Rhythm and Blues
节奏布鲁斯

Rhythm and blues (R & B) is a style of music that grew out of 1940s black American music styles including blues and jazz. The style, chord structure and rhythms of rhythm and blues music deeply influenced both black and white American pop music during the 20th century. This term's meaning expanded in the late 20th century to include any predominantly black form of music.
节奏布鲁斯(R & B)是从20世纪40年代美国黑人音乐发展起来的一种音乐风格，包括蓝调和爵士。它的风格、和弦结构和韵律深深影响了20世纪美国黑人和白人的流行乐。20世纪后期，节奏布鲁斯的概念有所扩大，包含了任何一种以黑人音乐为主的音乐形式。

As its name suggests, one of the major influences on rhythm and blues music was the blues. The blues is a style of music based off of a very specific 12-measure chord progression. Rhythm and blues music adopted this progression in the 1940s and 1950s, sometimes tweaking it along the way, and made it more a part of mainstream American pop music. Other influences on rhythm and blues include jazz, swing and boogie. Early R & B music usually featured a solo vocalist with a orchestral accompaniment. It usually had strong, often syncopated rhythms well-suited to the dance hall.
正如名称所示，节奏布鲁斯受到的一个主要影响来自蓝调。蓝调是一种基于特定的十二小节和弦推进的音乐。20世纪四五十年代节奏布鲁斯采用了这种推进方式，有时会稍作调整，并推动它发展成为美国主流流行乐的一部分。节奏布鲁斯受到的其他影响来自爵士、摇摆乐和布吉音乐。早期R & B音乐一般是由一名歌手单独演唱，由管弦乐队伴奏。这种音乐的节奏通常很强烈，且常被切分开，非常适合在舞厅播放。

Especially during the 1950s, there was a give-and-take relationship between rhythm and blues and rock and roll. Although the first was predominant in black culture and the second in white culture, the two often borrowed from one another. Leading up to the civil rights movement of the 1960s, many black artists used their music as a platform to speak out against segregation and racial inequalities.
20世纪50年代，节奏布鲁斯与摇滚乐形成了交流互动的关系。虽然节奏布鲁斯在黑人文化中占主导，摇滚在白人文化中占主导，但两种音乐常互相借鉴。到了20世纪60年代的民权运动时期，许多黑人艺术家还以音乐为平台表达了对种族隔离和种族不平等的抗议。