by Madison West

Created on: May 27, 2008   Last Updated: June 02, 2008

Rhythm & Blues is one of my greatest loves. When you love something you take care of it. That's why I've taken much care in compiling a list of some of the greatest R&B songs of all time. With such a vast catalog of music to choose from, narrowing them down to a manageable number is a challenging, yet enjoyable, task indeed. After much "soul" searching, I've come up with a dozen R&B gems.

Out of the twelve songs listed below, I've selected an overall best. In order to be considered the best, I felt it was necessary for the song to have a life of its own. Some artists make the song, but once in a while there is that special song that can make itself. That's the kind of song that is destined to be a #1 hit, even when a record label can't decide on just one artist to record it. It's the kind of song that has world-wide appeal and can be a top ten hit almost 20 years after it first reached number one. It is one of those songs that was born to be an R&B hit, yet can be adapted to fit very well into other genres. In other words, it's just one heck of a song. So, without further delay...

OVERALL BEST

"I Heard It Through the Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye

Marvin Gaye's version of this song is the most well-known and the biggest selling. However, the song was actually recorded by several big name Motown artists. It was written by Motown songwriters Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong and was originally recorded by the great Smokey Robinson & the Miracles. That release of that version was vetoed by Motown's ultimate authority Berry Gordy. It was then recorded by The Isley Brothers and that version was put on the shelf as well.

As R&B fans, we should be very grateful that Mr. Whitfield was a persistent man. He was confident that he and his writing partner had a hit on their hands. He had Marvin Gaye record the song and was sure that he had found the right artist. Berry Gordy disagreed and, for the third time, vetoed the song.

In this case, the fourth time was the charm. Whitfield had Gladys Knight & the Pips record the song. Because the group was relatively new to Motown at that time, they did not have the same access to recording as the more established acts. That is why they had to sneak a reel-to-reel tape recorder out of the Motown studios and work on the recording on their own time. One small change had to be made in the song to better fit a female lead singer. The first line of the second verse was changed from "I know a man ain't supposed to cry/But these tears I can't hold

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