"So bring your good times and your laughter, too,
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Kool and the Gang - "Celebration"

If you don’t know who Kool and the Gang was and were alive at any point during the 70s and 80s, well… frankly… you were probably under a rock.  Heck, if you haven’t heard their hit single “Celebration” at a wedding reception, New Year’s Eve party, or even the prom, you might still be under that rock.  Since 1969, Kool and the Gang has been delighting music fans with their infectious blend of R&B, funk, jazz and pop and with over 70 million in album sales to their credit, it’s no wonder they’re one of the biggest, longest-lasting bands of all time.

It was in 1964 that the whole thing started to come together for Kool and the Gang.  Teenagers Khalis Bayyan (Ronald Bell) and his brother, Robert “Kool” Bell, joined forces with their neighborhood buddies, Robert “Spike” Mickens, Dennis “Dee Tee” Thomas, Ricky Westfield, George Brown and Charles Smith, creating a unique sound under the name “Jazziacs.”  It was a time of change in the United States.  Black consciousness provided the backdrop of their era, with the sounds and memories of Miles Davis and James Brown fresh in their minds as they jammed out in the Jersey City projects where they were raised.

By the time 1969 rolled around, they’d settled on the name Kool and the Gang, and picked up a contract with Redd Coach, who would eventually sign them over to De Lite Records.  Young and energetic, they kept putting out recordings, finding success in 1973, thanks to a string of funk-driven hits, the stomping party tune “Funky Stuff,” and the horn-blasting “Jungle Boogie,” which got an entire generation of funk lovers to ‘get down with the boogie.’  These songs were enough to propel Kool and the Gang into the mainstream, becoming Top-40 hits like the groove-a-licious “Hollywood Swinging.”

The hits continued to come throughout the 70s, opening doors for the funky grooves that would dominate the airwaves and dance clubs of the decade.  “Spirit of the Boogie” was a funkfest punctuated with a synth hook, while “Open Sesame” was an Arabian Nights-style story that urged its audience to “Get down with the genie… Shazaam!”  As the 70s came to a close, so it appeared that Kool and the Gang would.  As disco started to overtake funk as the driving force of music, instead of sticking with the same and going down with that ship, Kool and the Gang started looking at new directions to take their music. 

1980’s hit single, “Celebration” proved that Kool and the Gang weren’t just great, they were legendary.  As if their earlier work hadn’t invited their listeners to get down, get funky and party enough, “Celebration” was the singing telegram of the party invitation world.  Come on… let’s celebrate!  With its horn-blasting sounds of pure, unadulterated celebration, the song was jettisoned to #1 on the charts, and became a part of world and pop culture affairs, as it was played for the release of the Iran hostages, as well as Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and Superbowl XIV.  The success of “Celebration” was followed up with another hit, 1981’s “Get Down On It,” which brought together Kool and the Gang’s present and past with a special blend of smooth and funky sounds.  Throughout the 80s, Kool and the Gang continued to churn out the hits, balancing their act with keyboard-heavy ballads like “Joanna” and “Cherish,” along with dance hits like “Misled” and “Fresh.”

Their amazing run as a band came to a near-end when J.T. Taylor embarked on a solo career in 1986.  Ties weren’t completely severed, as Ronald Bell went on to produce many of his albums.  The band continued to record, putting out albums like Sweat and Unite.  Taylor came back on board with Kool and the Gang for their 1996 release, State of Affairs.  2001 saw the release of Gangland, which featured Kool and the Gang as a backing for rappers, in many cases remaking songs they’d already released.  More recently, Kool and the Gang released 2004’s The Hits Reloaded, which found the band collaborating with the likes of Lil’ Kim, Sean Paul, Ashanti, and Blackstreet, as well as many others.  Even more recently, in 2002 they performed in Disney's California Adventure (located conveniently next door to Disneyland), and in 2004 they performed at Epcot, along with California legends, The Beach Boys.  As they get ready to enter a fifth decade of performing with one another, Kool and the Gang has a new release in the works, titled Still Kool, as well as a legacy that has inspired countless artists of yesteryear and today (their catalogue of music is second only to the work of James Brown for ‘most sampled in rap music), and likely countless artists to come.