In the late forties, white record companies labelled commercial black music “race music”. Eventually, Jerry Wexler, then working at Billboard magazine as a reporter, thought of the phrase, “rhythm and blues” and it caught on. Before long, numerous other descriptions appeared – Motown, the Philadelphia Sound, Soul – but all had in common that the music expressed the rising aspirations of the ghetto. Meanwhile, a curious imitation of black gospel appeared called white gospel. And among those who loved the sound were two remarkable men; one a record producer, Sam Phillips, who wanted to create a sound which had the discipline of white gospel but with the abandon of black rhythm and blues; the other was Elvis Presley. featuring Aretha Franklin Bill Haley Bo Diddley Clyde McPhatter Ike and Tina Turner Jerry Wexler Johnnie Ray Pat Boone Stevie Wonder The Lefevres Family The Platters The Supremes Wilson Pickett
Writer
Nik Cohn