Rhythm and blues, one of the first genres in America to break away from
the jazz powerhouse and be recognized as its own thing, was predominantly
influenced through blues, jazz, and gospel music.
In the 1940s, though, the distinction between it and jazz was almost
unnoticeable. In fact, the term was coined by Billboard magazine in 1949
to describe some artists’ performances at the time,
which were combining jazz and blues, and to replace what was previously
known as “race music.” Many of the first R&B musicians were also jazz
musicians, consequently influencing jazz by
helping to push its transition from bebop to hard-bop, which incorporated
elements of R&B.
-Excerpt from my MUS262 essay