Kool & the Gang is an American R&B, soul, and funk band formed in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1964. Its founding members include brothers Robert "Kool" Bell and Ronald Bell, Dennis "Dee Tee" Thomas, Robert "Spike" Mickens, Charles Smith, George Brown, Woodrow "Woody" Sparrow, and Ricky Westfield. They have undergone numerous changes in personnel and have explored many musical styles throughout their history, including jazz, rhythm and blues, soul, funk, disco, rock, and pop music. After settling on their name following several changes, the group signed to De-Lite Records and released their debut album, Kool and the Gang (1969).
The band's first taste of mainstream success came with the release of their fourth album Wild and Peaceful (1973), which contained the US top-ten singles "Jungle Boogie"[1] and "Hollywood Swinging". Kool & the Gang subsequently entered a period of decline before they reached a second commercial peak between 1979 and 1986 following their partnership with Brazilian musician and producer Eumir Deodato and the addition of singer James "J.T." Taylor to the line-up. Their most successful albums of this period include Ladies' Night (1979), Celebrate! (1980), and Emergency (1984), their highest selling album with two million copies sold in the US. Their hit singles during this period included "Ladies' Night", the US No. 1 "Celebration", "Get Down on It", "Joanna", "Misled", and "Cherish". The band continues to perform worldwide, including as support for Van Halen in 2012 and their fiftieth-anniversary tour in 2014.
The band formed in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1964 when seven school friends decided to perform together as an instrumental jazz and soul group named the Jazziacs.[12] Among them were Robert "Kool" Bell on bass, his brother Ronald Bell on keyboards,[13] Robert "Spike" Mickens on trumpet, Dennis "Dee Tee" Thomas on saxophone, Ricky West on keyboards, George Brown on drums, and Charles Smith guitar.[14] All of them, except Smith, attended Lincoln High School in Jersey City.[15] Robert Bell had given himself the nickname "Kool" as a way of adapting to the street gangs in his neighborhood after moving from Ohio.[16] The Bells' father Bobby and uncle Tommy were boxers. They moved to New York to train and lived in the same apartment building as Thelonious Monk, who became Robert's godfather. Miles Davis would drop by because he wanted to be a boxer.[17]
Their first gigs took place as the opening act to a weekly jazz night held in a local theatre every Sunday.[13] They also played occasionally with McCoy Tyner, Pharoah Sanders, and Leon Thomas during their early period.[18] The group then underwent several name changes, including The Soul Town Band and The New Dimensions,[19][15] during which they would play Motown covers as the backing musicians for Soul Town, a small Jersey City-based organization similar to Motown.[16] In 1967, they decided to perform as their own identity and became regulars at the Blue Note Lounge in Jersey; one of the MC's advertised them with a new name, Kool & the Flames. However, their manager Gene Redd advised against it to avoid confusion with James Brown's band, The Famous Flames, leading to a further change to Kool & the Gang, in 1969.[20]
After securing their new name and line-up, Kool & the Gang secured a recording deal with Redd's new independent label, De-Lite Records. Redd wrote: "I discovered these eight supertalented incomparable young musicians [...] I immediately realized that their potential would earn them success unknown by most musicians".[21] The group entered the studio and recorded their debut album, the all-instrumental Kool and the Gang (1970), with Redd as a producer, arranger, conductor, and partial songwriter. It is their only album with guitarist Woody Sparrow who completed a temporary eight-man formation.[22] The album peaked at No. 46 on the Billboard R&B chart. Around this time, the group began to develop their stage performance after they witnessed a set by Willie Feaster and the Mighty Magnificents which, according to Robert Bell, "Blew us away [...] We thought, 'Wow, if we want to be in show business, we have to change our act. We can't just stand up there and play'."[13] Also at this time, the group were asked to deliver songs with vocals. Despite Bell recalling the group sounding "real ragged" with lyrics at first, "Bit by bit we gained in confidence... we kinda learnt how to sing as we went along."[23]
