In the late 1940s, Los Angeles's Central Avenue and the many independent record labels that emerged gave birth to a dance form that became known as rhythm and blues. On the West Coast, with the proliferation of saxophonists and the concentration of show business, the emphasis was on rhythm. In Chicago, which had access to transplanted guitarists from the South in cities such as nearby St. Louis, Detroit and Cleveland, the emphasis was on the electric guitar and the blues.
And by 1955, Chicago became the birthplace of blues-driven rock 'n' roll in the hands of black electric guitarist-singers such as Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters. From the start of the decade, independent record labels such as Chess, King and several others had already been recording blues artists along a 10-block stretch of the city known as Record Row. The labels soon were creating records for the teen and house-party markets, which led to what became known as Windy City Soul.
All of this is beautifully laid out in the 1997 documentary Record Row: Cradle of R&B, produced by Michael McAlpin and Fawn Ring. Go here...
