Arranging on the Assembly Line

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ID: 314377
2026
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Abstract
Abstract This chapter examines the role of arrangers in postwar R&B, showing how recording technologies, collaborative production systems, and expanding instrumentation elevate arrangers as central mediators of Black popular music aesthetics. It outlines historical precedents, defines the arranger’s functional labor in studio and live contexts, and addresses documentation gaps that obscure authorship despite the audible presence of orchestral coordination. The chapter traces the rise of strings and luxe pop signifiers in R&B, situating Motown’s assembly line production model within broader debates about class, crossover, and cultural hybridity. It details Motown’s arranging infrastructure and analyzes Paul Riser’s training, workflow, and stylistic development through “My Girl” (1964), “I Heard It through the Grapevine” (1968), and “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” (1972). Finally, the chapter argues that arrangers fundamentally reshape R&B’s sonic meaning by expanding instrumental soul and reframing understandings of Black pop production history.
Reference Key
openalex_W7161978382 Use this key to autocite in the manuscript while using SciMatic Manuscript Manager or Thesis Manager
Authors Andrew Flory
Journal Oxford University Press eBooks
Year 2026
DOI
10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190061869.013.0024
URL
https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190061869.013.0024
Keywords Keywords not found

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