Quiet storm is a radio format, musical style, and subgenre of
R&B, pioneered in the mid 1970s by then-intern
Melvin Lindsey at
Washington, D.C. radio station
WHUR-FM, featuring soulful
slow jams.
Smokey Robinson's like-titled hit single, "
A Quiet Storm", released in 1975 as the title track to his
third solo album, lent its name to the format and to the radio program that introduced it to the public. Encompassing a mix of
African-American music genres, quiet storm music is distinguished by understated, mellow dynamics and relaxed tempos and rhythms. It can be soothingly pensive, or express romantic sentiment. Quiet storm music is similar to
soft rock styles, but it is more closely and unmistakably rooted in R&B and
soul music, often with
jazz extensions.