Kool & the Gang

Welcome to Rock and Roll Flashback!  I'm your host, Jumpin' John, and in this episode I will highlight the career of the American funk and pop band from Jersey City, New Jersey, that calls themselves Kool & the Gang!

All podcasts on the Rock and Roll Flashback Podcast are produced by brothers-in-law Bill Price and "Jumpin' John" McDermott.  The Podcast Theme Song, "You Essay", was written by John.  It was initially recorded by Bill and John on April 1, 2004 with several revisions since then. 
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Until next time...
Rock On!

Transcript

Thank you for that introduction, and welcome to Rock and Roll Flashback!  I'm your host, Jumpin' John, and in this episode I will highlight the career of the American funk and pop band from Jersey City, New Jersey, that calls themselves Kool & the Gang!

Robert Bell and his brother Ronald were originally from Youngstown, Ohio, but grew up in Jersey City, New Jersey.  Robert Bell had given himself the nickname "Kool" as a way of adapting to the street gangs in his neighborhood after moving from Ohio.  Their first gigs took place as the opening act to a weekly jazz night held in a local theatre every Sunday.  Their father Bobby was a boxer and a serious jazz lover, and he became a close friend of Thelonious Monk.  With Robert on bass and Ronald picking up an array of horns, the duo formed the Jazziacs in 1964.  The lineup of the Jazziacs jazz ensemble also included their Jersey City neighborhood friends guitarist Claydes Smith, trumpeter Robert "Spike" Mickens, alto saxophonist Dennis "D.T." Thomas, keyboard player Ricky West, and drummer George "Funky" Brown.  

The Jazziacs jammed in local basements and at St. John’s Church.  Renamed the Soul Town Band they played jazz, R&B, and Motown covers.  Then they became the New Dimensions, playing local clubs and clubs in Greenwich Village and sometimes backing up major jazz artists.  In 1967 they became regular performers at Jersey City's Blue Note Lounge.  One of the emcees advertised them with a new name, Kool & the Flames.  However, their manager, Gene Redd, advised against taking that name to avoid confusion with James Brown's band, the Famous Flames.  So by 1968 the band became known as Kool & the Gang.  After selecting the new band name, Kool & the Gang signed a recording deal with Redd's new independent label, De-Lite Records.  

The group entered the studio and recorded their debut album, 1969's all-instrumental Kool and the Gang, with Gene Redd as a producer, arranger, conductor, and partial songwriter.  The album peaked at #46 on the Billboard R&B chart.  They 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. 

In 1972 both Bell brothers converted to Islam.  Robert "Kool" Bell became Muhammad Bayyan  and Ronald Bell became Khalis Bayyan.  Their next album, Music Is the Message, was the first time the group self-produced one of their records.  It was released in July 1972, and peaked at #25 on the R&B chart.  It was followed with Good Times in November 1972, which featured the band backed by a string section.  The album failed to generate the radio exposure the group had hoped for, so they began to explore how to build a following without relying on airplay.  By the spring of 1973, Kool & the Gang was being influenced by the growing disco music scene.

[excerpt from Kool & the Gang's "Jungle Boogie"]

In 1973 the band released a dance-oriented fourth studio album, Wild and Peaceful.  Wild and Peaceful went to #33 on the album chart and was certified Gold by the RIAA for selling 500,000 copies.  That LP spawned the group’s first top-10 pop hits, “Jungle Boogie”, which charted at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100, and “Hollywood Swinging.”  "Jungle Boogie" would later be featured on the soundtrack of Quentin Tarantino's well known 1994 film Pulp Fiction.  

Kool & the Gang's success continued with 1974's Light of Worlds, which contained the hit instrumental "Summer Madness".  "Summer Madness" appeared in the 1976 drama film Rocky and was also in a famous 2006 Nike advertisement featuring LeBron James.  In October 1974, the group landed a spot on the national television music show Soul Train.  In 1975 Kool & the Gang added Larry Gittens on trumpet and released Spirit of the Boogie.  That LP contained the single "Spirit of the Boogie" which reached #1 on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart and #35 on the Billboard Hot 100.  That was followed by the part-studio, part-live release Love & Understanding in 1976.  However, by mid-1976 Kool & the Gang entered a period of slowing momentum and commercial decline.  Disco was hot, but apparently Kool & the Gang was not.  During their slow period, the group did gain some mainstream attention with their contribution of "Open Sesame" to the Grammy-winning  soundtrack of 1977's Saturday Night Fever.

