As we know, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has been a big topic among music and entertainment fans. A lot of great acts, acts that a lot would consider not "worthy" because they are too "pop" or not "Rock" enough not given the props they deserve.

So I brought this topic in here because one thing I know about this board, even though we have a lot of disagreements about music and entertainment, there is always really good discussiona and believe it or not, I learn a lot of in here which is why sometimes I just lurk and not give opinions. So I thought about this topic because truthfully, it's about time that Contemporary R&B has a monument that honors its history and origins. Contemporary R&B going back to the late 70s at the latest has contributed mightly to the shaping of not only the progression of R&B but other genres that is part of the overall landscape of Popular entertainment.

So I want to make a thread that honors it and hopefully provoke some good, yet respectful discussion and even debate on sub-genre that I hold near and dear to my heart.

Rules are this: You have to pick at mininum 5 artists/entertainments up to 10 artists/entertainers and explain why they belong in the Contemporary R&B Hall of Fame. And don't just vote for your faves either. For example, just because you don't like an entertainer's music or entertainment brand don't negate their accomplishments and contributions to what Contemporary R&B is. If you're not a fan of Contemporary R&B, don't even bother to discuss this and don't give snarky comments about it. I wouldn't do it with genres that I'm not a fan of because there are fans of it who appreciate it and therefore more knowledgable than I am of it. So I respect that.

Curtwill1975 said:

Contemporary R&B going back to the late 70s at the latest has contributed mightly to the shaping of not only the progression of R&B but other genres that is part of the overall landscape of Popular entertainment.

So I want to make a thread that honors it and hopefully provoke some good, yet respectful discussion and even debate on sub-genre that I hold near and dear to my heart.

Rules are this:

You have to pick at mininum 5 artists/entertainments up to 10 artists/entertainers and explain why they belong in the Contemporary R&B Hall of Fame.

. . . just because you don't like an entertainer's music or entertainment brand don't negate their accomplishments and contributions to what Contemporary R&B is.

I think that's well stated. When I think of Hall of Fames, "can you truly tell the story of your sport, art, or trade without them?" If you can't tell the story of R&B for the last 40 years without an act, I think you let them in, like them or not.

I think the history of R&B belongs at least as much to the producers as the acts. But here are a few I would start mainly with some of the legends of the 1st decade pf the era (late 70's - late 80's) --

Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis: Their Minneapolis Sound dominated R&B over the 80's and 90's.

Prince: The architect of the Minneapolis Sound spawned scores of imitators for 40 years.

Earth, Wind & Fire: One of the great acts in R&B history were in their prime, making unforgettable hits, in the late 70's.

Janet Jackson: Arguably, the first female R&B megastar of the Video Era.

Beyonce: Has dominated R&B music three decades into her career.

Teddy Riley: The master of New Jack Swing.

MJ was such a colossally successful pop artist, so I didn't include him though I know he'd be one of the first in.

There are surely many others.

[Edited 4/14/17 11:11am]

namepeace said:

When I think of the RHOF, Songwriters HOF or Dancers HOF etc, I think of artists or entertainers that really transformed, innovated and enhanced the progresion of these genres. I think of artists and musicians who influenced a generation of acts and eras of music or film. Its not enough to only be popular, talented or even successful to warrant such titles if you have not done anything innovative or groundbreaking in the bigger landscape of music or entertainment. There are plenty of artists who have never won a Grammy or never sold millions of records that have been far more influential than those who have.

