Rhythm and Blues: Covering the Jazz and Blues Scene
- Place of Publication: Derby, CT
- Language: English
- Date of Publication: 1952-1964
- Periodicity: Generally bi-monthly
- Editors: Jim Delehant, Sam Goldman, Marvin Shnayer, Normal Silver & Dave Weisser
- Publishers: The Onyx Publishing Co.
- Lacunae: Nos. 18, 50. A copy of these issues could not be located.
- Type: Full Text
Rhythm and Blues: Covering the Jazz and Blues Scene was published by Onyx Publications, a division of Charlton Publications, a publishing house devoted to popular culture and comic books. Rhythm and Blues combined elements of a song lyrics magazine, fan magazine, and promotional publication. From issue number 37 (October 1958), covers also advertised the magazine’s coverage of “The Rock & Roll Beat.”
Each issue opens with the editor’s column, “Dig me,” which summarizes musical trends and the contents of the issue, written in a jive-y prose, e.g. “Dig into the dandy’s doin’s with the dapper quintet coining all the mint with their new renditions of the old pretty ditties.” [Rhythm and Blues no. 33 (January 1958): 3] Musically, the magazine encompassed R&B, gospel, soul, blues, doowop, rock & roll, jazz, swing, jump blues, and more, with articles on singers, new records, and music in films and television. Letters to the editor featured photographs of each writer, which portrayed a young readership on both sides of the color divide. Major stars, such as Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, and Nat “King” Cole are well-represented. However, the abundant profiles of smaller performers and acts, many of which only recorded a single hit, are a special feature of Rhythm and Blues.
By the 1960s, Rhythm and Blues devoted more attention to the blues itself and its close ties with rock & roll. For example, the guitarist Mike Bloomfield’s interview with Muddy Waters [no. 65], Robert (Bob) Koester on Sleepy John Estes [no. 64], or Martin Williams on recording Big Joe Williams [no. 63], all appeared alongside articles on The Beatles, the Staple Singers, or Sonny Stitt. Rhythm and Blues ceased after publishing 66 issues.