The band followed their debut with two live albums: Live at the Sex Machine, recorded the year before, and Live at PJ's, both released in 1971. These were their final albums before their amicable split with Redd. Their next album, Music Is the Message, was the first time the group self-produced one of their records.[23] It was released in July 1972, and peaked at No. 25 on the R&B chart. It was followed with Good Times in November, which features the band backed by a string section. The elements of jazz, rock, and instrumental styles on the record made it difficult for reviewers to label them as one specific genre.[24] The album failed to generate the amount of radio exposure the band had expected to gain a new audience, so they looked at ways to breakthrough without relying on the radio.[23]
1973–1978: First commercial success and low period
By the spring of 1973, Kool & the Gang had started to observe disco music trends, which influenced the band to become what Robert Bell described as "a much harder, funkier, tighter" unit than before.[23] He clarified that most of the group did not visit discos, and learned of disco culture from others. As a result of their change in direction, the band scored their first major commercial success with their fourth studio album, Wild and Peaceful.[23] The album went to No. 33 on the album chart, became their first gold album for selling 500,000 copies, and spawned the single "Funky Stuff", which entered the Top 40 pop chart. The next two, "Jungle Boogie" and "Hollywood Swinging", fared even better by entering the US top 10, marking the band's breakthrough to a white audience.[23][25] The latter two songs sold over one million copies and were certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[26]
The group's 1974 single "Summer Madness" has appeared in numerous media, including in the 1976 drama film Rocky, as well as a famous 2006 Nike advertisement featuring LeBron James
In mid-1976, Kool & the Gang entered a period of commercial decline; Rolling Stone writer Geoff Himes wrote the disco-era "frowned on their loose and greasy approach to dance music."[20] Their three albums released during this time, Open Sesame (1976), The Force (1977), and Everybody's Dancin' (1978), failed to generate the same commercial or critical acclaim as their previous records. Bell later said the albums "bent our style a bit and we didn't feel at home with it".[28]The Force and Everybody's Dancin' displayed the group's attempt to adopt disco elements with female vocalists and a string section, but Robert Bell later said the group got "Too fancy and over-creative [...] We got away from the basic Kool & the Gang sound [...] and the public didn't like it". The change in style affected their ability to secure as many dates as before, working "just off and on" during this time.[29][30] The latter album received negative responses; one review for Everybody's Dancin' had the headline: "Kool and the Gang have gone bland." Writer Mike Duffy wrote: "They've joined the disco lemmings [...] The edge has gone. Say so long to the raw and raunchy."[31]
During their low period, the band gained some mainstream attention with their contribution of "Open Sesame" to the soundtrack of Saturday Night Fever (1977).[28] "Summer Madness" was also used in Rocky (1976), but not released on its soundtrack album.[28]
1979–1988: J.T. Taylor, Deodato partnership, and commercial peak
Kool & the Gang entered a four-album partnership with Brazilian producer Eumir Deodato
By 1979, Kool & the Gang changed musical direction in two distinct ways. After several years of consideration, and at the suggestion of promoter turned SOLAR Records founder Dick Griffey, they brought in a dedicated lead vocalist to become a focal point of their music.[32][33][34] This was filled by South Carolina-born singer James "J.T." Taylor, who noted that vocals added more warmth to the songs, especially to ballads, which the group had previously avoided as no vocalist in the group could sing them properly. Taylor recalled some resistance to his arrival from some band members and the female singers they had used on The Force and Everybody's Dancin'.[35] The change in style developed further when the band entered a four-album association with Brazilian musician, songwriter, and arranger Eumir Deodato as their producer, who helped them move towards mainstream pop and dance-oriented music with greater emphasis on catchy hooks and chorus lines.[36] The group's first choice, Stevie Wonder, was too busy to work with them.[35] Earl Toon Jr. was added the group as well.
