Kool & the Gang
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Kool & the Gang is an American band which flourished from the 1970s to the 1980s, releasing such songs as "N.T." (1971), "Jungle Boogie" (1973), "Hollywood Swinging" (1973), "Summer Madness" (1974) and "Get Down on It" (1981). They evolved from funk to pop music.
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History
The band was formed in Jersey City, New Jersey in 1964 by brothers Robert "Kool" Bell and Ronald Bell, with Dennis "D.T." Thomas, Robert "Spike" Mickens, Charles Smith, George Brown, and Ricky West. They have undergone numerous changes in personnel and have explored many musical styles throughout their history, including jazz, soul, funk, rock, and pop music. After settling on their name following several changes, the group signed to De-Lite Records and released their debut album, Kool and the Gang (1970).
The band's first taste of success came with the release of their fourth album Wild and Peaceful (1973), which contained the US top-ten singles "Jungle Boogie" and "Hollywood Swinging". Kool & the Gang subsequently entered a period of decline before they reached a second commercial peak between 1979 and 1986 following their partnership with Brazilian musician/producer Eumir Deodato and the addition of singer James "J.T." Taylor to the line-up. Their most successful albums of this period include Ladies' Night (1979), Celebrate! (1980), and Emergency (1984), their highest selling album with two million copies sold in the US. Their hit singles during this period included "Ladies' Night", the US number one "Celebration", "Get Down on It", "Joanna", "Misled", and "Cherish". The band continues to perform worldwide, including as support for Van Halen in 2012 and their fiftieth-anniversary tour in 2014.
Albums
| Year | Album | U.S. | UK | Additional information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Kool and the Gang | - | - | Debut album |
| 1971 | Live at the Sex Machine | 122 | - | Live album |
| 1971 | The Best of Kool and the Gang | 157 | - | Compilation album |
| 1971 | Live at PJ's | 171 | - | Live album, recorded 29 May 1971 in Hollywood, California |
| 1972 | Music Is the Message | - | - | |
| 1972 | Good Times | 142 | - | |
| 1973 | Wild and Peaceful | 33 | - | |
| 1974 | Kool Jazz | 187 | - | Compilation album |
| 1974 | Light of Worlds | 63 | - | |
| 1975 | Kool & the Gang Greatest Hits! | 81 | - | Compilation album |
| 1975 | Spirit of the Boogie | 48 | - | |
| 1976 | Love & Understanding | 68 | - | |
| 1976 | Open Sesame | 110 | - | |
| 1976 | Behind the Eyes | - | - | |
| 1978 | The Force | 142 | - | |
| 1978 | Everybody's Dancin' | - | - | |
| 1979 | Ladies' Night | 13 | - | |
| 1980 | Celebrate! | 10 | - | |
| 1981 | Something Special | 12 | 10 | |
| 1982 | As One | 29 | - | |
| 1983 | Twice as Kool (The Hits of Kool & The Gang) | - | 4 | Compilation album |
| 1983 | In the Heart | 29 | 18 | |
| 1984 | Emergency | 13 | - | |
| 1986 | Forever | 25 | - | |
| 1988 | Everything's Kool & the Gang: Greatest Hits & More | 109 | - | Compilation album |
| 1988 | The Singles Collection | - | 28 | Compilation album |