Personally, "Contemporary R&B" is just modern R&B geared toward a more commercial sound. Its more so along the lines of Pop/R&B instead of traditional. There hasn't been a whole lot of contemporary R&B acts over the last 20 years that have emerged and progressed R&B. Most of the innovation of the R&B sound was during the 70s and 80's. However, the first two people that automatically come to mind that are "contemporary R&B influencers" are Teddy Riley and Baby Face. There R&B sounds influenced an entire era and decade. Teddy Riley innovated New Jack Swing and it became a popular genre during the late 80s and early to mid 90's. Artist like Janet, Jodeci, Boys II Men, TLC, Guy, Bobby Brown, MJ etc all were influenced by that sound which enhanced R&B in the 90s. Babyface, do I need to say more? His sounds and productions influenced an entire generation and era of music: Brandy, Toni, Boys II Men, Mariah, Janet, TLC, MJ, etc. There sounds are still influential till this day. A female R&B artist I would pick is Mary J Blidge. She is an underrated songwriter and her mixture of Hip Hop, Blues, and Soul as well as her subject matter (urban, inner city struggles from a Black woman's perspective) has influenced artists as well. Of course Lauryn Hill would be a pick as well as D Angelo with their introducing of Neo Soul. All these artists have musically and lyrically influenced artists in this present generation and there music in some way enhanced "contemporary" R&B.

Teddy Riley

Baby Face

Lauryn Hill

D Anglo'

Mary J Blige

Now if the hall was called "R&B Hall of Fame" this list would look different and include Luther, Patti, Anita, Marvin Gaye, Earth Wind and Fire, Janet, Jimmy/Terry etc.

I didn't pick Janet because I think she belongs in RHOF and R&B Hall and contemporary to me are artists that came out 1995 and onward and obvious Teddy and Baby face didnt but their productions were very popular and influential during the late 80s and all of the 90s.

[Edited 4/14/17 12:05pm]

Bell Biv DeVoe: There were R&B/rap hybrids before them like Force MDs, The Sequence, UTFO, and New Edition. But BBD were really the first to have a hip hop image and sound and become a big crossover success with it. After BBD, the Luther Vandross/Whitney Houston style singer who wore suits and fancy dresses started to go out fashion wise, and also started to get less radio airplay. Even many of the late 1980s New Jack Swing groups still wore suits or dressed alike. After BBD, the average popular R&B singer/group had a more street or hip hop look and/or sound, like TLC, Jodeci, Jade, SWV, Color Me Badd, Another Bad Creation, Mary J. Blige, etc.

.

Gap Band: It became common for male singers starting in the NJS era to copy Charlie Wilson's vocal style, including Guy and R. Kelly.

.

Martha Wash: Some female dance music singers were influenced from her gospel style vocals, and groups like Black Box used her voice itself.

.

New Edition: They influenced the male singers/groups with a large teen audience that came after them like New Kids On The Block, *NSYNC, Boyz II Men, Backstreet Boys, The Boys, etc.

.

Whitney Houston: Shows like American Idol & The Voice probably wouldn't exist without her success. Mariah Carey was basically Whitney with rap added.

.

Sade (as a band): In a way, you could say their sound had an influence on the later so-called neo-soul acts.

.

Malaco Records: The sound of the current southern soul singer basically came from this label.

MickyDolenz said:

Bell Biv DeVoe: There were R&B/rap hybrids before them like Force MDs, The Sequence, UTFO, and New Edition. But BBD were really the first to have a hip hop image and sound and become a big crossover success with it. After BBD, the Luther Vandross/Whitney Houston style singer who wore suits and fancy dresses started to go out fashion wise, and also started to get less radio airplay. Even many of the late 1980s New Jack Swing groups still wore suits or dressed alike. After BBD, the average popular R&B singer/group had a more street or hip hop look and/or sound, like TLC, Jodeci, Jade, SWV, Color Me Badd, Another Bad Creation, Mary J. Blige, etc.

.

Gap Band: It became common for male singers starting in the NJS era to copy Charlie Wilson's vocal style, including Guy and R. Kelly.

.

Martha Wash: Some female dance music singers were influenced from her gospel style vocals, and groups like Black Box used her voice itself.

.

New Edition: They influenced the male singers/groups with a large teen audience that came after them like New Kids On The Block, *NSYNC, Boyz II Men, Backstreet Boys, The Boys, etc.

.

Whitney Houston: Shows like American Idol & The Voice probably wouldn't exist without her success. Mariah Carey was basically Whitney with rap added.

.