Kool & the Gang's first album with Deodato, Ladies' Night, was released in September 1979 and became their most successful album since their formation. This was helped by the hit singles "Too Hot" and "Ladies' Night", which went to No. 5 and No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, respectively.[37] In January 1980, Ladies' Night was certified platinum by the RIAA for selling one million copies in the US.[25][10] Later that year, Celebrate! became a bigger commercial success than Ladies' Night; the lead single "Celebration" remains the band's only single to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. The song originated from the lyric "Come on, let's all celebrate" from "Ladies' Night", which inspired Robert Bell to write "an international anthem."[20][37] The band developed the song on a tour bus after attending the American Music Awards.[38] The song was used in national media coverage for the 1980 World Series, the 1981 Super Bowl, the 1981 NBA Finals, and the 1981 return of the Iran hostages.[20]
After the release of Something Special (1981), which continued the level of success of the previous two albums, the band recorded their fourth and final album with Deodato, As One (1982). The latter struggled to reach gold certification in the US, which led to the band's decision to end their time with Deodato as they had enough with the direction they had adopted.[35] They then decided to produce their next album, In the Heart (1983), by themselves with Jim Bonnefond as co-producer. The album contained the US top-five single "Joanna". The song was declared the most-played pop song in 1984 by Broadcast Music International.[39] Bonnefond stayed with the group for Emergency (1984), which remains their highest selling album with over two million copies sold in the US. It spawned four US top 20 singles, including "Emergency", "Cherish", "Fresh", and "Misled". This feat made Kool & the Gang the only band to have four top 20 singles from a single album in 1985.[40]
In June 1984, Kool & the Gang took time off from recording Emergency to perform at Wembley Stadium as part of a sold-out summer concert organised by Elton John.[40] That November, during a visit to Phonogram's offices in London, Bob Geldof arrived to pitch his idea of the multi-artist charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" to the label. Kool & the Gang participated in the project.[40][41] In 1985, Bell said the band retained control of their own business affairs, avoiding to hire management on a full-time basis and preferring to hire consultants and agents for each project or a single term.[42]
The group's seventeenth album, Forever, was released in November 1986. The album included two hit singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart: "Victory" (US #10, R&B #2) and "Stone Love" (US #10, R&B #4). Two further singles, "Holiday" and "Special Way" were also released from the album; the former reached the top ten on the R&B Chart, the latter hit reached No. 6 on the Adult Contemporary chart.[43] By 1986, the band had scored 14 top 40 singles in the US since 1980, more than Michael Jackson.[44] In July 1986, the band recorded a special version of "Celebration" with different vocals that was used in an advertisement for Wendy's.[45]
In 1987, the band completed a 50-city tour of the US. The tour included the group establishing their own public service program, devised by Robert Bell and Taylor, which encouraged school children to pursue education, giving free tickets to those with perfect attendance.[46] The group rehearsed their stage show with a choreographer at Prince's studio at Paisley Park.[36] At the time of the tour's start, the band ceased producing adverts with Schlitz beer because of their new image towards children and that they felt it had run its course.[39] After the tour, Taylor left Kool & the Gang to pursue a solo career. He returned in 1996 for their State of Affairs album.
1988–present: Later career
In February 1988, news of Taylor's departure from the band to pursue a solo career was reported in the press.[47][20] The group had discussed pursuing solo projects during the previous year, with Thomas suggesting the band had considered splitting into twos or threes.[39] Taylor was replaced by three vocalists: Sennie "Skip" Martin, Odeen Mays, and Gary Brown.
1989 saw the release of the band's 18th album Sweat. By this time Khalis Bayyan and Robert "Spike" Mickens also had departed the band. The album did not fare well. Unite, the band's nineteenth studio album, was released in 1992. It marked the return of Khalis Bayyan to the group. In 1995, Taylor returned to the band for State of Affairs (1996), hailed as the group's "comeback" album.[20] All songs on this album were written by Khalis Bayyan and Taylor. Taylor left the band for the second time in 1999.
