RnB 50s

JAZZ

As swing-jazz and big bands lost popularity in the 50s, jazz became a more complex and confidential music segment, praised both technically and artistically but with limited audience. Notwithstanding such evolution, singers Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald leave their mark forever in the jazz song style.

∙  1936  ∙  Summertime (Billie Holiday, BILLIE HOLIDAY)  ∙  1938  ∙  A-tisket-a-tasket (Ella Fitzgerald) ∙  1946  ∙  The blues are brewin' (Billie Holiday)  ∙  1947  ∙  Oh! Lady be good (Ella Fitzgerald)   ∙  [..]

∙  1950  ∙  I found my way to wine (Lloyd "Tiny" Grimes)  ∙  1951  ∙  Night train (Jimmy Forrest)  ∙  Blue skies (Joe Caroll)  ∙  1952  ∙  Cool breeze (Dizzy Gillespie)  ∙  1953  ∙  Apples peaches and cherries (Peggy Lee)  ∙  1957  ∙  Air mail special (Ella Fitzgerald, orig. 1941 Benny Goodman)  ∙  1958  ∙  Me and the blues (Ray Bryant)  ∙  Moanin' (Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers)  ∙  1959  ∙  Moanin' (Charlie Mingus)  ∙  Are you havin' any fun? (Count Basie ft Tony Benett)  ∙  Umbrella (Louis Armstrong & Dizzy Gillespie)  ∙  So what ? (Miles Davis)  ∙  Strange fruit (Billie Holiday)  ∙  My baby just cares for me (Nina Simone)  ∙  1960  ∙  Mack the knife (Ella Fitzgerald)  ∙

 RnB BLUES

RnB blues modernized and became more widespread with Screaming Jay Hawkins turning classic blues into popular spectacular acts and B. B. King transforming it into elaborate jazzy blues-rock. A number of songs promoted the genre's mass popularity and have since become classics such as  Crawling king snake (1949)  (1971),   Rollin' stone (1950),  Hound dog (1953)  (1956)  (1963)  (1989),  On the road again (1953)  (1968)  (1978),  Dimples (1956)  (1964-1)  (1964-2)  or  I pity the fools (1961)  (1965)  (1972).

∙  1949  ∙  Crawling king snake (John Lee Hooker)  ∙  1950  ∙  Rollin' stone (Muddy Waters)  ∙  1951  ∙  How many more years (Howlin' Wolf)  ∙  1953  ∙  Why did you waste my time (Screamin' Jay Hawkins)  ∙  The things that I used to do  (Guitar Slim)  ∙  Hound dog / Hound dog live (Big Mama Thornton)  ∙  Mistery Train (Junior Parker)  ∙  On the road again (Floyd Jones)  ∙  1954  ∙  I got a woman (Ray Charles)  ∙  High and lonesome (Jimmy Reed)  ∙

∙  1956  ∙  I put a spell on you (Screamin' Jay Hawkins)  ∙  Everyday I have the blues  (B.B. King)  ∙  Dimples (John Lee Hooker, ver. 1997)  ∙  Keep it to Yourself (Sonny Boy Williamson, ver. 1963)  ∙  1957  ∙  I'm a King bee (Slim Harpo)  ∙  1958  ∙  Stone crazy (Buddy Guy)  ∙  1959  ∙  Come go with me/Lightnin's blues (Lightnin' Hopkins) ∙  Maudie (John Lee Hooker, ver. 1968)  ∙  She left me a mule to ride (Big Joe Williams, ver. 1966)  ∙

RnB ROCK

RnB rock had its roots in the late 1940s as derived from boogie, blues and swing-jazz (see Rock USA 40s) and turned into a frenzy in the 50s.

