The term “Rhythm & Blues” was coined in the 1940’s to describe Black American music that was primarily being made for Black American audiences. It replaced the term “race music” which had previously been used and was offensive to many surrounding the music industry. It was born out of Blues music and has sometimes been an umbrella term for genres like Soul, Funk, and Hip-Hop. Throughout these changes, R & B has lived on and retained its popularity. Musicians we know and love today, like The Weeknd, Lizzo, Alicia Keys, Ella Mai, Anderson .Paak, Thundercat, and many more are considered “R&B” artists.
In the words of Jill Scott, “Soul music is about longevity and reaching and touching people on a human level – and that’s never going to get lost.” We hope you enjoy the first of several R & B song packs, which contain songs from seven decades of Rhythm & Blues!
For more resources on the history of R & B, visit TeachRock.org
Hound Dog by Big Mama Thornton | Easy Version To learn more about the history of Hound Dog and Big Mama Thornton, visit TeachRock.org
I Wanna Dance With Somebody by Whitney Houston | Easy Version
Killing Me Softly by Roberta Flack/The Fugees
Make It Better by Anderson .Paak and Smokey Robinson Read about the life of Smokey Robinson on TeachRock.org
Midnight Train to Georgia by Gladys Knight and The Pips | Easy Version
My Girl by The Temptations Read about The Temptations on TeachRock.org
Straight Up by Paula Abdul | Easy Version
This is How We Do It by Montell Jordan
Waterfalls by TLC | Easy Version Learn about the rise of “Girl Groups” in the 1960s that paved the road for TLC on TeachRock.org
Word Up by Cameo | Easy Version
Want more R&B? Check out all the R&B song charts on JamZone!