Toni Braxton is a worldwide renowned American RNB singer, songwriter, producer and actress. She was born on October 7, 1967, in Severn, Maryland, to a clergyman and power company worker father and a former opera singer and cosmetologist mother. Clearly, Toni Braxton gets her stunning voice from her mother. She began her music career in the late 1980s, while performing with her four sisters as The Braxtons. Soon after their first single was released, Toni Braxton got the attention of producers Antonio “L.A.” Reid and Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds. They signed her and in 1993, Toni Braxton released her first RNB album.

The album reached number 1 on the US Billboard 200 chart, as well as the first single, Another Sad Love Song. Her success was phenomenal and her first self-titled album released 5 more singles: Breathe Again, You Mean the World to Me, I Belong to You, Seven Whole Days, and How Many Ways. In 1996, Toni Braxton released her second album, Secrets. This album was the most successful disco graphic production in her career. Some of the singles released from this album include You’re Makin’ Me High, Un-Break My Heart, I Don’t Want To/I Love Me Some Him, and How Could an Angel Break My Heart, which all peaked in RNB charts worldwide. Un-Break My Heart is still considered to be one of the best RNB love songs of all time.

The third studio album of Toni Braxton was released in 2000 and named The Heat. Toni Braxton has released numerous other albums and singles ever since. She has won an impressive number of awards and is considered to be one of the most awarded RNB female artists in the world. Besides being one of the best voices of the RNB genre, she is also very beautiful. Toni Braxton has been ranked as one of the most beautiful and sexiest women in the world for many years and by many publications worldwide, including FHM and VH1. Nevertheless, her low sultry voice gave her international fame and brought her the status of one of the brightest RNB artists. RNB definitely suits her like a charm.

One of the RNB names that will forever remain in the history of this musical genre is Ruth Brown. Ruth Brown was one of the most popular, beloved and successful RNB singers of all time. She was also a songwriter, actress and record producer. Her contribution to the RNB musical genre was so high and meaningful that she was nicknamed Queen of RNB. Ruth Brown was born on January 12, 1928, in Portsmouth, Virginia. In 1945, she ran away from home in order to follow her dream of singing. She escaped with trumpeter Jimmy Brown, whom she later married.

Her career took a height in 1949, when Ruth Brown was convinced by Atlantic Records bosses Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson to switch from singing ballads to RNB. Her first RNB song, So Long, became a hit and paved the way for numerous others hits to be released, such as Teardrops from My Eyes and (Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean. Ruth Brown became noted for bringing a pop music style to RNB music. Due to her contributions, Atlantic Records soon became known as “The house that Ruth built”. In the 1960s, Ruth Brown took a break from the limelight because she wanted to become a housewife and mother. In 1975, she came back stronger than ever and ready to take up the world again. She even starred in a series of comedic acting gigs, which led to her being awarded with a Tony Award for Best Female Star of a Musical.

Not only did Ruth Brown made significant contributions to RNB music, but she also fought for musicians’ rights regarding royalties and contracts. She used her influence to accomplish that and it did not take long until the Rhythm and Blues Foundation was founded. The RNB foundation is dedicated to RNB artists worldwide and has known a great success ever since its foundation. RNB artists nowadays have Ruth Brown to thank for that. The Queen of RNB passed away in 2006 from complications following a heart attack and stroke. She is buried at the Roosevelt memorial Park, in Chesapeake City, Virgina. Her life and career have surely had a great impact on RNB.

RNB is nowadays one of the most popular musical genres in the world. Everyone seems to love listening to RNB songs and the reality is that these impressive singles have lyrics that can really move anyone. One of the most popular all time RNB stars is Aaliyah. Unfortunately, Aaliyah died at the age of only 22, on August 25, 2001. Still, her music and the legacy that Aaliyah left in RNB will always be cherished.

Aaliyah was born in Brooklyn, New York City on January 16, 1979, although she spent most of her childhood in Detroit. Aaliyah made her debut in the music industry before turning 10, as she performed alongside Gladys Knight during a television show. Everyone appreciated the impressive voice that Aaliyah has always had, so there is no wonder she soon became a popular RNB star. The turning point in Aaliyah’s career took place when the RNB singer met R. Kelly, who helped her launch her first album. Age Ain’t Nothing but a Number sold in more than three million copies only in the United States. However, the success was soon overshadowed by a scandal. It was claimed that Aaliyah and R. Kelly illegally got married. After the scandal, the RNB singer started to work with Timberland to release her second album, One in a Million, which sold in more than 3.7 million copies in the United States.

In 2000, the RNB star made her debut in the movie industry, as she was cast in the successful Romeo Must Die. Although this was not actually the first movie in which Aaliyah was cast, it was her first notable appearance. Despite the success in acting, the RNB star continued to release many singles and so a new album was out in 2001. Only a month after the release of her third album, a tragic event took place. Aaliyah died in August 2001, after an airplane crash in The Bahamas, just on her way to return home after filming her new video. After the death of this young RNB icon, numerous posthumous releases were placed in sale, including the most famous singles of the star.