Sade (as a band): In a way, you could say their sound had an influence on the later so-called neo-soul acts.

.

Malaco Records: The sound of the current southern soul singer basically came from this label.

You'd have NE and BBD but not Bobby Brown?

Guy has to be here.

Midnight Star too.

Prince............Distinctive for the Mpls. Sound. World class musicianship, boundless creativity.

WAR............For their distinctive fusion of Latin jazz, soul and rock tinged funk.

Sade.........No explanation needed and none would suffice.

Teddy Riley..........New Jack Swing architect. A breath of fresh air during that time.

Jam and Lewis.........Production and song writing abilities that resulted in hits with a wide variety of sounds and artists. Diversity and versatility.

Kool and the Gang..........Unique blend of jazzy funk, successful crossover appeal.

EWF.........The Earth Wind and Fire combo of world class musicianship, plus the whole band concept and philosophy was mind blowing at the time.

The Jackson Five........Put boy groups on the map. Instantly recognizable harmonies.

Zapp & Roger.........They produced that particular sound better than any other band before or since.

Babyface.......See Jam and Lewis.

LittleBLUECorvette said:

You'd have NE and BBD but not Bobby Brown?

Guy has to be here.

Midnight Star too.

I consider "contemporary" as what's on the R&B charts right now, and I don't see how Midnight Star is relevant to people like Trey Songz, Beyoncé, or Keyshia Cole or to the trap sound. Midnight Star was wearing catsuits and spandex onstage, so they're not a style infuence to modern R&B acts either like BBD is. R&B bands haven't really been a thing (as far as the charts and R&B station airplay goes) since the 1980s. The last band that had much radio popularity was probably Tony! Toni! Toné! and they had hip hop in their sound too. So I don't really see that much of an influence from bands, other than maybe someone sampling old records. You could say there's some band influence on hip hop (ig. Dr. Dre, OutKast), but not really on R&B that reaches the Top 10 in Billboard or get a lot of views on Youtube. R&B bands are rare on the radio today and a lot of the sound is programming, like with EDM & trap. Beatmaker producers are popular now and have been for years. I put Gap Band because of Charlie's vocal influence more than the group itself. Several rappers have used Charlie to sing hooks on their songs and he's known as Uncle Charlie.

Earth Wind & Fire (Maurice White)

Prince

James Harris III & Terry Lewis

Michael Jackson

Teddy Riley

Luther Vandross

Chaka Khan

Whitney Houston

Janet Jackson

[Edited 4/14/17 21:12pm]

I’m only including folks not in the Rock Hall. So MJ and Prince and Stevie and Marvin and Ronald Isley will not take up slots. Every here has been around since the mid-70s right before the birth of Contemporary R&B which they say was in the late 70s’. Even Babyface was a part of Manchild who had a top 30 hit in 1977,

-Babyface: The ultimate singer and songwriter/producer of the 80s and 90s.

-Chic: Very distinctive sound when disco was huge. But their impact was felt for years to come (decade even.)

-The Gap Band: Charlie Wilson has a very appealing voice. Ask around.

-Rick James: Huge in the late 70s to the mid 80s’. Absolutely huge. Rock Star status.

-Kool & the Gang: The band had funk hits in the early to mid 70s’, but once a prominent vocalist like JT Taylor was added to the band they took off.

-Patti LaBelle: Patti LaBelle has been around since the early 60s’ but arguably her biggest era off fame came when she started selling pies … I mean in the 1980s when contemporary R&B was taking off.

-Teddy Pendergrass: Drummer and lead singer for 70s soul group Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes: He made a name for himself just contemporary R&B was coming of age.

-Diana Ross: Like the other female before, has been around since the 60s with the Supremes (who are Rock Hall members, but not Diana herself). But her solo work gets madly overlooked. Well not anymore. She’s a 1st year inductee of the Contemporary R&B Hall of Fame

-Luther Vandross: You hear Luther on classic R&B stations as much (if not more) than MJ & Prince. He was huge in the 80s’ (no pun intended.)

