Kool & the Gang
Encyclopedia
Kool & the Gang are an American jazz
, R&B, soul
, and funk
group, originally formed as the Jazziacs in Jersey City, New Jersey
in 1964.
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 pop-funk ensemble, and in the post-millennium creating music with a modern, electro-pop sound.
They have sold over 70 million albums worldwide.
on tenor saxophone
, lead vocalist James "J.T." Taylor, 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 Flames in 1967, then Kool & the Gang in 1969(to avoid confusion with James Brown
's Famous Flames) and were signed by Gene Redd to his new record label De-Lite Records
in 1969. 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 pop-funk.
The late 1970s saw a lull in Kool & the Gang's except for the album Open Sesame which yielded the title track "Open Sesame" which achieved some success in the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. Then came new lead singer James "J.T." Taylor who joined the group — with 1979's Ladies' Night. Their number one hit in 1980's "Celebration
", from Celebrate!
, co-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 after Forever
. Taylor left the group amicably to pursue a solo career.
Kool & the Gang today
Of Kool & the Gang's original members, the Bell brothers, Brown and Thomas are still with the group. Ricky Westfield, the group's original keyboardist, left in 1976 to form his own band, and died in 1985. Guitarist Claydes Smith died after a long illness on June 20, 2006, at age 57. Original trumpet player Robert "Spike" Mickens, who had retired in 1986 due to poor health, died at age 59 on November 2, 2010, at a nursing home in Far Rockaway, New York.
Longtime members who continue to perform and record with the group include Clifford Adams (trombone), Curtis Williams (keyboards) and trumpeters Larry Gittens and Michael Ray.
"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 Picture of the Year, "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
, A Tribe Called Quest
, Nas
, N.W.A and Kris Kross
. The song was also sampled by Jermaine Dupri
featuring Snoop Doggy Dogg
in the song, "We Just Wanna Party with You
" from the soundtrack to the film in 1997, Men in Black: The Album
starring Will Smith
and Tommy Lee Jones
.
Kool & the Gang performed at Jerusalem's Gan Sacher (Sacher Park) during the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Student Day/Jerusalem Day all-night concert on May 11–12, 2010. In October 2010, Kool & the Gang signed with indie label Expat Records for the release of their electro-pop single "Miss Lead" with a female lead vocalist.
Kool & the Gang performed at Glastonbury, England, on 26 June 2011.
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, R&B, soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
, and funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
group, originally formed as the Jazziacs in Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...
in 1964.
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 pop-funk ensemble, and in the post-millennium creating music with a modern, electro-pop sound.
They have sold over 70 million albums worldwide.
History
The group's main members over the years included brothers Robert Bell (known as "Kool") on bass and Ronald BellRonald Bell (musician)
Ronald Bell, also known by his Arabic name Khalis Bayyan is an American saxophonist, composer, songwriter, arranger, producer and singer, who was a founding member of the band, Kool & the Gang...
on tenor saxophone
Tenor saxophone
The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
, lead vocalist James "J.T." Taylor, George Brown on drums, Robert Mickens on trumpet, Dennis Thomas on alto saxophone
Alto saxophone
The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions...
, Claydes Charles Smith
Claydes Charles Smith
Claydes Charles Smith was an American musician best known as co-founder and lead guitarist of the group Kool & the Gang.Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, he was introduced to jazz guitar by his father in the early 1960s...
on guitar, and Rick Westfield on keyboards. The Bell brothers' father was an acquaintance of Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Sphere Monk was an American jazz pianist and composer considered "one of the giants of American music". Monk had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including "Epistrophy", "'Round Midnight", "Blue Monk", "Straight, No Chaser"...
, and the brothers were friends with Leon Thomas
Leon Thomas
Amos Leon Thomas Jr was an American avant garde jazz singer from East St. Louis, Illinois.Thomas studied music at Tennessee State University. In the 1960s he was a vocalist for Count Basie and others....
.
In 1964 Robert formed an instrumental band called the Jazziacs with five high-school friends.They changed their name to Kool & the Flames in 1967, then Kool & the Gang in 1969(to avoid confusion with James Brown
James Brown
James Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...
's Famous Flames) and were signed by Gene Redd to his new record label De-Lite Records
De-Lite Records
De-Lite Records whose formal name was De-Lite Recorded Sound Corporation was a record label specializing in R&B music. It was founded in 1969 by music producer Gene Redd and one of the label's first signings was Kool and the Gang whose self-titled instrumental was their first big R&B hit in that...
in 1969. They first hit the pop charts with the release of their debut eponymous album
Kool and the Gang (album)
Kool and the Gang is the self-titled first album by the funk band Kool and the Gang. The album was released in 1969, and charted on the Billboard R&B album chart at #43.-Track Listing:-Personnel:...
.
