rhythm and blues

American  

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

Also rhythm-and-blues

noun

1. 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.

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rhythm and blues British  

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of rhythm and blues

An Americanism dating back to 1945–50

Example Sentences

But Brown Sugar's more laid-back sound blended rhythm and blues with crisp hip-hop beats, jazz and funk, differentiating it from the more pop-skewing R&B dominating radio at the time.

From BBC

“We were originally a rhythm and blues band, wearing blue suits and singing about people and problems in the Deep South,” Hayward recalled in an interview with The Times in 1990.

From Los Angeles Times

In his coinage, plastic soul referred to the band’s penchant for transforming musical forms — often American rhythm and blues — into their own image, retaining their fundamental qualities in the process of making them their own.

From Salon

“It’s become my church, my gym and my therapist,” she said, as pulsing rhythm and blues played from a portable speaker inside the large sorting room.

From Los Angeles Times

A classically trained musician, Flack ushered in an enduring style of rhythm and blues with her early classics that she often described as “scientific soul” — a blend of talent, taste and endless practice.

From Los Angeles Times