Kool and the Gang: Delivering Good Times

Kool & the Gang will 'Celebrate' the good times of the '70s & '80s
By MaryAlice Bitts
SUNDAYNEWS
June 23, 2002

LANCASTER COUNTY, PA - What do you call a wedding DJ who doesn't own a copy of
"Celebration," by Kool & the Gang?

Doomed.

"Celebration," the unofficial party song of wedding receptions, bar mitzvahs,
class reunions and festive events the world over, has become an anthem of fun
and a cross-generational rally to revelry.

And there'll be a party going on right here Friday, when Kool & the Gang
performs its celebrated '70s-'80s funk/pop hits as the lone ticketed event in an
otherwise free Celebrate Lancaster festival, featuring outdoor food vendors,
street entertainment and fireworks.

So bring your good times, and your laughter, too -- they're gonna celebrate your
party with you.

Kool & the Gang has sold more than 70 million albums over its 33-year career,
including such hits as "Joanna," "Cherish," "Too Hot," "Jungle Boogie" and, of
course, "Celebration," which was last year named one of the top songs of the
century by the Recording Industry of America and the National Endowment for the
Arts.

The song, deemed as much a part of the American culture as "Take Me Out to The
Ballgame," Scott Joplin's "The Entertainer" and Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Be
Wild," was actually created in the spirit of celebration.

"We had performed at the American Music Awards and received an award there,"
bassist Robert "Kool" Bell recalled. "We were talking about the whole evening,
and we said, "This is a time for celebration!' And that inspired my brother
Ronald to come up with the song.

"We felt really good about (it)... but we didn't have any idea whether or not it
was going to become as big as it was going to become."

The record was Billboard's top pop single of 1980, and also held the No. 1 slot
on the Billboard's R&B charts for six consecutive weeks that year.

KOOL & THE GANG is arguably the longest-lived R&B-based band in history.

The group was founded by brothers Robert and Ronald Bell, who grew up in a
jazz-savvy household in Jersey City, N.J. Their father, a professional boxer and
close friend of jazz legend Thelonius Monk, was also a jazz enthusiast, and he
passed along his musical genes and sensibilities.

The brothers banded together with several neighborhood friends to form the
Jazziacs in 1965. Three of those friends -- guitarist Charles Smith, alto
saxophonist Dennis Thomas, and drummer George Brown -- are still in the group
today.

One night, during its early days, the band was reportedly mistakenly introduced
as "Kool and the Flames," and the name stuck -- with a minor revision. The band
became Kool & the Gang when signing with De-Lite Records in 1969.

The name isn't all that changed. The newly dubbed Kool & the Gang also honed its
sound, bringing more R&B into its mix, and adding a funkier beat.

"I think our jazz background gave us a variety to what we do, musically,
absolutely," Kool said. "We weren't just a dance band. We also did jazz. We also
did pop, with songs like "Too Hot,' "Joanna' or "Cherish.' This mixture kept us
all on the edge. It kept us contemporary."

Kool & the Gang won a Grammy Award for "Open Sesame" (from the "Saturday Night
Fever" soundtrack) but did not score any singular commercial success on the R&B
charts until its sixth album, the pop-infused "Ladies Night" album, the title
tune and "Too Hot" singles.

The band produced several more hits, including "Fresh," but sales and popularity
waned after lead singer James "J.T." Taylor -- who had joined the group in 1979
-- left in 1988 to pursue a solo career.

But the band branched out into new ventures.

The group's new record label, KTFA (Keeping The Funk Alive), last fall released
an LP, "Gangland," featuring emerging jazz, funk and hip-hop artists (among
them, Robert Bell's son, who performs under the name of Prince Hakim, and who
will appear as Kool & the Gang's opening act in Lancaster).

There's also a biography in the works and talk of a biographical movie,
tentatively scheduled for 2004-2005.

They may not be enjoying the success that they saw in the '70s and '80s, but
their songs have appeared in numerous commercials (including Capitol One's
"Jungle Boogie") and movie soundtracks ("The Wedding Singer," "Pulp Fiction,"
"Baby Boy" and "Rocky"). Their well-known riffs make them one of the most
frequently sampled pop-funk bands out there.

"Will Smith took our song "Summer Madness' and came up with one of his biggest
records yet in his career, "Summertime," Kool said. When you hear Puff Daddy
sample one of your songs, or you hear "Ladies Night' done by Li'l Kim or Queen
Latifa, this -- and all of the other bands that sample our music -- it makes you
feel good. It keeps us in touch with the younger audience."

Perhaps even more satisfying, after years of touring in mainly Europe and Asia,
Kool & the Gang is again enjoying celebrity status on its own shores, where the
pre-millennial retro craze of the late '90s still prevails.

"It's always great to be hip again," Kool said. "It shows that your music has
stood the test of time. It's been a good run."

Lancaster Mayor Charlie Smithgall said the city selected Kool & the Gang to
headline the annual downtown event because "we had such success with the other
'70s band, K.C. (& the Sunshine Band), and these guys are even more popular.
Also, we always play "Celebration' anyway during the fireworks display, but this
year, we're going to get the real thing."

Go to the Top