknown singers whose lack of identity did not detract from the success of the record since only the song, and not the performer, mattered." Today, this practice is most common in hip hop music and filk , especially as
7040-495: The commercial rhythm and blues music typical of the 1950s through the 1970s, the bands usually consisted of piano, one or two guitars, bass, drums, and saxophone. Arrangements were rehearsed to the point of effortlessness and were sometimes accompanied by background vocalists. Simple repetitive parts mesh, creating momentum and rhythmic interplay producing mellow, lilting, and often hypnotic textures while calling attention to no individual sound. While singers are emotionally engaged with
7150-417: The common self description by the African American press as “people of race.” The term "rhythm and blues" was then used by Billboard in its chart listings from June 1949 until August 1969, when its "Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles" chart was renamed as "Best Selling Soul Singles". Before the "Rhythm and Blues" name was instated, various record companies had already begun replacing the term "race music" with
7260-755: The early 1950s, more white teenagers started to become aware of R&B and began purchasing the music. For example, 40% of 1952 sales at Dolphin's of Hollywood record shop, located in an African-American area of Los Angeles, were to whites. Eventually, white teens across the country turned their musical taste toward rhythm and blues. Johnny Otis , who had signed with the Newark, New Jersey–based Savoy Records, produced many R&B hits in 1951, including " Double Crossing Blues ", "Mistrustin' Blues" and " Cupid's Boogie ", all of which hit number one that year. Otis scored ten top ten hits that year. Other hits include " Gee Baby ", "Mambo Boogie" and "All Nite Long". The Clovers ,
7370-408: The figure – as a bass pattern on a Cuban disc. In a 1988 interview with Palmer, Bartholomew (who had the first R&B studio band), revealed how he initially superimposed tresillo over swing rhythm: I heard the bass playing that part on a 'rumba' record. On 'Country Boy' I had my bass and drums playing a straight swing rhythm and wrote out that 'rumba' bass part for the saxes to play on top of
7480-575: The foundation for R&B in the 1940s, cutting one swinging rhythm & blues masterpiece after another". Other artists who were "cornerstones of R&B and its transformation into rock & roll" include Etta James, Fats Domino , Roy Brown, Little Richard and Ruth Brown. The "doo wop" groups were also noteworthy, including the Orioles , the Ravens and the Dominoes . The term "rock and roll" had
7590-451: The group to focus on his role as Motown Records vice president. Robinson returned to the music industry as a solo artist the following year. He left Motown in 1999. Robinson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 and awarded the 2016 Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for his lifetime contributions to popular music. He is a double Hollywood Walk of Fame Inductee, as
7700-541: The groups Nolan Strong & the Diablos and Billy Ward and his Dominoes on the radio. He has cited Barrett Strong , a Detroit native, as a strong vocal influence. In 1955, he formed the first lineup of The Five Chimes with childhood friend Ronald White and classmate Pete Moore . Two years later, they were renamed the Matadors and included Bobby Rogers . Another member, Emerson (Sonny) Rogers, Bobby Rogers' cousin,
7810-771: The late 1980s and early 1990s, hip-hop started to capture the imagination of America's youth. R&B started to become homogenized, with a group of high-profile producers responsible for most R&B hits. It was hard for R&B artists of the era to sell their music or even have their music heard because of the rise of hip-hop, but some adopted a "hip-hop" image, were marketed as such, and often featured rappers on their songs. In 1990, Billboard reintroduced R&B to categorize all of Black popular music other than hip-hop. Newer artists such as Usher , R. Kelly , Janet Jackson , TLC , Aaliyah , Brandy , Destiny's Child , Tevin Campbell and Mary J. Blige enjoyed success. L.A. Reid ,
7920-424: The lyrics, often intensely so, they remain cool, relaxed, and in control. The bands dressed in suits, and even uniforms, a practice associated with the modern popular music that rhythm and blues performers aspired to dominate. Lyrics often seemed fatalistic, and the music typically followed predictable patterns of chords and structure. R&B lyrical themes often encapsulate the African-American experience of pain and
8030-554: The nineties (though he would make a notable cameo appearance in The Temptations 1998 miniseries ), making a brief comeback in 1999 when he re-signed with Motown and issued the album, Intimate , which included the song "Easy to Love". In 2003, he once again split ties with Motown, releasing the gospel album, Food for the Spirit on Liquid 8 Records in 2004. In 2004, Robinson sang the main title theme song "Colorful World" to
8140-728: The number-one R&B hit " Baby That's Backatcha ", "The Agony & The Ecstasy" and "Quiet Storm" (the radio format quiet storm , originated by DJ Melvin Lindsey , is named after the album). However, Robinson's solo career suffered from his work as Motown's vice president, and his own music took the backseat. As a result, several albums including Smokey's Family Robinson , Deep in My Soul , Love Breeze and Smokin , saw poor promotion and received bad reviews. At this point Robinson relied on other writers and producers to help him with his albums. Following these albums, Robinson got out of