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
Jungle Boogie
"Jungle Boogie" is a funk song recorded by Kool & the Gang for their 1973 album Wild and Peaceful. It scored number four as a single and became very popular in nightclubs. The song's spoken main vocal was performed by the band's roadie Don Boyce...
" and "Hollywood Swinging
Hollywood Swinging
"Hollywood Swinging" is a song by R&B/funk band Kool & the Gang from their album Wild and Peaceful. The song became their first number one R&B single, reaching that position in June, 1974. It proved to also be a successful crossover hit, peaking at number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart....
". Many reviews see the Gang's 1974 album Light of Worlds
Light of Worlds
-Singles:-Personnel:* Khalis Bayyan - Synthesizer, Bass, Percussion, Piano, Arranger, Piano , Sax , Vocals, Clavinet, Kalimba, Mellotron* Robert "Kool" Bell - Bass, Vocals* George "Funky" Brown - Percussion, Drums, Gong...
and 1975 album Spirit of the Boogie
Spirit of the Boogie
-Reception:Spirit of the Boogie is the highly successful eighth studio album released in 1975 by Kool & the Gang. It can be seen as a follow-up to Wild and Peaceful ; The instrumental "Jungle Jazz" uses the same basic rhythm track heard in "Jungle Boogie", but lets the players improvise on their...
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 pop-funk.
The late 1970s saw a lull in Kool & the Gang's except for the album Open Sesame which yielded the title track "Open Sesame" which achieved some success in the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. Then came new lead singer James "J.T." Taylor who joined the group — with 1979's Ladies' Night. Their number one hit in 1980's "Celebration
Celebration (song)
"Celebration" is a song released in 1980 by Kool & the Gang from their album Celebrate!. It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on February 7, 1981 and held that position until February 20, 1981. Late in 1980, the song had also reached number one on both the Billboard Dance and R&B...
", from Celebrate!
Celebrate!
Celebrate! is the fourteenth studio album by the funk band Kool & the Gang, released in 1980. The album contained the number-one hit "Celebration", and the album itself also reached #1 on the U.S...
, co-produced by Eumir Deodato
Eumir Deodato
Eumir Deodato is a Brazilian pianist, composer, record producer and arranger, primarily based in the jazz realm but who historically has been known for eclectic melding of big band and combo jazz with varied elements of rock/pop, R&B/funk, Brazilian/Latin, and symphonic or orchestral music.Mainly,...
. More international hits followed in the early 1980s, including "Big Fun", "Get Down on It
Get Down on It
"Get Down on It" is a song originally recorded by the funk/R&B/pop band Kool & The Gang on their album Something Special in 1981. The song reached number 10 on the Billboard charts in early 1982, displaying some of the characteristics of a blend of pop and funk, with the title of the song repeating...
", and "Joanna". Their 1984 album Emergency yielded four top-20 pop hits, including "Fresh" and "Cherish". Their chart presence stopped after Forever
Forever (Kool and the Gang album)
Forever is the nineteenth studio album by the funk band Kool and the Gang, released in 1986. While this album did not achieve the level of success that the previous album had, it did include a pair of top ten singles on both the Hot 100 Charts and the R&B Charts with "Victory" and "Stone Love"...
. Taylor left the group amicably to pursue a solo career.
Kool & the Gang today
Of Kool & the Gang's original members, the Bell brothers, Brown and Thomas are still with the group. Ricky Westfield, the group's original keyboardist, left in 1976 to form his own band, and died in 1985. Guitarist Claydes Smith died after a long illness on June 20, 2006, at age 57. Original trumpet player Robert "Spike" Mickens, who had retired in 1986 due to poor health, died at age 59 on November 2, 2010, at a nursing home in Far Rockaway, New York.
Longtime members who continue to perform and record with the group include Clifford Adams (trombone), Curtis Williams (keyboards) and trumpeters Larry Gittens and Michael Ray.
"Jungle Boogie" was featured on the soundtrack of Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with films employing nonlinear storylines and the aestheticization of violence...
's well known cult classic Pulp Fiction
Pulp Fiction (film)
Pulp Fiction is a 1994 American crime film directed by Quentin Tarantino, who co-wrote its screenplay with Roger Avary. The film is known for its rich, eclectic dialogue, ironic mix of humor and violence, nonlinear storyline, and host of cinematic allusions and pop culture references...
. The band released the album "Still Kool" in 2007.
"Hollywood Swinging" was sampled by DJ Kool
DJ Kool
John W. Bowman, Jr., better known by his stage name DJ Kool is a rapper who, in the late 1990s, produced several popular rap singles. Born in 1959 in Washington, D.C., his influence from his years of working the go-go and rap circuits became apparent in his music...
in his song "Let Me Clear My Throat
Let Me Clear My Throat
"Let Me Clear My Throat" is a 1996 song by hip-hop artist DJ Kool from his album of the same name Let Me Clear My Throat. It was recorded live at the Bahama Bay club in Philadelphia.-Track listing:...
