The term Rhythm and Blues was used as a synonym for Black Rock and Roll in the 1950s. This influence is evident in forms of Rock Music, Country and Western, Gospel music, Jazz and also in Non-Western forms of music.
Just prior and during World War II (1939-1945) changes took place in the US social, industrial and technology sectors causing a widespread change in American demographics where black Americans migrated from the rural South to Midwest, Northeast and West Coast cities to work for higher income.
These changes brought about the creation of new music styles such as the Rhythm and Blues to suit the changing taste of this group of people.
There were three technological developments that took place, namely the invention of electric guitars, the discovery of the German-invented tape recorder which simplified the recording process and the rise of television broadcasting in the late 1940s.
These led to radio owners to sell off their radio stations presuming that it would become obsolete because of the popularity of television. These new radio station owners sought black American musicians and this allowed the sounds of Rhythm and Blues to be aired to the ubran black audience.
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