rhythm and blues

American

[rith-uhm uhn blooz] / ˈrɪð əm ən ˈbluz /

Also rhythm-and-blues

noun

a folk-based but urbanized form of Black popular music that is marked by strong, repetitious rhythms and simple melodies and was developed, in a commercialized form, into rock-'n'-roll.

rhythm and blues British

noun

R B. (functioning as singular) any of various kinds of popular music derived from or influenced by the blues

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of rhythm and blues

An Americanism dating back to 1945–50

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023