-Barry White: Should have been in the R&R Hall of Fame. Bu, he’s in this one. You know this man from the first note out of his mouth.

what year does contemporary rnb start?

LittleBLUECorvette said:

Luther Vandross is like the father of contemporary R&B. He'd be first on the list.

He's a first ballot HOF'er.

But he's not the father of "contemporary R&B" as defined here, which is R&B as a whole for the last 40 years. There were way too many iterations of R&B distinct from Vandross' sound during that broad period to give him that title.

Here's a better description: He is the bridge between 60's and early 70's R&B and contemporary R&B. He would be a legend in any era.

heathilly said:

what year does contemporary rnb start?

For purposes of the OP's question, "contemporary R&B" goes back to the late 70's to now. Personally I evened out that definition to the last 40 years.

namepeace said:

LittleBLUECorvette said:

namepeace said:

He's a first ballot HOF'er.

But he's not the father of "contemporary R&B" as defined here, which is R&B as a whole for the last 40 years. There were way too many iterations of R&B distinct from Vandross' sound during that broad period to give him that title.

Here's a better description: He is the bridge between 60's and early 70's R&B and contemporary R&B. He would be a legend in any era.

I take it you're talking of Marvin Gaye? He would most definitely be in. But in my list I didn't include guys already in the Rock Hall. I took all people who were around from the beginning of the contemporary R&B of the late 70s.

I'm not talking of . . . anyone.

To elaborate: think of all of the iterations of the R&B sound since 1977. That encompasses a whole patchwork of R&B sounds and styles.

You can't pick one "father" out of that.

You can't crown Stevie or Luther or Marvin or Jam and Lewis or Teddy Riley or Babyface or Prince as the sole "father" of such a broad era.

Anymore than you could crown Aretha or Janet or Tina or Teena or Bey or Rih the sole "mother" of that era.

namepeace said:

Aretha Franklin

Patti Labelle

Prince

Stevie Wonder

Joyce Simms

Jaki Graham

Marvin Gaye

Janet Jackson

Whitney Houston

Alexander O'Neil

Chaka Khan

Cherly Lynn

Melba Moore

PM Dawn

Sade

Patrice Rushen

[Edited 4/15/17 16:00pm]

namepeace said:

heathilly said:

what year does contemporary rnb start?

For purposes of the OP's question, "contemporary R&B" goes back to the late 70's to now. Personally I evened out that definition to the last 40 years.

That's how I understood the question so I didn't include artists who first rose to prominence in the sixties.

I consider many of those to be primarily soul artists, which I distinguish from R&B.


Good thread.



spelling edit.

[Edited 4/15/17 16:04pm]

- Stevie Wonder: He has an outstanding voice. He's a great songwriter. He plays multiple instruments even though he's blind. He made the innovative, yet classic albums Talking Book, Innervisions, and Songs in the Key of Life. He made the songs "Superstition," "Living for the City," "Isn't She Lovely," "Ribbon in the Sky," "Do I Do," and "I Just Called to Say I Love You." He's won 25 Grammy awards. I rest my case.

.

- Prince: He was one of the most elite guitar players to ever live, and belongs with other legendary guitarists like Jimi Hendrix, Carlos Santana, and Eric Clapton. He had an outstanding voice with incredible range. He was a great songwriter. He played 27+ instruments. He was one of the 3 most popular musicians of the 1980s. His music is so varied that he transcends genre. He made the albums Purple Rain, Parade, and Sign o' The Times. His Super Bowl Halftime performance is arguably the greatest Super Bowl halftime performance of all time. There are over 1,000 songs in his catalogue of released material. He won 8 Grammy awards.

.

- Whitney Houston: She had arguably the greatest singing voice of any woman in the history of popular/recorded music. She could songs of any tempo and a variety of styles (Gospel, rock, R&B, and pop). Her songs were the centerpeice of The Bodyguard soundtrack, the best-selling soundtrack of all time. She was bigger than life in the early 1990s due to The Bodyguard movie and soundtrack. Her performance of the "Star Spangled Banner" at the 1991 Super Bowl remains the gold-standard performance. She earned 7 Grammy awards.

