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Where did Slow Jams Come From?

The origins of Slow Jams trace back to the early 1960s. The term "Slow Jam" was first coined in 1961 by The Chicago Defender , a prominent African-American newspaper. At the time, it was used to describe a new style of R&B that emphasized slow tempos, romantic themes, and emotional vocal delivery—distinct from the faster, more upbeat soul and R&B tracks of the era. However, while the term was born in the early '60s, Slow Jams truly flourished in the late 1970s and 1980s , with artists like: The Isley Brothers Luther Vandross Freddie Jackson Anita Baker Keith Sweat Boyz II Men (early '90s) They helped popularize the genre with lush arrangements, silky vocals, and deeply emotional lyrics centered on love and intimacy. In radio, the format became iconic thanks to personalities like R Dub! , who helped bring Slow Jams into the mainstream in later decades, keeping the legacy alive for new generations.
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The Chicago Defender Invented the Term Slow Jam

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SUMMARY: The term “Slow Jam” was invented by The Chicago Defender , back in 1961. At least, that’s the term’s earliest recorded use. This debunks the myth that R&B Midnight Starr coined the phrase. We thank our hundreds of affiliates around the world for helping R Dub! bring the term Slow Jam to mainstream radio, as Sunday Night Slow Jams ™ and Slow Jams ™  air on over 250 radio stations in over 10 musical formats. *** Our historians went full deep-dive mode—think less Indiana Jones, more crate-digging in the back alleys of music history—and what they unearthed? The term “ Slow Jam” wasn’t birthed in some glossy '80s R&B studio. Nope. It first showed up in The Chicago Defender in 1961. That’s the real origin story. Sorry, Midnight Starr —myth busted. And now, thanks to an army of radio affiliates across the globe, R Dub! has taken that once-obscure phrase and turned it into a nightly ritual—broadcast in over 250 cities , cutting across more formats than a late-night din...
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