Leon Thomas is well aware that R&B is not the first style of music that comes to mind when the guitar takes the lead. Now, as a member of the 2025 Fender Next class, the 32-year-old is excited to ...

Back in the ‘60s in Memphis, I listened to and played a lot of Aretha Franklin, Sam and Dave, Otis Redding, Booker T. and The M.G.’s, Percy Sledge and Wilson Pickett. We used to call it “soul music.” ...

B.B. King was a lot more than a Gibson guitar and some killer licks. For decades, he was one of the biggest stars of black radio, releasing 75 hit R&B singles between 1951 and 1992. King carried the ...