," and by rapper Mase
Mase
Mason Durell Betha , better known by stage name Mase who was previously known as Murda Ma$e, is an American rapper, songwriter, actor and inspirational speaker...
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
DJ Jazzy Jeff
Jeffrey Allen Townes , also known as DJ Jazzy Jeff or simply Jazz, is an American hip hop, R&B record producer, turntablist and actor. He is best known for his early career with Will Smith as DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince...
& The Fresh Prince
Will Smith
Willard Christopher "Will" Smith, Jr. , also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor, producer, and rapper. He has enjoyed success in television, film and music. In April 2007, Newsweek called him the most powerful actor in Hollywood...
for their 1991 single "Summertime". "Summer Madness" was also featured in the 1976 Picture of the Year, "Rocky". A live version of the track recorded at the Rainbow Theatre in London was released in 1976 on the Love & Understanding
Love & Understanding
Love & Understanding is the ninth studio album by the funk band Kool and 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 song "Summer Madness" was used...
album (De-Lite DEP 2018). Live at PJ's
Live at PJ's
Live at PJ's is the third album released by the funk band Kool and the Gang. The album was released in 1971, recorded at a local club. The band's huge commercial success would not come until a few albums later.- Track listing :...
' track "N.T" has been sampled extensively by artists such as Boogie Down Productions
Boogie Down Productions
Boogie Down Productions was a hip hop group that was originally composed of KRS-One, D-Nice, and DJ Scott La Rock. DJ Scott La Rock was murdered on August 27, 1987, months after the release of BDP's debut album, Criminal Minded. The name of the group, Boogie Down, derives from a nickname for the...
, Brand Nubian, De La Soul
De La Soul
De La Soul is an American hip hop trio formed in 1987 on Long Island, New York. The band is best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative hip hop subgenres...
, A Tribe Called Quest
A Tribe Called Quest
A Tribe Called Quest is an American hip hop group, formed in 1985, and is composed of rapper/producer Q-Tip , rapper Phife Dawg , and DJ/producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad. A fourth member, rapper Jarobi White, left the group after their first album but rejoined in 2006...
, Nas
Nas
Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, who performs under the name Nas , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapper and actor. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in hip hop and one of the most skilled and influential rappers of all-time...
, N.W.A and Kris Kross
Kris Kross
Kris Kross was an American rap duo of the 1990s comprising Chris "Mac Daddy" Kelly and Chris "Daddy Mac" Smith. The duo are best known for their hit 1992 song "Jump", which was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks and was certified double platinum as a single...
. The song was also sampled by Jermaine Dupri
Jermaine Dupri
Jermaine Dupri Mauldin , known as Jermaine Dupri or JD, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper.- Early life and career :...
featuring Snoop Doggy Dogg
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school...
in the song, "We Just Wanna Party with You
We Just Wanna Party with You
"We Just Wanna Party with You" is a single from producer Jermaine Dupri and rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg that can be heard on the Men in Black soundtrack compilation album released in 1997. His first release, "Honey" and his next release "You Make Me Wanna" charted simultaneously with the M.I.B. single...
" from the soundtrack to the film in 1997, Men in Black: The Album
Men in Black: The Album
-Sample Credits:*"Men in Black" featuress a sample from "Forget Me Nots" by Patrice Rushen written by Patrice Rushen, Terry McFadden and Fred Washington...
starring Will Smith
Will Smith
Willard Christopher "Will" Smith, Jr. , also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor, producer, and rapper. He has enjoyed success in television, film and music. In April 2007, Newsweek called him the most powerful actor in Hollywood...
and Tommy Lee Jones
Tommy Lee Jones
Tommy Lee Jones is an American actor and film director. He has received three Academy Award nominations, winning one as Best Supporting Actor for the 1993 thriller film The Fugitive....
.
Kool & the Gang performed at Jerusalem's Gan Sacher (Sacher Park) during the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Student Day/Jerusalem Day all-night concert on May 11–12, 2010. In October 2010, Kool & the Gang signed with indie label Expat Records for the release of their electro-pop single "Miss Lead" with a female lead vocalist.
Kool & the Gang performed at Glastonbury, England, on 26 June 2011.
See also
- List of number-one hits (United States)
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one in the United States
- List of artists who reached number one on the Billboard R&B chart
- List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. dance chart
- List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Adult Contemporary chart
External links
- koolandthegang.com - the official homepage
- K&G at Discogs.com - brief biography
- Kool & the Gang in-depth interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' November 2010
- Live Performance in France 2008 - Kool & the Gang Concert 2008