.

- Marvin Gaye: He had an amazing voice. He was an amazing songwriter, writing about a variety of topics including love, sex, war, and environmental issues. He made the classic songs "Let's Get It On," "Got to Give It Up," "What's Going On," "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," "Mercy Mercy Me," and "Sexual Healing." He won 8 Grammy awards.

.

- Earth Wind & Fire: This is a pioneering band. The contrasting vocals of Maurice White and Philip Bailey make the group's vocal sound unique. They incorporated the use of horns masterfully in their recordings. This group is an incredible live act. This group has created the well-known songs "September," "After the Love Has Gone," "Shining Star," and That's The Way of The World." They have won 9 Grammy awards.

.

- Luther Vandross: He has one of the greatest voices of any male singer in the history of popular/recorded music. He sang the classic songs "Always and Forever" and "Here and Now." He won 8 Grammy awards.

.

- Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff: They wrote or produced the following classic songs: "For the Love of Money" by The O'Jays, "Me and Mrs. Jones" by Billy Paul, "If You Don't Know Me by Now" by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, and "Love Train" by The O'Jays, . They were the creators of Philadelphia Soul.

.

- Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds: He has written and produced over 26 number-one R&B hits throughout his career, and has won 11 Grammy awards. He also is an accomplished singer, with hits such as "Whip Appeal" and "When Can I See You Again."

.

- Sade: This band created a pioneering mix of Jazz, Latin, R&B, Rock, and Pop. They created the classic songs "Smooth Operator," "Paradise," and "No Ordinary Love." This band has won 4 Grammy awards.

.

- Usher: He has an excellent voice, including very good range. He was the most popular R&B artist of the 2000s. He also had enormous success as a pop artist. His hits include "U Make Me Wanna," "U Remind Me," "Confessions," and "U Don't Have to Call." He has won 8 Grammy awards.

[Edited 4/16/17 17:52pm]

I don't think Marvin Gaye was alone responsible for crafting those seductively cool R&B albums
in the 70s. Having a hand in architecting that sound, if you think about it, was Leon Ware, and
from Leon Ware, there is a direct linkage to Sade and then to Maxwell.

Anyways:

Quincy Jones

Teddy Riley
Leon Ware
Rod Temperton
Pharrell Williams
R. Kelly
Chucky Thompson
Sade
Prince
Babyface

206Michelle said:

There is a Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame Museum in Detroit, Michigan. See the website here: http://rhythmandblueshof.com.

This turned out to be a really good thread. A lot of good "nominees" and good reasons for them.

IMHO, I wouldn't choose anyone of post 1990 as first time nominees because there are so many others who are pioneers for those artists/entertainers/producers/label executives to give a blueprint for the impact that they have made and should be given their due first.

So entertainers like Beyoncé(and Destiny's Child), Boys 2 Men, Erykah Badu, Mary J Blige, Mariah Carey, Toni Braxton, Usher, Brandy(yeah she belongs), TLC, Aaliyah, En Vogue(Forerunners of the 90s Popular Black Girl Era that spawned a wave of girl groups throughout the decade), producers like Timbaland, The Neptunes, Rodney Jerkins, and etc from post 1990 aren't in my first ballot.

Another thing, I get not wanting to put those who are already in the R&R Hall of Fame because they are already "honored" in the highest "pantheon" in music/entertainment but if they helped to innovate and pave the way for Contemporary R&B then they belong in there also.

These are my choices:

Prince

Earth Wind & Fire

Sade

Huff and Gamble

Babyface

Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis

Luther Vandross

Chic

Janet Jackson

Whitney Houston

-------

Honorable Mention: New Edition, Donna Summer, Frankie Mase and Beverly, The Gap Band, Teena Marie, and Rick James.

