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The All-Time Top 100 R&B Tunes - Part 1: The Top Ten

© Barney Quick

1.) Turn On Your Lovelight – Bobby “Blue” Bland (1961)

This pivotal recording recalls the jump blues of r&b’s infancy and anticipates the coming decade’s soul sensibility, all the while crackling with gospel’s thunderous fervor. Duke Records arranger Joe Scott gives us something singularly vital at every point along the sound spectrum. We get bass that glides along like a Cadillac on the expressway, guitar that alternates between sixth-chord rhythm groove and an arpeggio figure that is the aural equivalent of a shiny processed pompadour, and high-end piano tinkling embellished with just a touch of celestial echo. And, of course, there is Bland’s vocal, ranging from a desperate whisper over a battery of urgent drums to the most sublime shouting ever captured on vinyl. This is r&b at its greasiest; the ultimate fish-fry music.

2.) It’s All Right – The Impressions (1963)

Chicago r&b is often characterized by memorable rhythm guitar work, and such is the case with Curtis Mayfield’s staccato jump strumming here. Johnny Pate’s jubilant arrangement also includes a high-hat cymbal figure that pushes the song along, another element that shows up in several of the all-time greatest r&b tunes. Mayfield, Fred Cash and Sam Gooden trade lines with conviction and elan. The song’s lyrics of affirmation and hope are also a reason for its number two ranking.

3.) Oh, What A Night – The Dells (1969)

Chess Records’ late-sixties arranging sultan Charles Stepney gives this reworking of the group’s 1956 classic a lush treatment drenched in strings, with organ-and-bass underpinnings that are draw-the-curtains sexy. Marvin Junior and Johnny Carter trade howls of ecstasy that fill the nocturnal sky. The supreme sugar music.

4.) Good Rockin’ Tonight – Wynonie Harris (1947)

An early triumph for newly hired arranger Henry Glover after King Records got into black music. Harris’ boozy revelry and the band’s offhanded swinging portend a half-century in which every aspect of American life would be rocked to its core.

5.) Smokey Joe’s Café – The Robins (1955)

This September 1955 recording shows up on both Coasters and Robins collections, because after its initial release on the Spark label, Atlantic acquired the distribution rights to it. It is from the last official Robins session on which Bobby Nunn and Carl Gardner sang. The following month they formed the Coasters. It’s a classic piece of Leiber and Stoller’s storytelling approach to r&b songwriting. Gardner’s wicked squeals, Barney Kessel’s sleazy, overdriven guitar and drummer John Sailes’ solid slamming ensure the number five spot for this gem.

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