Everything changed for the band in 1979.  That year the group added vocalist and keyboarder Earl Toon, Jr. and another trumpeter, Mike Ray.  More importantly, the band recruited singer James “J.T.” Taylor and joined forces with Brazilian pop and jazz producer Eumir Deodato.  Deodato worked with the band to create a cleaner, more pop-driven sound.  The immediate result was the smooth, new sound of the hugely successful Ladies' Night album.  Ladies' Night was recorded at the House of Music in West Orange, New Jersey and released in September 1979.  In 1979 the album went to #1 on the Top R&B Albums chart and by 1980 it had reached #11 on the US Billboard 200 chart.  Ladies' Night became their first Platinum album success.  The single "Ladies' Night" became a radio staple, reaching #4 on the US Cash Box Top 100, #8 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and #1 on the US R&B chart, where it stayed for three weeks.  The single had passed a million in American sales by December 1979 and was certified Gold by the RIAA.  "Ladies' Night" was also their first hit in the United Kingdom, peaking at #9 on the UK Singles Chart.  Another single from the album, "Too Hot", reached #3 on the Billboard R&B chart and #5 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Here is Kool & the Gang's version of "Ladies' Night":

Kool & the Gang's follow-up album collaboration with Deodato, Celebrate!, was also recorded at the House of Music in West Orange.  The LP Celebrate! was released on September 29th, 1980, and the album reached #1 on the US R&B chart and #10 on the Billboard 200.  The opening track on the album produced the group's most recognizable hit song.  From the moment they recorded their song “Celebration” in 1980, the members of Kool & the Gang sensed that they had created an anthem.  Released in October 1980 by De-Lite Records, the single “Celebration” was the band's first and only single to reach #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100.  It also peaked at #1 on both the Billboard Dance and R&B singles charts, at #1 in Canada, and at #7 in the UK.  In 2016, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.  On March 24th, 2021, the Library of Congress selected "Celebration" for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant".  "Celebration" has endured for more than four decades as a staple at weddings, bar mitzvahs, company parties, and countless other joyous occasions.    

Here is Kool & the Gang's version of "Celebration":

The LP Something Special was released in 1981.  It was the group's third consecutive platinum-certified album.  It continued the level of success that the band's previous two albums brought, containing several hit singles.  "Steppin' Out" reached #12 on the R&B chart, "Take My Heart" went to #1 on the R&B chart and #17 on the Pop chart, and "Get Down on It" reached #4 on the R&B chart and #10 on the Pop chart.  The song "Stand Up and Sing" was featured in 1982's The Pirate Movie.  In the UK, the Something Special album reached #10, becoming their first hit album in the United Kingdom.  Earl Toon left the band during this period, and keyboardist Curtis "Fitz" Williams joined in 1982.  

In 1982 the band recorded As One, their fourth and final album with Deodato.  That LP struggled to reach Gold certification in the US, which led to the band's decision to amicably end their time with Deodato.  They then decided to produce their next album, 1983's In the Heart, by themselves with Jim Bonnefond as co-producer.  In the Heart contained the single "Joanna".   "Joanna" was an immediate hit, peaking at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100.  The romantic ballad also reached #2 in the UK, #1 on the U.S. R&B chart, and #1 in Canada.  BMI declared that "Joanna" was the most-played pop song in 1984. 

