We're continuing to highlight the seminal contribution of Black Americans to American music and culture. Last week, we posted music by Louis Armstrong -- one of the most influential creators of jazz as a uniquely American, and intrinsically Black, musical art form. Another such musical art form -- rhythm and blues -- grew out of Black communities and was originally labeled "race music." An early rhythm and blues pioneer was another Louis -- multi- instrumentalist and composer Louis Jordan. Starting out in the big band swing jazz mode in the 1930s, Jordan and his Tympany Five band evolved a unique style that became known as "jump blues" by the 1940s. You can clearly hear the origins of rhythm and blues and, eventually, rock and roll in many of Jordan's compositions from that era. Here are two early ones, "Ain't That Just Like A Woman" (1946), and "Beans and Cornbread" (1949). Listen to the opening riff in the former -- Chuck Berry admitted he copied that for the intro into "Johnnie B. Goode;" it was later lifted by the Beach Boys in "Fun, Fun, Fun." That's some musical DNA there! Hope you enjoy some more historical musical roots.