[Edited 4/24/17 7:59am]

[Edited 4/24/17 8:01am]

[Edited 4/24/17 8:05am]

206Michelle said:

- Stevie Wonder: He has an outstanding voice. He's a great songwriter. He plays multiple instruments even though he's blind. He made the innovative, yet classic albums Talking Book, Innervisions, and Songs in the Key of Life. He made the songs "Superstition," "Living for the City," "Isn't She Lovely," "Ribbon in the Sky," "Do I Do," and "I Just Called to Say I Love You." He's won 25 Grammy awards. I rest my case.

.

- Prince: He was one of the most elite guitar players to ever live, and belongs with other legendary guitarists like Jimi Hendrix, Carlos Santana, and Eric Clapton. He had an outstanding voice with incredible range. He was a great songwriter. He played 27+ instruments. He was one of the 3 most popular musicians of the 1980s. His music is so varied that he transcends genre. He made the albums Purple Rain, Parade, and Sign o' The Times. His Super Bowl Halftime performance is arguably the greatest Super Bowl halftime performance of all time. There are over 1,000 songs in his catalogue of released material. He won 8 Grammy awards.

.

- Whitney Houston: She had arguably the greatest singing voice of any woman in the history of popular/recorded music. She could songs of any tempo and a variety of styles (Gospel, rock, R&B, and pop). Her songs were the centerpeice of The Bodyguard soundtrack, the best-selling soundtrack of all time. She was bigger than life in the early 1990s due to The Bodyguard movie and soundtrack. Her performance of the "Star Spangled Banner" at the 1991 Super Bowl remains the gold-standard performance. She earned 7 Grammy awards.

.

- Marvin Gaye: He had an amazing voice. He was an amazing songwriter, writing about a variety of topics including love, sex, war, and environmental issues. He made the classic songs "Let's Get It On," "Got to Give It Up," "What's Going On," "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," "Mercy Mercy Me," and "Sexual Healing." He won 8 Grammy awards.

.

- Earth Wind & Fire: This is a pioneering band. The contrasting vocals of Maurice White and Philip Bailey make the group's vocal sound unique. They incorporated the use of horns masterfully in their recordings. This group is an incredible live act. This group has created the well-known songs "September," "After the Love Has Gone," "Shining Star," and That's The Way of The World." They have won 9 Grammy awards.

.

- Luther Vandross: He has one of the greatest voices of any male singer in the history of popular/recorded music. He sang the classic songs "Always and Forever" and "Here and Now." He won 8 Grammy awards.

.

- Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff: They wrote or produced the following classic songs: "For the Love of Money" by The O'Jays, "Me and Mrs. Jones" by Billy Paul, "If You Don't Know Me by Now" by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, and "Love Train" by The O'Jays, . They were the creators of Philadelphia Soul.

.

- Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds: He has written and produced over 26 number-one R&B hits throughout his career, and has won 11 Grammy awards. He also is an accomplished singer, with hits such as "Whip Appeal" and "When Can I See You Again."

.

- Sade: This band created a pioneering mix of Jazz, Latin, R&B, Rock, and Pop. They created the classic songs "Smooth Operator," "Paradise," and "No Ordinary Love." This band has won 4 Grammy awards.

.

- Usher: He has an excellent voice, including very good range. He was the most popular R&B artist of the 2000s. He also had enormous success as a pop artist. His hits include "U Make Me Wanna," "U Remind Me," "Confessions," and "U Don't Have to Call." He has won 8 Grammy awards.

[Edited 4/16/17 17:52pm]

Every nominees of yours is great, except I wouldn't choose Usher yet. Not because he don't belong. Eventually he would get in, but he's too young still in comparison to others who started before him. But he's probably the last male Contemporary R&B male superstar. He's actually the last black entertainer to have a diamond certified album through pure album sales. That alone makes at the least iconic. So IMO he's Contemporary R&B pantheon but if I had to nominate 10, he's not one of them for the reasons I stated.

And here is another name that I don't gets enough cred but should:

Freddie Jackson. A very important pioneer and icon for shaping the sound directly and even indirectly for male crooners.