John Legend is an American RNB singer, songwriter and actor, who is considered to be the RNB golden boy of the moment. He was born on December 28, 1978, in Springfield, Ohio, to a seamstress mother and a factory worker father. Although he was homeschooled by his mother, John Legend was drawn to music since the early age of 4, when he began to play the piano. Not long after, he was already singing in the school choir. John Legend graduated from high school salutatorian, therefore was offered scholarships to prestigious universities in the U.S., namely Harvard, Georgetown, and Morehouse.

He chose to attend the University of Pennsylvania, where he majored in English and African American literature. After being the president and musical director of Counterparts, a co-ed jazz and pop a cappella group, John Legend met RNB diva Lauryn Hill, who hired him to play piano on her song Everything Is Everything. Soon after graduating, John Legend started to work as a management consultant. Meanwhile, he was also working on his demo, which he began to send to different record labels. Not long after, John Legend was introduced by his college roommate to another RNB legend, Kanye West. In fact, John Legend is the first artist labeled under Kanye’s label, G.O.O.D. (Getting Out Our Dreams). You might not know this, but John Legend’s vocals can be heard on numerous RNB famous tracks, including You Don’t Know My Name by Alicia Keys, Encore by Jay-Z, Never Let Me Down by Kanye West, and Selfish by Slum Village.

In 2004, John Legend released his first album, Get Lifted, which was an incredible hit. People everywhere loved it, so the album sold 2.1 million copies in the U.S. alone. The singles Ordinary People and Used to Love U were instant RNB hits. His second album, Once Again, was released in 2006, with the first single being Save Room – another RNB hit. His talent was undeniable, so the albums kept on coming. In 2008, Evolver was released, and Wake Up! was out in 2010. Although John Legend is currently on a 50-date tour, he is also working on his next album. We surely hope to hear more of John Legend, the current RNB golden boy.

RNB, also known as rhythm and blues is a genre of African American music. Its origins take us back to the 1940s, when record companies used it for the first time to describe jazz music with great beats. In the 1950s, RNB was used to describe mostly blues music, but later, the term was also used for gospel and soul. In the 1970s, RNB was the description used for soul and funk and since the 1980s, a new sub-genre named contemporary RNB appeared. In Great Britain, RNB developed in the early 1960s. Many bands were trying to imitate the recordings of American artists, that gained an immense popularity during the Cold War, especially in some English ports like London, Belfast and Liverpool. The British music was rawer than the American one. Alexis Korner was one artist that had a major influence on the British RNB.

Alexis Korner was the mentor of the members of several important bands of his years, like The Yardbirds, The Kinks, The Rolling Stones and Graham Bond Organisation. British rock musicians also showed an important interest in RNB and Eric Clapton, Peter Green and Jimmy Page adopted some of the features of this type of music. The most successful British RNB band was The Rolling Stones. In 1964, they released and eponymous album adopting this style. Through it, they attacked the American charts and became the second most popular British band in the world, following The Beatles.

All through the years, the music that The Rolling Stones produced was influenced by RNB. Thanks to them, other bands adopted this trend: The Animals, The Moody Blues, Small Faces and The Who. Even if The Rolling Stones had great success in America, most of the RNB singing bands following them did not achieve the same. The British RNB was still extremely different from the original American sound and these bands needed to move on and leave this genre behind. Some of them were influenced by rock music and put the pillars of psychedelic, progressive and hard rock genres, but in the end, the RNB was a huge component of their sound.

The history of the musical genre called RNB goes back to 1948, when the company RCA Victor was marketing black music under the label Rhythm and Blues. It was in that year that Louis Jordan entered the limelight and took RNB to a whole other level. Louis Jordan was born on July 8, 1908, in Brinkley, Arkansas. His father was a local music teacher and Brinkley Brass Band leader, so no wonder that Louis Jordan was drawn to music, as well. He studied the piano, saxophone and clarinet, while still performing in his father’s band.

After performing in several bands, Louis Jordan was invited by lead drummer Chick Webb to join the Savoy Ballroom orchestra, which was very influential at that time. He then formed a band together with the same Webb, who unfortunately passed away in 1939 after a spinal operation. Since then, Louis Jordan released numerous hit singles, such as Saturday Night Fish Fry, Ain’t Nobody Here but Us Chickens, Ain’t That Just Like a Woman, Caldonia, and Choo Choo Ch’Boogie. Louis Jordan was on the rise, as well as RNB. He dominated the charts until 1951, and people were starting to appreciate RNB more and more. Louis Jordan definitely contributed to the popularity of this musical genre, so no wonder that many people consider him to be the father of RNB.

The life of Louis Jordan abruptly ended in 1975, after a heart attack. Although he is no longer with us, his legacy is still very much alive. Thanks to Louis Jordan, we are now able to enjoy RNB and to delight our senses with this southing musical genre. Many artists nowadays take after the great Louis Jordan, as he was a complex artist. No wonder, thus, that Rolling Stone Magazine ranked Louis Jordan #59 on the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time list. Also known as The King of the Jukebox, Louis Jordan was definitely one of the most popular and successful RNB African-American artists of the past century. This singer, songwriter, saxophonist, actor and bandleader was truly an RNB pioneer and a music legend.

