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Count Basie - Down By the Riverside

Though it began as a general term for African American music, the synthesis of styles that became what is now called rhythm and blues caught on among a wide youth audience during the post war period and contributed to changing the racial divide in American society and music of the mid twentieth century. Initially, white artists such as Elvis Presley performed and recorded, or covered, rhythm and blues works by African American composers in order for those songs to be marketed to white audiences. But the effect was to bring both audiences and artists with an interest in this style of music together... and mixed groups of youths sang doo wop together on the street corners of many urban centers. This provoked a strong reaction of proponents of segregation and was one reason why rhythm and blues and early rock and roll were often seen as dangerous to America's youth. But with young people of all backgrounds identifying with these new musical styles, a generation was becoming ready for a more equal society.

In the 1960s, a rhythm and blues style known as soul emerged in which the influence of gospel vocal style was stronger, though the lyrical emphasis was usually very secular... Their vocalists often sang in an uninhibited and emotionally direct style. In major cities, teenaged vocal groups with little or no instrumental accompaniment were a growing presence. They took their inspiration from both gospel singers and successful African American pop stylists... The term doo wop is well known now, but it was not applied to these groups until much later, and it refers to the vocables and nonsense syllables these group sang to compensate for their lack of instruments. All of these styles were significant to the development of rock and roll a few years later.


Count Basie - Down By the Riverside
  • Released on: Brother John Sellers Sings Blues & Folk Songs album
  • Genre: Jazz, Blues
  • Released: 1954

"In 1936, Count Bassie led the Count Basie Orchestra for almost 50 years, creating innovations like the use of two split tenor saxophones, emphasizing the rhythm section, riffing with a big band, using arrangers to broaden their sound, and others."

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