On their next studio album Gangland (2001), Kool & the Gang pursued elements of hip hop. The album was a compilation of rappers backed by Kool and the Gang remaking some of the band's songs. During 2003 the band was bestowed with a Mobo Award for Outstanding Achievement.[4][48] 2004 saw the release of yet another album featuring remakes and some new songs. The Hits Reloaded contained collaborations with artists such as Atomic Kitten, Lisa Stansfield and Jamiroquai. The album reached No. 21 on the UK R&B Albums chart.[49] During 2007 the band released another album entitled Still Kool. The album reached No. 31 on the US BillboardTop Soul Albums chart.[50] Still Kool has also been certified Platinum in France by the SNEP.[51]
In 2012, Bell accepted Van Halen singer David Lee Roth's invitation for Kool & the Gang to be the opening act during their A Different Kind of Truth Tour as Roth had noticed a significant portion of their concert audience were women. Roth wanted the group after seeing their set at Glastonbury.[12]
In 2013 the group released a Christmas album Kool for the Holidays. This was the group's 24th studio album.[20]
In 2015, 50 years after formation, the group received their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[52] During that year they were also inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame.[53] In 2016, a Jersey City street was renamed the "Kool and the Gang Way".[54] During 2019 Kool and the Gang was also bestowed with the Marian Anderson Award.[3]
In 2021, the group released Perfect Union, their 25th studio album and first album of new material in 14 years. The album was produced by Khalis Bayyan before his 2020 death.[55]
On November 20, 2022, the group performed a special live concert at the naming ceremony for the newly christened Carnival Celebration, notably performing “Celebration” as a nod to the newest addition to the Carnival fleet.[56]
Music appearances
The group's music has been featured in several movies and video games:
Rick Marcel – guitar, bass, backing vocals (2017–present)
Former session/touring musicians
Donald Boyce – vocals (1973–1976)
Royal Bayyan – guitar (1978–1987)
Mark Blakey – drums (1988–1989)
Robert "Robbie G" Goble – drums, percussion (1989–1993)
Frank "Rusty" Hamilton – keyboards (1996–2005)
Rodney "King" Ellis – vocals (2000–2007)
Jirmad "Soul-O" Gordon – vocals (2007–2010)
Shelley Carrol – tenor saxophone (touring substitute for Ronald Bell 2017–2020)
Rick West, the group's original keyboardist, who left in 1976 to form his own band, died in 1985.
Guitarist Charles Smith died after a long illness in 2006 and was replaced by the Bells' youngest brother, Amir Bayyan, former leader of the Kay Gees.
Original trumpet player Robert "Spike" Mickens, who retired in 1986 due to poor health, died at the age of 59 on November 2, 2010, at a nursing home in Far Rockaway, New York.
Trombonist Clifford Alanza Adams Jr. died in January 2015 at the age of 62 after a year-long battle with cancer.[59] Adams, who had been with Kool & The Gang since 1977, had no health insurance to cover medical expenses.[60]
Saxophonist Ronald "Khalis Bayyan" Bell died suddenly in September 2020; the cause of death was not announced.[61]
Alto saxophonist Dennis "D.T." Thomas died in his sleep on August 7, 2021, at the age of 70.[62][63][64][65]
Drummer George “Funky” Brown died from lung cancer on November 16, 2023, at the age of 74.[66]
Spirit of the Boogie is the sixth studio album by Kool & the Gang, released in 1975. It can be seen as a follow-up to Wild and Peaceful (1973); the instrumental "Jungle Jazz" uses the same basic rhythm track heard in "Jungle Boogie", but lets the players improvise on their instruments. References to earlier works can be noticed. "Spirit of the Boogie" features Donald Boyce, who was rapping on "Jungle Boogie". Some African influence can be felt, and the band even play in a West-Indian style on "Caribbean Festival", another instrumental track, with once more much room for improvisation.
Robert Earl "Kool" Bell, also known by his Muslim name Muhammad Bayyan, is an American musician, singer & songwriter.
James "J.T." Warren Taylor is an American singer who achieved fame as the lead singer of Kool & the Gang between 1979 and 1988.
Kool and the Gang is the debut studio album by funk band Kool & the Gang. The album was released in December 1969, and reached No. 43 on the Billboard R&B albums chart.
Wild and Peaceful is the fourth studio album, and sixth album of new material released by the funk band Kool & the Gang, and is their commercial breakthrough album. It was released in 1973 and was hugely successful on the Billboard R&B chart, reaching No. 6 and charting for 36 weeks. It also reached No. 33 on the Pop charts, making it the band's first entry into that chart's Top 40. The album spawned the band's first three Top 10 singles. "Funky Stuff" reached No. 5 R&B/No. 29 Pop. The hugely popular track "Jungle Boogie" soared to No. 2 R&B and No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, and "Hollywood Swinging" topped the Billboard Hot Soul Singles in June 1974 while reaching No. 6 Pop. The latter two singles both sold over a million copies and were certified Gold by the RIAA. The album itself was also certified Gold.
Open Sesame is the eighth studio album by the funk band Kool & the Gang, released in 1976 on Mercury Records. The album reached No. 9 on the US Billboard Top Soul Albums chart and No. 33 on the US Billboard Top Jazz LPs chart.
