In the late forties, white record companies labelled commercial black music “race music”. Eventually, Jerry Wexler, then working at Billboard magazine as a reporter, thought of the phrase, “rhythm and blues” and it caught on. Before long, numerous other descriptions appeared – Motown, the Philadelphia Sound, Soul – but all had in common that the music expressed the rising aspirations of the ghetto.

Meanwhile, a curious imitation of black gospel appeared called white gospel. And among those who loved the sound were two remarkable men; one a record producer, Sam Phillips, who wanted to create a sound which had the discipline of white gospel but with the abandon of black rhythm and blues; the other was Elvis Presley.

featuring

Aretha Franklin

Bill Haley

Bo Diddley

Clyde McPhatter

Ike and Tina Turner

Jerry Wexler

Johnnie Ray

Pat Boone

Stevie Wonder

The Lefevres Family

The Platters

The Supremes

Wilson Pickett