8250-681: The old Savannah. It's a killer! Although originating in the metropolis at the mouth of the Mississippi River, New Orleans blues, with its Afro-Caribbean rhythmic traits, is distinct from the sound of the Mississippi Delta blues. In the late 1940s, New Orleans musicians were especially receptive to Cuban influences precisely at the time when R&B was first forming. The first use of tresillo in R&B occurred in New Orleans. Robert Palmer recalls: New Orleans producer-bandleader Dave Bartholomew first employed this figure (as
8360-514: The pattern is only half a clave ). Tresillo is the most basic duple-pulse rhythmic cell in Sub-Saharan African music traditions , and its use in African American music is one of the clearest examples of African rhythmic retention in the United States. The use of tresillo was continuously reinforced by the consecutive waves of Cuban music, which were adopted into North American popular culture. In 1940 Bob Zurke released "Rhumboogie",
8470-420: The popular feel was passed along from "New Orleans—through James Brown's music, to the popular music of the 1970s," adding: "The singular style of rhythm & blues that emerged from New Orleans in the years after World War II played an important role in the development of funk. In a related development, the underlying rhythms of American popular music underwent a basic, yet generally unacknowledged transition from
8580-498: The quest for freedom and joy, as well as triumphs and failures in terms of relationships, economics, and aspirations. One publication of the Smithsonian Institution provided this summary of the origins of the genre in 2016. "A distinctly African American music drawing from the deep tributaries of African American expressive culture, it is an amalgam of jump blues, big band swing, gospel, boogie, and blues that
8690-523: The rawer Memphis soul sound for which Stax became known. In Jamaica, R&B influenced the development of ska . In 1969, black culture and rhythm and blues reached another great achievement when the Grammys added the Rhythm and Blues category, giving academic recognition to the category. By the 1970s, the term "rhythm and blues" was being used as a blanket term for soul , funk , and disco . In
8800-505: The record become popular with white teenagers. Freed had been given part of the writing credit by Chess in return for his promotional activities, a common practice at the time. R&B was also a strong influence on rock and roll . A 1985 article in The Wall Street Journal , titled, "Rock! It's Still Rhythm and Blues" reported that the "two terms were used interchangeably" until about 1957. The other sources quoted in
8910-408: The sound of rock 'n' roll. A rapid succession of rhythm and blues hits followed, beginning with " Tutti Frutti " and " Long Tall Sally ", which would influence performers such as James Brown , Elvis Presley , and Otis Redding . Also in 1951, the song Rocket 88 was recorded by Ike Turner and his Kings of Rhythm at a studio owned by Sam Phillips with the vocal by Jackie Brenston . This song
9020-461: The swing rhythm. Later, especially after rock 'n' roll came along, I made the 'rumba' bass part heavier and heavier. I'd have the string bass, an electric guitar and a baritone all in unison. Bartholomew referred to the Cuban son by the misnomer rumba , a common practice of that time. Fats Domino's " Blue Monday ", produced by Bartholomew, is another example of this now classic use of tresillo in R&B. Bartholomew's 1949 tresillo-based "Oh Cubanas"
9130-544: The term "sepia series". "Rhythm and blues" is often abbreviated as "R&B" or "R'n'B". In the early 1950s, the term "rhythm & blues" was frequently applied to blues records. Writer and producer Robert Palmer defined rhythm & blues as "a catchall term referring to any music that was made by and for black Americans". He has also used the term "R&B" as a synonym for jump blues . However, AllMusic separates it from jump blues because of R&B's stronger gospel influences. Lawrence Cohn , author of Nothing but
9240-539: The track " Pure Smokey " on his 1976 album Thirty Three & 1/3 as a tribute to Robinson. (Harrison's fellow Beatles John Lennon and Paul McCartney were also fans of Robinson's songwriting and the group covered "You Really Gotta Hold on Me" on their second UK album With the Beatles and US album The Beatles' Second Album , respectively.) Robinson answered his critics the following year with A Quiet Storm , released in 1975. The album launched three singles –
9350-476: The tresillo/habanera rhythm (which he called the Spanish tinge ) to be an essential ingredient of jazz. There are examples of tresillo-like rhythms in some African American folk music such as the hand-clapping and foot-stomping patterns in ring shout , post-Civil War drum and fife music, and New Orleans second line music. Wynton Marsalis considers tresillo to be the New Orleans "clave" (although technically,
9460-490: The two-celled timeline structure was brought into the blues. New Orleans musicians such as Bartholomew and Longhair incorporated Cuban instruments, as well as the clave pattern and related two-celled figures in songs such as "Carnival Day", (Bartholomew 1949) and "Mardi Gras In New Orleans" (Longhair 1949). While some of these early experiments were awkward fusions, the Afro-Cuban elements were eventually integrated fully into