∙  1950  ∙  Teardrops from my eyes (Ruth Brown)  ∙  Cupid's boogie (Esther Phillips & Mel Walker)  ∙  1951  ∙  Rocket 88  (Ike Turner & Jackie Brenston)  ∙  Sixty minute man (Billy Ward & The Dominoes)  ∙  1952  ∙  Ring-a-ding-doo (Johnny Otis & Esther Phillips)  ∙  1953  ∙  Money honey  (Clyde McPhatter & the Drifters)  ∙  1954  ∙  Shake rattle' roll  (Big Joe Turner)  ∙  Work with me Annie  (Hank Ballard & The Midnighters)  ∙

∙  1955  ∙  Wallflower (roll with me Henry!)  (Etta James & The Peaches)  ∙  Pretty thing  (Bo Diddley)  ∙  1956  ∙  Tutti frutti / Long tall Sally  (Little Richard)  ∙  Please please please (James Brown & the Famous Flames, ver. 1964)  ∙  1957  ∙  Bony Moronie (Larry Williams)  ∙  1958  ∙  Sweet little sixteen  (Chuck Berry)  ∙  1959  ∙  What'd I say  (Ray Charles)  ∙  That's why (I love you so) (Jackie Wilson)  ∙  Money that's what I want (Barrett Strong)  ∙  Jump children  (The Flamingos)  ∙

RnB GOSPEL

RnB gospel drew on the popular gospel forms developed in 1941-46 by the spirituals vocal ensemble The Jubalaires. It flourished in 1952-55 with bands like The Soul Stirrers, The 5 Royales, with singer Faye Adams, and even more significantly in 1957-1964 with singer Sam Cooke's stellar 30-hit streak.

∙  1946  ∙  Noah (The Jubalaires, gospel spirituals)  ∙  1950  ∙  Jesus gave me water  (The Soul Stirrers ft Sam Cooke)  ∙  1952  ∙  Baby don't do it (The 5 Royales)  ∙  1953  ∙  Help me somebody/Crazy crazy crazy (The 5 Royales)  ∙  Shake a hand (Faye Adams)  ∙  1954  ∙  Dreaming of the Ladies in the moon (The Jubalaires)  ∙  1957  ∙  Dedicated to the one I love (The 5 Royales)  ∙  You send me (Sam Cooke)  ∙  1959  ∙  Only sixteen (Sam Cooke)  ∙  What a difference a day made (Dinah Washington)  ∙

RnB VOCALS

RnB vocals followed the musical style pioneered in the 1930s by The Mills Brothers and supported by the advances made in the 40s on the crooner scene by jazz singer Nat King Cole. It spawned the doo-wop frenzy in the mid-50s with serial hits by new bands like The Platters, Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers, The Moonglows, The Five Satins, The Coasters, or The Drifters with Ben. E. King.

∙  1932-1940s THE MILLS BROTHERS:   I ain't got nobody (1932)  ∙  The old man of the fountain (1933)  ∙  1934 Swing it, sister (1934)  ∙  Paper doll (1943)  ∙  You always hurt the one you love (1944)  ∙

∙  1950  ∙  Mona Lisa (Nat King Cole)  ∙  1951  ∙  Too young  (Nat King Cole, ver. 1961)  ∙  Fool fool fool (The Clovers)  ∙  1952  ∙  The glow-worm (The Mills Brothers)  ∙  1953  ∙  Crying in the Chapel (The Orioles)  ∙  1955  ∙  Only you (The Platters)  ∙  1956  ∙  In the still of the night (The Five Satins ft Fred Parris)  ∙  Why do fools fall in love (Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers)  ∙   Over and over again (The Moonglows)  ∙  Love is strange (Mickey & Sylvia)  ∙  1958  ∙  Little bitty pretty one (Frankie Lymon)  ∙  Book of love (The Monotones)  ∙  Get a job (The Silhouettes)  ∙  Three cool cats (The Coasters)  ∙  1959  ∙  Charlie Brown (The Coasters)  ∙  Shout  (The Isley Brothers)  ∙  There goes my baby (The Drifters ft Ben E. King)  ∙  Handyman (Jimmy Jones)  ∙  Tears on my pilow (Little Anthony)  ∙