Ray also had Sam Cooke and Jackie Wilson to contend with the original R&B king title lol
But yeah he would fit that title.
Ray Charles is definitely a front runner. I'd add Marvin Gaye also, Luther as well. Scandal aside, R Kelly definitely has a case for it. Bobby Brown shouldn't even be in the conversation.
In terms of eras:
'50s [[Ray Charles or Sam Cooke)
'60s [[James Brown, Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Solomon Burke, Marvin)
'70s [[Marvin, Stevie, Al Green, Barry White, Teddy Pendergrass)
'80s [[Luther, Freddie Jackson)
'90s [[Luther, R & Pee)
Bobby only had one smash album [[Don't Be Cruel) and it's seen mainly as a new jack swing album with SOME pop and R&B in it. That's not enough to be [in my best Whitney voice] "the original R&B KINNNNG-NUH" [[lol; that's how she said it if you hear it right hahaha; I miss you Whitney).
The follow-up only had Humpin' Around, Getaway and Good Enough [[which was only successful on the R&B side) and that was only because R&B again was going through a transition from pop-inflected new jack swing to a much harsher, darker R&B sound that was to be dominated by Mary J. Blige. So Bobby's time was over in 1992-93.
Last edited by midnightman; 08-04-2018 at 11:28 AM.
LOL. Interesting discussion regarding "king of R&B". Given the fact that kings have successors, I'd suggest that Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye, Jackie Wilson et.al are all "kings of R&B". Whitney did say "original king", though. That's why I went with Ray. I still chuckle when I think of Bobby Brown being the original king of R&B, though. Cocaine is a hell of a drug, Whitney.
Well, Liz Taylor called Michael Jackson the "King of Pop, Rock and Soul" but he got tagged with the worst moniker in music, the "King of Pop". I have always hated that title.
I still refer to MJ as "The Gloved One" or "The King" period.
My uncle came back from Alabama with an album by his group Luther in 1976 of so. We listened to "The Second Time Around" and "A Brand New Day" in their original compositions. When he won the Grammy for Best New Artist two years later, I didn't understand it. I guess regional artists don't qualify for recognition.
The O'Jays at this point are a national R&B treasure. Everyone who's a true R&B fan know about the O'Jays, least the two who have been both the hearts and voices of the group [[Eddie and Walter).
And we're veering totally off topic lmao
True, true... And if I suggested that they were the Kings of Soul Group Lead Singers, I'd get my ass kicked around here. Navigating between Eddie, David, Levi, Smokey and Michael on a Soulful Detroit forum would be impossible. And those are just the first-name-only singers from Motown. Toss in Bobby Smith, Gerald Alston and the aforementioned O'Jays and picking the best leads in soul groups would start a fight around here that might never end.
Well, I notice you didn't mention Ron Banks, LJ Reynolds, Marvin Junior, Johnny of the Dells, Russell Thompkins Jr., Peabo Bryson, Jeffrey Osborne, Glen Jones, Barry White, just to name a few. My point is there are and have been an incredible number of excellent male singers whether they were a part of a group or "solo" to really pick a legitimate "King of R&B". What was it they named Rick James?
I don't remember Rick James' tag. But only George Clinton and James Brown surpassed him as funk artists. Roger came close. With that said, the other three artists were more influential because other than samples, you can hear their riffs and rhythms in songs still being made but only Rick James had the ability to make his songs the way that he did.
Howard and James are certainly great singers. I saw Howard in concert here in the UK a couple of months back and he was as magnificent as ever. Al Jarreau was an amazing live performer. I saw him twice and was captivated by how he used that unique voice. A true one off.
The reason why I didn't suggest that is because he was the one who have himself that name. He came up with the "punk funk" name for his genre, which he used to refer to his and Prince's music, specifically. "Street Songs" and "Dirty Mind" would be the best examples of it, in my opinion, followed by most of the two-album "1999". By the way, if I was to recognize the genre, Prince would be the king.
There was actually a genre for punk funk but they didn't include either Rick or Prince though genre/style wise, Prince would've fit the punk aesthetic than Rick, who was more glam rock by comparison [[glitter, jumpsuits, long hair, etc.). Prince had that entire "rude boy" persona used mainly by punk acts. Rick technically never had any punk influences but he surely had the rock influence down pat. He came of age in the psychedelic rock era of the late '60s. So his style would be more Robert Plant than, say, Joey Ramone or Johnny Rotten [[John Lydon).
Rick did make up that title though but something like Super Freak was more new wave and rock influenced than punk. Other than that, he would've been seen as another disco/funk performer. I imagine he named himself "king of punk funk" because he wanted to have some identity and he got one.
Thanks Jerry.
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