9570-592: Was Smokey Joe. So from the time I was three years old if people asked me what my name was I didn't tell them my name was William, I told them my name was Smokey Joe. That's what everyone called me until I was about 12 and then I dropped the Joe part. I've heard that story about him giving it to me because I'm a light skinned black man but that's not true. When Robinson was 10, his mother died, and he began living with older sister, Geraldine, with her husband, who had 10 children together. He attended Northern High School , where he
9680-427: Was a "very specific absence of asymmetric time-line patterns ( key patterns ) in virtually all early-twentieth-century African American music ... only in some New Orleans genres does a hint of simple time line patterns occasionally appear in the form of transient so-called 'stomp' patterns or stop-time chorus. These do not function in the same way as African timelines." In the late 1940s, this changed somewhat when
9790-630: Was a very nasty dance". Also in 1949, a new version of a 1920s blues song, " Ain't Nobody's Business " was a number four hit for Jimmy Witherspoon , and Louis Jordan and the Tympany Five once again made the top five with " Saturday Night Fish Fry ". Many of these hit records were issued on new independent record labels, such as Savoy (founded 1942), King (founded 1943), Imperial (founded 1945), Specialty (founded 1946), Chess (founded 1947), and Atlantic (founded 1948). African American music began incorporating Afro-Cuban rhythmic motifs in
9900-534: Was above average academically and a determined athlete. However, his main interest was music, and he formed a doo-wop group named the Five Chimes. He and Aretha Franklin lived several houses from each other on Belmont; he said he'd known Franklin since she was about five, overhearing her play the piano when he had come to play with her older brother Cecil after her family first moved to Detroit. Robinson's interest in music started during childhood after he heard
10010-471: Was also awarded Society of Singers Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011. In 2009, Robinson received an honorary doctorate degree—along with Linda Ronstadt —and gave a commencement speech at Berklee College of Music 's commencement ceremony. In 2015, he was given a BET Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2016, Robinson received the Library of Congress' Gershwin Prize for Popular Song; and, on August 21, 2016, he
10120-490: Was also honored. Controversially, original Miracle Marv Tarplin was not honored, against the wishes of his fellow Miracles and the group's fans, who felt that he should have also been there to share the honor. Later, Tarplin did receive his star. He was also inducted with the rest of the original Miracles, Bobby Rogers, Pete Moore, Ronnie White, and Claudette Robinson, into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012, 25 years after Robinson's controversial solo induction in 1987. He
10230-467: Was also increasing emphasis on the electric guitar as a lead instrument, as well as the piano and saxophone . R&B originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. In 1948, RCA Victor was marketing black music under the name "Blues and Rhythm". In that year, Louis Jordan dominated the top five listings of the R&;B charts with three songs, and two of the top five songs were based on
10340-400: Was at the top of the R&B charts in 1959 and 1960 with one number one and two number two hits. Benton had a certain warmth in his voice that attracted a wide variety of listeners, and his ballads led to comparisons with performers such as Nat King Cole , Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett . Lloyd Price , who in 1952 had a number one hit with " Lawdy Miss Clawdy ", regained predominance with
10450-402: Was being called soul music , and similar music by white artists was labeled blue-eyed soul . Motown Records had its first million-selling single in 1960 with the Miracles ' " Shop Around ", and in 1961, Stax Records had its first hit with Carla Thomas 's " Gee Whiz (Look at His Eyes) ". Stax's next major hit, The Mar-Keys ' instrumental " Last Night " (also released in 1961), introduced
10560-422: Was definitely such a thing as rhumba blues ; you can hear Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf playing it." He also cites Otis Rush , Ike Turner and Ray Charles , as R&B artists who employed this feel. The use of clave in R&B coincided with the growing dominance of the backbeat , and the rising popularity of Cuban music in the U.S. In a sense, clave can be distilled down to tresillo (three-side) answered by
10670-537: Was dominated by young Jewish men who promoted the sounds of black music. British rhythm and blues and blues rock developed in the early 1960s, largely as a response to the recordings of American artists, often brought over by African American servicemen stationed in Britain or seamen visiting ports such as London, Liverpool, Newcastle and Belfast. Many bands, particularly in the developing London club scene, tried to emulate black rhythm and blues performers, resulting in
10780-675: Was finalized in 1986. The Robinsons had also separated in 1974 and during that separation, Robinson engaged in an extramarital affair that inspired the song "The Agony & The Ecstasy" (later featured on A Quiet Storm ). Robinson married Frances Gladney in May 2002. They own a home in Pittsburgh and use it as a winery . Robinson has not eaten red meat since 1972. He practices Transcendental Meditation . Robinson has golden green eyes, which he believes were passed down from his French great-grandmother. Beginning in November 2023, Robinson