RNB music is, without a doubt, amazingly popular nowadays. Everyone loves listening the great quality music and many of the RNB songs released during the years have been placed in this category. Although the original RNB genre was created in the 1940s, throughout the years the music genre has suffered numerous changes. Nowadays, songs are included into the musical genre known under the name of contemporary RNB. Contemporary RNB combines elements of hip-hop, soul, R&B and also funk music.

The origins of contemporary RNB are placed in the 1980s, the style also being known under the name of “urban contemporary music.” One of the latest trends in contemporary RNB actually is the introduction of electronic influences into the musical style. Hip hop dance beats are also a common element of contemporary RNB. Well, one of the most important aspects of this music genre is the use of melisma, which has actually been introduced to contemporary RNB and highly used by some of the most popular singers in the world, including Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, but also Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston. These artists have definitely managed to make history with their unique songs and great performances.

Actually, Michael Jackson was among the first singers who revolutionized this music genre. The change occurred in the 1980s when Jackson gave a new approach to RNB, which became more pop-oriented. And Jackson wasn’t the only singer to do so. Tina Turner and Whitney Houston also joined the trend. Janet Jackson created a series of hits which became amazingly successful during the same period. Well, if in the 1980s, the music genre got many pop influences, in the 2000s, contemporary RNB is mostly based on hip-hop influences. Singers such as Usher, Beyonce, Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey and also Rinanna or Ne-Yo released some amazing songs, which can easily be included in this musical genre. And since the success was so impressive, stars also added other influences into their songs, including contemporary pop, rock, but also electro pop elements. And since fans loved them so much, there is no wonder that chances have been brought to the original RNB style.

In today’s music industry, there are many successful artists that sing according to a specific genre. Hip hop, rap, rock, pop, RNB are just a few of the musical niches that have a great impact on people. One of these genres, RNB has known many changes throughout the years, ever since it first appeared. The term RNB, or rhythm and blues is a genre of popular African American music that originated back in the 1940s.

One of the best selling RNB female artists in the past decades is Beyonce Knowles. Her music belongs mostly to RNB, but she also incorporates pop, funk, hip hop and soul into her songs. Beyonce started her music career singing in the female group Destiny’s Child and received co-writing credits for most of the songs recorded by the group. Beyonce is known for writing personally driven and female empowerment themed compositions. Most of her songs are autobiographical, admitting she has taken her inspiration from her personal experience. In 2003, when Beyonce released her first RNB solo album, she won the International Artist Award. Since then, her career went upward and she takes pride in having a plethora of awards and nominations. Beyonce is the third most honoured woman in RNB Grammy history, with a total of sixteen awards and forty-two nominations.

Beyonce’s debut RNB album Dangerously in Love was released in 2003 and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 Chart, with first week sales of 317.000 copies sold. the album was certified four times platinum. Dangerously in Love sold over 4.6 million copies and it remains as one of her best sold RNB albums. The album’s single, Crazy in Love, featuring Jay-Z spent eight consecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 Top. Her next single, Baby Boy featuring Sean Paul also spent nine consecutive weeks on the first position of the Billboard Hot 100 Top. 2003 was a rewarding year for Beyonce, since she then won the Grammy for the best Contemporary RNB Album, Best Female RNB Vocal Performance, best RNB song and Best RNB Collaboration. Beyonce has continued to be one of the most empowering RNB female artists and one of the most successful.

Rhythm and Blues, or RNB, has become a wide-spread musical genre that has launched many talented artists along the way. Although the abbreviation RNB originates from the traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term RNB is more often than not used to describe a particular African American music originating after the demise of disco in the 1970s. RNB has evolved a lot and nowadays, it has a more polished production style, drum backed rhythms and an occasional saxophone beat to give a jazzy feel to the tune. RNB has intertwined with electronic influences, dance and hip hop.

One of the most important RNB icons that was one of the best selling RNB artist, is the late Whitney Houston. Her music sold over 170 million albums, singles and videos worldwide. Whitney Houston released seven studio albums and three movie soundtrack albums, all of which have diamond, multi-platinum, platinum or gold certification. Who could forget such heart wrenching RNB tunes, such as I Will Always Love You, I Wanna Run to You, I Have Nothing, or I’m Every Woman. Whitney Houston broke a record with the best selling single, I Will Always Love You, becoming the best-selling RNB single by a female artist in music history.

With the outcome of the soundtrack album of the movie Bodyguard, Whitney Houston became the first RNB act to sell more than a million copies of an album within a single week. Both the movie and the music album were a hit. Whitney Houston recorded album after album, and was constantly granted recognition by the music industry. Unfortunately, her personal struggles with drug and alcohol abuse did not let her continue her music career. The only legacy she left to the RNB world are her movies, her one of a kind music and her unforgettable voice. Aside from Whitney Houston, there are more artists, such as Beyonce Knowles and Mariah Carey, that try to rise up to her level and bring their own personal contributions to the RNB niche.