| 1989 | Sweat | - | - | |
| 1993 | Unite | - | - | |
| 1993 | The Best Of Kool & The Gang (1969-1976) | - | - | Compilation album |
| 1996 | State of Affairs | - | - | |
| 2001 | Gangland | - | - | |
| 2007 | Still Kool | - | - |
Singles
| Year | Title | U.S. | U.S. R&B | U.S. Dance | UK | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | "Kool and the Gang" | 59 | 19 | - | - | Kool and the Gang |
| 1970 | "Let the Music Take Your Mind" | 78 | 19 | - | - | |
| "Funky Man" | 87 | 16 | - | - | Live at the Sex Machine | |
| 1971 | "I Want to Take You Higher" | - | 35 | - | - | |
| "Who's Gonna Take the Weight (Part One)" | - | 28 | - | - | ||
| 1972 | "Love the Life You Live, Part I" | - | 31 | - | - | Music Is the Message |
| 1973 | "Funky Stuff" | 29 | 5 | - | - | Wild and Peaceful |
| 1974 | "Jungle Boogie" | 4 | 2 | - | - | |
| "Hollywood Swinging" | 6 | 1 | - | - | ||
| "Higher Plane" | 37 | 1 | - | - | Light of Worlds | |
| 1975 | "Rhyme Tyme People" | 63 | 3 | - | - | |
| "Summer Madness" 1 | 35 | 36 | - | 17 | ||
| "Spirit of the Boogie" | 35 | 1 | - | - | Spirit of the Boogie | |
| "Caribbean Festival" | 55 | 6 | - | - | ||
| 1976 | "Love and Understanding (Come Together)" | 77 | 8 | - | - | Love & Understanding |
| "Universal Sound" | - | 71 | - | - | ||
| 1977 | "Open Sesame" | 55 | - | 13 | - | Saturday Night Fever soundtrack |
| 1978 | "Slick Superchick" | - | 19 | - | - | The Force |
| 1979 | "Ladies' Night" | 8 | 1 | 5 | 9 | Ladies' Night |
| 1980 | "Too Hot" | 5 | 3 | - | 23 | |
| "Hangin' Out" | - | - | - | 52 | ||
| "Celebration" 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | Celebrate! | |
| 1981 | "Jones vs. Jones" 1 | 39 | 33 | - | 17 | |
| "Take It to the Top" 2 | - | 11 | 1 | 15 | ||
| "Take My Heart (You Can Have It If You Want It)" 3 | 17 | 1 | 16 | 29 | Something Special | |
| "Get Down on It" 3 | 10 | 4 | 16 | 3 | ||
| 1982 | "Steppin' Out" 3 | 89 | 12 | 16 | 12 | |
| "Big Fun" | 21 | 6 | - | 14 | As One | |
| "Hi De Hi, Hi De Ho" | - | - | - | 29 | ||
| 1983 | "Let's Go Dancin' (Ooh La, La, La)" | 30 | 7 | - | 6 | |
| "Street Kids" | - | 78 | - | - | ||
| "Straight Ahead" | - | - | - | 15 | In the Heart | |
| "Joanna" | 2 | 1 | - | 2 | ||
| 1984 | "Tonight" | 13 | 1 | - | - | |
| "When You Say You Love Somebody (In the Heart)" | - | - | - | 7 | ||
| "Misled" | 10 | 3 | - | - | Emergency | |
| 1985 | "Fresh" | 9 | 1 | 1 | 11 | |
| "Cherish" | 2 | 1 | - | 4 | ||
| "Emergency" | 18 | 7 | 41 | 50 | ||
| 1986 | "Victory" | 10 | 2 | 35 | 30 | Forever |
| 1987 | "Stone Love" | 10 | 4 | 41 | 45 | |
| "Holiday" | 66 | 9 | - | - | ||
| "Special Way" | 72 | - | - | - | ||
| 1988 | "Rags to Riches" | - | 38 | - | - | Greatest Hits & More |
| 1989 | "Raindrops" | - | 27 | - | - | Sweat |
| "Never Give Up" | - | 74 | - | - | ||
| 2005 | "Hollywood Swinging" | - | - | 5 | - | Be Cool soundtrack |
- 1 "Jones vs. Jones"/"Summer Madness" - charted as double A-side in the UK in 1981.
- 2 "Celebration"/"Take It to the Top" - charted together on U.S. dance chart.
- 3 "Take My Heart (You Can Have It If You Want It)"/"Steppin' Out"/"Get Down on It" - charted together on U.S. dance chart.
See also
