Rhythm and blues, also known today as "R&B", has been one of the most influential musical genres within African American culture and has evolved into many decades of style and sound. Emerging in the late 1940s, rhythm and blues, sometimes called jump blues, became the dominant black popular music during and after World War II. Rhythm and blues artists often sang about love, relationships, life problems, and sometimes focused on segregation and racial strife. Rhythm and blues helped embody what was unique about black American culture and validated it as something distinctive and valuable. The term "rhythm and blues" was coined in 1947 by a white man named Jerry Wexler, a journalist, editor and writer for Billboard. Magazine. Record companies distributing trendy black music labeled chart names: Harlem Hit Parade, Sepia, and Race Music. Wexler recognized that these names were demeaning to the black community, so he changed the name to a more tasteful and acceptable rhythm and blues. Wexler also signed and produced many of the most famous black singers of the past fifty years, including Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Wilson Pickett, LaVern Baker and Ruth Brown. Wexler was much more than a top executive: he was a national tastemaker and a prophet of roots and rhythm. The impact of his actions matched his larger-than-life personality. Thanks to him, we use the term "rhythm and blues" and hail Ray Charles as "Genius" and Aretha Franklin as "Queen". We learned about a record label called Stax and a small town called Muscle Shoals, Alabama. (Kahn, 2008). Stax was renowned for its production of African-American music such as jazz, gospel, funk and blues. The most used connotation of the term rhythm... in the center of the card... and in their own words. . More than just the music of many generations, it was the music that influenced a generation, lifted them up in the struggle, and helped ease their pain. I believe that one of the most extraordinary and unique characteristics that makes African American culture one of a kind. it's the music he produced. Even though African American music has evolved through different eras and styles, the influential melodic lines and rhythm have remained prominent and powerful. Rhythm and blues are constantly evolving and will continue to have a substantial impact on African American culture. Works Cited http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Rhythm_and_blue http://muzicmaker1.blogspot.com/2013_01_01_archive.html http://www .nytimes.com/books/first/w/ward-soul.htmlhttp: //www.rollingstone.com/music/news/jerry-wexler-the-man-who-invented-rhythm-blues-20080815