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R&B has played a massive part in the evolution of not just urban music but music as a whole. Arguably the biggest selling music of this century, hip-hop, owes it origins to funk and disco, which in turn came from R&B. Rock and Roll was also a direct descendant of the genre and early white artists such as Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis acknowledged the debt they owed to R&B. In the section we take a brief look at the most influential artists and songwriters in Rhythm and Blues over the last 60 years with the seminal albums profiled and the legacy analysed.

1950's: Ray Charles