Here is an excerpt from Kool & the Gang's "Joanna":

Bonnefond stayed with Kool & the Gang for 1984's Emergency LP.  Emergency would be their highest selling album with over two million copies sold in the U.S.  Emergency spawned four US top 20 singles, including "Emergency", "Cherish", "Fresh", and "Misled".  That feat made Kool & the Gang the only group to have four top 20 singles from a single album in 1985.  The album's closing track, "You Are the One," was nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Inspirational Performance.  In June 1984, Kool & the Gang took time off from recording Emergency to perform at London, England's Wembley Stadium as part of a sold-out summer concert organized by Elton John.  In November 1984 Kool & the Gang participated in the multi-artist charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?"  That successful song was a Bob Geldof project to raise money for famine aid in Ethiopia.  

Here is an excerpt from Kool & the Gang's "Cherish":

The group's string of seven Gold or Platinum records continued through their next album release, 1986's Forever.  Released in November 1986, Forever produced two hit singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.  "Victory" reached #10 on the pop chart and #2 on the R&B chart, and "Stone Love" reached #10 on the pop chart and #4 on the R&B chart.  Two other singles were also released from the album.  "Holiday" was a #10 on the R&B chart, and "Special Way" hit #6 on the Adult Contemporary chart.  Between 1980 and 1986, the group had scored 14 U.S. Top 40 singles, which was even more than Michael Jackson.   

However, Kool & the Gang's chart presence stopped after Forever.  Trumpeter Robert "Spike" Mickens left the group in 1986 due to poor health.  Then in 1988, J. T. Taylor left the group amicably to pursue a successful solo career.  He returned for the 1996 album State of Affairs, which did not make much of an impact commercially.  In 2001 Taylor departed again to resume his solo career.

With the explosion of hip-hop in the 90’s, Kool & the Gang’s incredible catalog of grooves made them DJ favorites.  They were second only to R&B icon James Brown as sources of rap music samples.  The band continued to record and tour into the 21st century.  In addition to teaming with younger artists on songs and albums, they also returned to the Billboard charts in 2016.  That year they released a single, "Sexy (Where’d You Get Yours),” which rose to #15 on the Billboard Adult R&B chart.  The song signified a modernization of Kool & the Gang’s unmistakable sound, and it was their first airplay chart hit in over a decade.  

Today, the group enjoys global fame and recognition and a following that spans generations due in part to the groups widely sampled catalog.  Kool & the Gang’s drum beats, bass, guitar and signature horn lines lace the tracks of numerous artists including the Beastie Boys, Jay-Z, Madonna, Janet Jackson, Cypress Hill, and P. Diddy.  Kool & the Gang is the most sampled band in hip-hop by far.  The group continues to delight fans around the globe with their timeless hits and amazing live performances.  While most of the group’s original members are deceased, in 2026 an updated version of Kool & the Gang, which includes founder Robert "Kool"Bell, continues to tour the globe.

Kool & the Gang's total discography includes 26 studio albums, 3 live albums, and 21 compilation albums.  31 of those albums achieved Gold and/or Platinum status in sales.  The group issued 75 singles, of which 25 were Top Ten R&B hits, 21 were Top 40 pop hits, and 9 were Top 10 pop hits.  Kool & the Gang recorded nine #1 R&B singles in the 1970's and 1980's.  In the decade of the 1980's alone Kool & the Gang was one of the most popular R&B groups.  They charted an amazing 31 times in the Billboard pop charts in that decade.  That was more charting U. S. pop singles than any other act, including the prolific Michael Jackson.  

Here is a partial list of some of the numerous awards and recognitions given to Kool & the Gang:

•In 2006 they received a Music Business Association Chairman's Award for artistic achievement.  •In 2014 they were honored with a BET Soul Train Lifetime Achievement Award.

•In October 2015 they were honored with a star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame.  

•In April 2016 they were inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame, 2015 Class.  

•In June 2018 they were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.  

•In October 2024 they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Thank you for listening to another episode on the Rock and Roll Flashback podcast!  This episode reviewed the career of Kool & the Gang, the American pop band with equal ties to soul, R&B, and funk!  I will close out this episode with Kool & the Gang's version of "Too Hot".  So, my fellow travelers, may your path be smooth and your music always be rockin'!  And until next time...Rock On!