Chris Trottier on Nostr: What even if "rock"? And how is it different from "R&B"? I ask these questions ...
What even if "rock"? And how is it different from "R&B"?
I ask these questions because, every time an R&B artist is nominated to the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame, someone says they don't belong there.
However, I don’t think there’s much of a difference – if any at all. In the 50s-70s, most of the major rock acts described their music as “R&B”. For example, The Who famously described themselves as “maximum R&B”.
What changed is that, as time went on, “rock” became codified as “white music”, while “R&B” became codified as “black music”. And black R&B acts that were once described as “rock” were retroactively described as “R&B”. For example, “Queen of Rock n’ Roll” Tina Turner isn’t even regarded as a rock artist nowadays, even though she was a pioneer. Same deal with Aretha Franklin. Yes, she’s soul – but back in the 60s, people saw soul music as a subgenre of rock, because it was.
Nevertheless, if we get to what rock n’ roll is, at its core, it’s blues with a little extra rhythm. Hence “rhythm & blues” or “R&B”.
If Tina Turner and Aretha Franklin are in the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame, there’s no reason Mary J. Blige, Cher, and Mariah Carey shouldn’t also be in it.
https://www.ctvnews.ca/entertainment/mary-j-blige-mariah-carey-cher-sade-oasis-and-ozzy-osbourne-among-rock-hall-nominees-for-24-1.6763984Published at
2024-02-10 23:24:28Event JSON
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"content": "What even if \"rock\"? And how is it different from \"R\u0026B\"?\n\nI ask these questions because, every time an R\u0026B artist is nominated to the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame, someone says they don't belong there. \n\nHowever, I don’t think there’s much of a difference – if any at all. In the 50s-70s, most of the major rock acts described their music as “R\u0026B”. For example, The Who famously described themselves as “maximum R\u0026B”. \n\nWhat changed is that, as time went on, “rock” became codified as “white music”, while “R\u0026B” became codified as “black music”. And black R\u0026B acts that were once described as “rock” were retroactively described as “R\u0026B”. For example, “Queen of Rock n’ Roll” Tina Turner isn’t even regarded as a rock artist nowadays, even though she was a pioneer. Same deal with Aretha Franklin. Yes, she’s soul – but back in the 60s, people saw soul music as a subgenre of rock, because it was.\n\nNevertheless, if we get to what rock n’ roll is, at its core, it’s blues with a little extra rhythm. Hence “rhythm \u0026 blues” or “R\u0026B”. \n\nIf Tina Turner and Aretha Franklin are in the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame, there’s no reason Mary J. Blige, Cher, and Mariah Carey shouldn’t also be in it.\n\nhttps://www.ctvnews.ca/entertainment/mary-j-blige-mariah-carey-cher-sade-oasis-and-ozzy-osbourne-among-rock-hall-nominees-for-24-1.6763984",
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