"Race Music"

• Prior to World War II, music popular within the African-American community was labeled "race music."
  
  

Post WWII

• After World War II, "race music" was considered an offensive term.
  
  

Blues and rhythm

• "Blues and rhythm" was the term that RCA Victor used in 1948 to market what used to be called "race music."
  
  

Jerry Wexler's influence

• Jerry Wexler, a music journalist, first used the term "rhythm and blues" while writing for "Billboard Magazine" in 1948.
  
  

Music for Black Americans

• In 1949, "R&B" became the industry term for music marketed to African Americans.