Wild and Peaceful, from 1973, and the high-tensioned fade-in to "Jungle Boogie" ("Get down, get down.") marked Kool & The Gang's introduction to commercial success and the group's first cultural landmark. The seven were all jazz heads, and sought to play like it.Īfter two live albums, the Gang began moving further toward funk - the wah-wah guitar, the heavy-in-the-mix bassline, the group shout-alongs - on Good Times (its title track famously sampled by Cypress Hill) and Music Is the Message, both released in 1972. From that point on, the group released eight Top 40 albums, 12 Top 10 singles (including "Jungle Boogie," "Ladies Night," "Too Hot," "Celebration"), 12 Gold and five Platinum records, a Grammy for Album of the Year (for the soundtrack to Saturday Night Fever), and induction into the Songwriters' Hall of Fame, among a long list of other achievements.įive years prior to settling on a name, in 1964, Ronald Bell and his brother, Robert "Kool" Bell, began playing with some Jersey City friends - guitarist Charles Smith, keyboardist Ricky West (or Westfield), trumpet player Robert "Spike" Mickens, drummer George Brown and alto saxophonist Dennis "Dee Tee" Thomas. Kool & The Gang landed, for good, on its name (after trying out The New Dimensions, The Jazziacs and others) in 1969. ![]() He was 68.īell's death was confirmed by a Universal Music publicist, though no cause was provided. Ronald "Khalis" Bell, a co-founder, songwriter, saxophonist, vocalist and producer of the chart-topping group Kool & The Gang, died Wednesday morning at his home in the U.S. Ronald "Khalis" Bell, performing with Kool & The Gang on March 29, 1974.ĪBC Photo Archives/Walt Disney Television via Getty
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