Love & Understanding is the seventh studio album by the funk band Kool & the Gang, released in 1976. The album had mild success. Three tracks, "Hollywood Swinging", "Summer Madness" and "Universal Sound" were recorded live at the Rainbow Theatre in London, England.
The Force is the ninth studio album by the funk band Kool & the Gang, released in 1977 on De-Lite Records. The album peaked at No. 33 on the US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
Celebrate! is the twelfth studio album by American band Kool & the Gang. Released on September 29, 1980, the album reached No. 1 on the US R&B chart and #10 on the Billboard 200. The album produced perhaps Kool & the Gang's most recognizable hit song, the #1 chart-topper, "Celebration", which still receives heavy play today over four decades later.
Something Special is the thirteenth studio album by American band Kool & the Gang, released in 1981. It was the group's third consecutive Platinum-certified album.
As One is the fourteenth studio album by the funk band Kool & the Gang, released in 1982. The album did not yield any #1 singles, but the song "Let's Go Dancin'" did make the top ten, peaking at #7 on the U.S. R&B chart and #6 on the UK Singles Chart. "Big Fun" also became an international hit.
In the Heart is the fifteenth studio album by the funk/R&B band Kool & the Gang, released on November 21, 1983. Four singles were released from the album, with two singles becoming major hits on the US Hot 100. The first single, "Straight Ahead", failed to chart on the Hot 100, but the second single, "Joanna", soared to number two on the charts in the US and UK, and hit number one on the US R&B chart as well. The third single, "Tonight", brought another major hit as it peaked at #13 on the US Hot 100. The fourth single "(When You Say You Love Somebody) In the Heart" did not chart on the Hot 100, but became a moderate hit on the US R&B chart.
Emergency is the sixteenth studio album by the American band Kool & the Gang, released in 1984. It ultimately became the group's biggest selling career album, earning Double Platinum status in America, Platinum in Canada, and Silver in the UK.
Forever is the seventeenth studio album by the funk band Kool & the Gang, released in 1986. The album included two major hits on the US Hot 100 Chart: "Victory" and "Stone Love". Three additional singles charted, "Holiday" reached the top ten on the R&B Chart, "Special Way" reached #6 on the Adult Contemporary chart. and "Peacemaker" was released in international markets and charted at #20 in New Zealand.
Sweat is the eighteenth studio album by the band Kool & the Gang, released in 1989 following a three-year gap between albums. James "J.T." Taylor, Khalis Bayyan and Robert "Spike" Mickens had departed, and this album showed a refocused band.
State of Affairs is the twentieth studio album by the band Kool & the Gang, released in 1996 following a four-year gap between albums.
Ronald Nathan Bell, also known as Khalis Bayyan, was an American composer, singer, songwriter, arranger, producer, saxophonist and co-founding member of Kool & the Gang. The band recorded nine No. 1 R&B singles in the 1970s and 1980s, including its No. 1 pop single "Celebration". The group is honored on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
"Spirit of the Boogie" is a funk/soul song recorded by Kool & the Gang as the title track for their 1975 album.
Perfect Union is a 2021 studio album by American disco and funk band Kool & the Gang. The album was the first new music from the group in over a decade and was last to feature founding member Ronald Bell before his death.
"Open Sesame" is a song recorded by Kool & the Gang for their 1976 eponymous studio album. The song, issued as a single in 1976 by De-Lite Records, reached No. 6 on the US Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart and No. 13 on the US Billboard Disco Action chart.
↑ "Soul Train". Suburbanite Economist. Chicago, Illinois. October 24, 1974. p.8. Archived from the original on April 9, 2018. Retrieved April 8, 2018– via Newspapers.com.
↑ Cresswell, T.; Dixon, D.; Beard, P.; Clarke, D. B.; Brigham, A. (2002). Engaging Film: Geographies of Mobility and Identity. Rowman & Littlefield. p.32. ISBN978-0-7425-0885-9. Retrieved June 18, 2018. As the opening credits to Pulp Fiction (1994) close, the blaring sounds of "Jungle Boogie" are muted, suddenly seeming to emanate from a car radio, as we join protagonists Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson) and Vincent Vega ...
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