I’ve been listening to and playing a lot of R&B lately. Its revived my passion for this music.
Lets share our top 5 favorites.
Here’s mine.
Four Tops Baby I Need Your Loving
Jimmy Ruffin What Becomes of the Broken Hearted
Hector Rivera and the Latin Renaissance ? I Want You, I Need You, I Love You
What Does It Take To Win Your Love’ Jr. Walker & The All Stars
I list I can get with. In no particular order. 
The Temptations - I Wish it Would Rain
Sam Cooke - A Change is Gonna Come
Gladys Knight and the Pips - Midnight Train to Georgia
Otis Redding - Sitting at the Dock of the Bay
Marvin Gaye - Let’s Get it On
I’ll stop there, but I could literally name twenty more right this minute.
This is very tough… I know I’m going to miss a whole lot. But off the top of my head, in no particular order:
Living for the City - Stevie Wonder
You’re All I Need to Get By - Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell
I Know I’m Losing You -Temptations
Sittin on the Dock of the Bay - Otis Redding
Busted - Ray Charles
Respect, Aretha Franklin
Poppa’s Got A Brand New Bag, James Brown
A Change Is Gonna Come, Sam Cooke
I’ll Be Around, The Spinners
Let’s Stay Together, Al Green
Everybody Plays The Fool, Aaron Neville
Yeah, it’s six. So sue me.
It’s fun playing the favorites as people post them. In terms of harmony and pure music R&B is the best music ever recorded. I like other styles of music. But the harmonies in R&B are so special.
It’s a shame this music isn’t being recorded anymore. It’s rare to even here a bridge in a modern song. It’s just verse and chorus these days. They don’t play a real bridge.
I heard it through the grapevine – Marvin Gaye
When a Man loves a Woman - Percy Sledge
In the Midnight Hour - Wilson Pickett
My Girl - Temptations
You make me feel like a natural woman - Aretha Franklin
Modern R&B bands - Motown, Philly Soul type bands:
I love the old stuff. This new stuff is quite good.
I’ll check the new R&B out. Thanks WordMan
I Heard It Through The Grapevine - Marvin Gaye
That’s How Strong My Love Is - Otis Redding
You Send Me - Sam Cooke
Take Me To The River - Al Green
It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World - James Brown
Just as a warning, my wife tells me “R and B” is used for a different kind of music these days: slow-paced, slickly-produced, vocals-focused pop sung mainly by African Americans. No rhythm, no blues, and about as far from Bo Diddley (say) as you can get.
No answer in this pre-poll has yet shown any confusion in this matter, but I thought I’d mention it as a preventative measure.
(The one group I know from WordMan’s “new…” list, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, I’d call funk-soul. I deliberately avoid calling them “R and B” for the reason I just gave, and I assume that applies to the other acts on WordMan’s list.)
Indeed.
But for folks looking at the titles of amazing songs in this thread, these artists are worth checking out.
If that ain’t badass 70’s-style R&B, I got nuthin’
More 60’s Motown/Brill Building-ish…love his old Gibson…
Otis Redding “Try a Little Tenderness”
Wilson Pickett - “Mustang Sally”
Sam and Dave - “When Something’s Wrong With My Baby”
Aretha Franklin - “Respect”
James Brown - “Please Please Please”
Honorable Mention: Eddie Floyd - “Knock on Wood”
Chi-Lites - Oh Girl
The Temptations - Just My Imagination
Marvin Gaye - Mercy, Mercy Me (The Ecology) (…or anything from the What’s Goin’ On? album)
Aretha Franklin - R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Ray Charles - What’d I Say?
Man, the best R&B recordings are just some of the best of all 20th century music. Not a song mentioned here so far that isn’t great.
I don’t want to have to pick five, but I will add one to the list:
People Get Ready - Curtis Mayfield
The song has been covered by tons of people. My favorite is People Get Ready as done by The Chambers Brothers.
And, though it’s so drenched in 80s you could wring this track out and create both Bon Jovi and Cyndi Lauper out of the drippings, I love the Jeff Beck/Rod Stewart cover as well.
In no particular order (save for the last one, which constantly trades places with “A Day in the Life” for the honor of being my favorite song of all time):
“Spanish Harlem” - Ben E. King
“Chain Gang” - Sam Cooke
“I Want You Back” - The Jackson Five
“I Wish” - Stevie Wonder
“A Change Is Gonna Come” - Sam Cooke
Oh, and one more, a modern R&B classic, to my ears at least:
“MoneyGrabber” - Fitz and the Tantrums
Temptations - Papa was a rolling stone - oh very very YES
The Staple Singers - If you’re ready
As soon as I click “Reply,” I’ll probably think of some I like better, but let’s try…
Marvin Gaye: “Ain’t That Peculiar”
Temptations: “Papa Was a Rolling Stone”
Stevie Wonder: “Superstition”
Jackson 5: “I Want You Back”
Sam & Dave: “Hold On, I’m Coming”
I lean more towards Memphis/Stax than Detroit/Motown
Temptations: Ain’t Too Proud to Beg
Sam & Dave: Hold On, I’m Coming
Eddie Floyd: Knock On Wood (in the top 5 of all songs all time regardless of category)
Wilson Pickett: Land of 1000 Dances
Aretha Franklin: Think
ETA: Bonus picks:
Eddie Ruffin: What Becomes of the Brokenhearted
Al Green: Here I Am, Baby
Carla Thomas: B-A-B-Y
Otis Redding: Try a Little Tenderness
Gladys Knight & the Pips: I Heard it Through the Grapevine