10890-465: Was friends with Claudette, whom Robinson admitted he still loved. (A representative for Ross had no comment on Robinson's claim.) Robinson says that loving multiple people in that way simultaneously is natural. Robinson also had a son named Trey (born 1984) with another woman during his marriage to Claudette. After Robinson admitted to having fathered a child with a woman other than his wife, he filed for legal separation and later filed for divorce that
11000-608: Was inducted into the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame in his hometown of Detroit. In 2019, he received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement presented by Awards Council members Jimmy Page and Peter Gabriel . In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked Robinson at No. 23 on their list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time. Studio albums Rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues , frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B ,
11110-614: Was inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame . Robinson's single " Just to See Her " from the One Heartbeat album was awarded the 1988 Grammy Award for Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance . This was Robinson's first Grammy Award. One year later, in 1989, he was inducted to the Songwriter's Hall of Fame In 1993, Robinson was awarded a medal at the National Medal of Arts . Two years before, he won
11220-419: Was initially developed during a thirty-year period that bridges the era of legally sanctioned racial segregation, international conflicts, and the struggle for civil rights". The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame defines some of the originators of R&B, including Joe Turner 's big band, Louis Jordan's Tympany Five, James Brown and LaVern Baker. In fact, this source states that "Louis Jordan joined Turner in laying
11330-418: Was not listed as an inductee, he was due to induct his former group at the ceremony in April 2012. After MCA purchased Motown in 1988, Robinson relinquished his position as vice president. Following the release of the album, Love Smokey , in 1990, Robinson left Motown for a deal with SBK Records in 1991. However, the album, Double Good Everything failed to chart. Robinson remained virtually quiet during
11440-527: Was once told that "a lot of those stations still think you're a black group because the sound feels funky and black." Hi Records did not feature pictures of the Combo on early records. Sam Cooke 's number five hit " Chain Gang " is indicative of R&B in 1960, as is pop rocker Chubby Checker 's number five hit " The Twist ". By the early 1960s, the music industry category previously known as rhythm and blues
11550-585: Was referred to as jump blues . Then, Paul Gayten , Roy Brown, and others had had hits in the style now referred to as rhythm and blues. In 1948, Wynonie Harris's remake of Brown's 1947 recording " Good Rockin' Tonight " reached number two on the charts, following band leader Sonny Thompson 's "Long Gone" at number one. In 1949, the term "Rhythm and Blues" (R&B) replaced the Billboard category Harlem Hit Parade . Also in that year, " The Huckle-Buck ", recorded by band leader and saxophonist Paul Williams ,
11660-552: Was released in mid-August 2014. It was an album of duets, including songs with Elton John , Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor . It reached number 12 on the Billboard album chart. Christmas Everyday was Robinson's first post-Miracles Christmas album, and was released on November 10, 2017. In 2018, he appeared on an episode of CMT Crossroads alongside country singer Cam . In April 2017, Robinson visited Fremont-Lopez Elementary School in Stockton, California, where he served as
11770-412: Was replaced by his sister, Claudette Rogers (who would marry Smokey Robinson in 1959). The group's guitarist, Marv Tarplin , joined them sometime in 1958. The Matadors began touring Detroit venues around this time. Eventually they changed their name to The Miracles. In August 1957, Robinson and the Miracles met songwriter Berry Gordy after a failed audition for Brunswick Records . At that time during
11880-523: Was the number one R&B tune, remaining on top of the charts for nearly the entire year. Written by musician and arranger Andy Gibson , the song was described as a "dirty boogie" because it was risque and raunchy. Paul Williams and His Hucklebuckers' concerts were sweaty riotous affairs that got shut down on more than one occasion. Their lyrics, by Roy Alfred (who later co-wrote the 1955 hit " (The) Rock and Roll Waltz "), were mildly sexually suggestive, and one teenager from Philadelphia said "That Hucklebuck
11990-464: Was titled only 'Rhumba' on the track sheets." Johnny Otis 's "Willie and the Hand Jive" (1958) is another example of this successful blend of 3–2 claves and R&B. Otis used the Cuban instruments claves and maracas on the song. Afro-Cuban music was the conduit by which African American music was "re-Africanized", through the adoption of two-celled figures like clave and Afro-Cuban instruments like
12100-411: Was used as a blanket term for soul and funk . In the late 1980s, a newer style of R&B developed, becoming known as " contemporary R&B ". This contemporary form combines rhythm and blues with various elements of pop , soul, funk, disco , hip hop , and electronic music . Although Jerry Wexler of Billboard magazine is credited with coining the term "rhythm and blues" as a musical term in
#890109