Kool & the Gang
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| Kool & The Gang | |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Genre(s) | R&B, soul, funk, disco, jazz |
| Years active | 1964 – present |
| Label(s) | De-Lite Mercury |
| Website | koolandthegang.com |
| Members | |
| Robert "Kool" Bell Ronald Bell (Khalis Bayyan) George Brown Robert Mickens Dennis Thomas Clifford Adams Sonnie "Skip" Martin Shawn McQuiller Rodney Ellis Jirmad Gordon |
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| Former members | |
| James "J.T." Taylor Rick Westfield (deceased) Claydes Charles Smith (deceased) |
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Kool & The Gang are an American jazz/R&B/soul/funk/disco group. They originally formed in Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S.A. in 1964.[1] They went through several musical phases during the course of their recording career, starting out with a purist jazz sound, then becoming practitioners of R&B and funk, progressing to a smooth disco ensemble, and ending the successful period of their career producing pop/R&B crossovers. They have sold over 70 million albums worldwide.[2]
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[edit] History
The group's main members over the years included brothers Robert Bell (known as "Kool") on bass and Ronald Bell on tenor saxophone; George Brown on drums; Robert Mickens on trumpet; Dennis Thomas on alto saxophone; Claydes Charles Smith on guitar, and Rick Westfield on keyboards. The Bell brothers' father was an acquaintance of Thelonious Monk and the brothers were friends with Leon Thomas.
In 1964 Robert formed an instrumental band called the Jazziacs with five high-school friends. They changed their name to Kool & the Gang and were signed by Gene Redd to his new record label De-Lite Records in 1969.[3] They first hit the pop charts with the release of their debut eponymous album.
Though none of the three singles from the album went far on the pop charts, their R&B success was swift and massive. Several live and studio albums followed, with 1973's Wild and Peaceful breaking into the mainstream with "Jungle Boogie" and "Hollywood Swinging." Many reviews see the Gang's 1974 album Light of Worlds and 1975 album Spirit of the Boogie as the greatest achievements of the band, with the 1975 single "Summer Madness" gaining much attention. However, after the release of those albums the band abandoned deep funk music and switched to disco. Generally, the albums released after 1975 have not received the same critical acclaim as their early work.
The late 1970s saw a lull in Kool & the Gang's career that ended — after new lead singer James "J.T." Taylor joined the group — with 1979's Ladies' Night, the title track from which was spawned a 25-year-long tradition of ladies' nights in New Jersey dance clubs and bars. Their only #1 hit was 1980's "Celebration," from Celebrate!, produced by Eumir Deodato. More international hits followed in the early 1980s, including "Big Fun," "Get Down on It" and "Joanna." Their 1984 album Emergency yielded four top-20 pop hits, including "Fresh" and "Cherish." Their chart presence stopped abruptly after the Forever album, when both Taylor and Ronald Bell (who had begun using the name Khalis Bayyan) left the group; Bell would eventually return, but the hits would not.
Kool and the Gang rose to some popularity again in 1994 after "Jungle Boogie" was featured on the soundtrack of Quentin Tarantino's well known cult classic Pulp Fiction. The band released the album "Still Kool" in 2007.
"Hollywood Swinging" was sampled by DJ Kool in his song "Let Me Clear My Throat," and by rapper Mase on "Feel So Good."
Kool & the Gang's "Summer Madness" from their 1974 album Light of Worlds has been sampled numerous times. Most notably, it was used by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince for their 1991 single "Summertime." "Summer Madness" was also featured in the 1976 Oscar-winning film Rocky. A live version of the track recorded at the Rainbow Theatre in London was released in 1976 on the Love & Understanding album (De-Lite DEP 2018). Live at PJ's' track "N.T" has been sampled extensively by artists such as Boogie Down Productions, Brand Nubian, De La Soul, N.W.A and Kris Kross.
[edit] Discography
[edit] See also
- List of number-one hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the Hot 100 (U.S.)
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- koolandthegang.com - the official homepage
- K&G at Discogs.com - brief biography
- Live Performance in France 2008 - Kool And The Gang Concert 2008
- Kool & the Gang at Craze Digital
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