rhythm and blues

noun

: popular music typically including elements of blues and African American folk music and marked by a strong beat and simple chord structure

Examples of rhythm and blues in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The year was 1969 and Graham was all of 18 years old when he was invited to play with a rhythm and blues band. Catherine Muccigrosso, Charlotte Observer, 22 Feb. 2024 His show took us back in time to old school rhythm and blues, in what was the most gorgeous, stunning Super Bowl halftime show ever. Mike Freeman, USA TODAY, 12 Feb. 2024 The bar will feature jazz to rhythm and blues and reggae to rock bands once or twice a week. Catherine Muccigrosso, Charlotte Observer, 12 Feb. 2024 Dateline Jazz, rock ’n’ roll and rhythm and blues were Sessions’ favorites, his bandmates said. Tim Stelloh, NBC News, 8 Dec. 2023 Dishes like butternut shrimp bisque, puppy drum amandine and roast duck in pecan gravy merge Cajun cuisine and urban Creole cooking in a style that has become as uniquely New Orleans as James Booker’s slippery rhythm and blues. Brett Anderson, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2023 With a first show so tasty and memorably laden with hit after hit – and this doesn’t even touch on the oddly complementary rhythm and blues jazz of Donald Fagen’s Steely Dan – the Eagles’ farewell easily competes with the likes of Taylor Swift and Beyoncé for tour of the year. A.d. Amorosi, Variety, 8 Sep. 2023 Jamie Foxx’s visit to Toronto in 2004 set him on an awards trajectory that resulted in his winning the best actor Oscar five months later for Ray, director Taylor Hackford’s biopic of the rhythm and blues legend Ray Charles. Gregg Kilday, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Sep. 2023 Payne fell in love with jazz at age 12, when her peers were swooning over 1950s rock 'n' roll musicians and jamming to early rhythm and blues. Duante Beddingfield, Detroit Free Press, 11 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rhythm and blues.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1933, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of rhythm and blues was in 1933

Dictionary Entries Near rhythm and blues

Cite this Entry

“Rhythm and blues.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rhythm%20and%20blues. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

rhythm and blues

noun
: popular music with elements of blues and African-American folk music

More from Merriam-Webster on rhythm and blues

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