Which magazine journalist coined the term "rhythm and blues" in 1948?

Which magazine journalist coined the term “rhythm and blues” in 1948? Jerry Wexler did. The Billboard writer helped replace the older industry label “race music” with a term that better described Black popular music for a changing postwar audience.

Wexler was working as a reporter, editor, and writer at Billboard before becoming a celebrated record producer. Although examples of the phrase appeared in Billboard before 1948, Wexler is widely credited with popularizing it as a formal musical and chart-industry term. In June 1949, Billboard renamed its “Race Records” chart “Rhythm & Blues Records” at his suggestion.

The change was more than cosmetic. “Rhythm and blues” initially covered a broad range of blues, jump blues, jazz, gospel-influenced music, and dance records marketed primarily to African American listeners. Later, R&B became an umbrella term encompassing soul, funk, disco, and contemporary styles. Ralph Bass is a common mix-up because he was an influential producer, while Berry Gordy and Ahmet Ertegun were major label executives—not the journalist credited with naming the category.