Robert "Kool" Bell
Template:Short description Template:Distinguish Template:BLP sources Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox musical artist
Robert Earl "Kool" Bell (born October 8, 1950), also known by the name Muhammad Bayyan,<ref name=allmusic-katg>Template:AllMusic</ref> is an American musician, singer and songwriter. He is the last surviving founding member of the American R&B, soul, funk and disco band Kool & the Gang.<ref name="Thompson2001">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Biography
Early life
Bell was born in Youngstown, Ohio, to Aminah Bayyan (1932–2014) and Robert "Bobby" Bell (1929–1985). Bell grew up in Jersey City, New Jersey. Growing up, Bell was nicknamed "Kool", due to being "laid back":<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Blockquote
Kool & The Gang
Template:Main Along with his brother, Ronald Bell, he began playing jazz, and in 1964 they formed a group named The Jazziacs. They began playing at clubs in New York City under a series of different band names before settling on the name Kool & the Gang in 1968. Their debut album, Kool and the Gang, was released the following year. The band's first major hit came in 1973, with "Jungle Boogie", which charted at number four on the Billboard Hot 100. Their first number one hit single was "Spirit of the Boogie", which was released in 1975.
Bell, along with Kool & the Gang members James "J.T." Taylor and Dennis Thomas, were a part of the 1984 charity supergroup Band Aid.
Kool & the Gang have won numerous awards, including two Grammy Awards, seven American Music Awards, and, in 2006, a Music Business Association Chairman's Award for artistic achievement. The band recorded nine No. 1 R&B singles in the 1970s and 1980s, including its No. 1 pop single "Celebration". They have seven American Music Awards, 25 Top Ten R&B hits, nine Top Ten Pop hits, and 31 gold and platinum albums.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> The group is honored on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> As of 2024, Bell still tours with Kool & the Gang.
In 2024, Bell was selected for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as a member of Kool & the Gang.<ref name="rrhof24">Template:Cite web</ref>
Personal life
Bell's younger brother, Ronald Bell, was also a musician, and co-formed the band with Robert in 1964. Both brothers converted to Islam in 1972.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Ronald died of undisclosed causes on September 9, 2020.
In 1971, Robert married Deborah Jones. Bell and Jones met when they were teenagers.<ref name=":0" /> Deborah died on November 4, 2018, aged 67.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Her death was later revealed to have been the result of a long-standing illness.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Together, they had two sons, one of whom has worked with Kool & the Gang in the past.
Discography
Studio albums
| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| 1969 | Kool and the Gang |
| 1972 | Music Is the Message |
| Good Times | |
| 1973 | Wild and Peaceful |
| 1974 | Light of Worlds |
| 1975 | Spirit of the Boogie |
| 1976 | Love & Understanding |
| Open Sesame | |
| 1977 | The Force |
| 1978 | Everybody's Dancin' |
| 1979 | Ladies' Night |
| 1980 | Celebrate! |
| 1981 | Something Special |
| 1982 | As One |
| 1983 | In the Heart |
| 1984 | Emergency |
| 1986 | Forever |
| 1989 | Sweat |
| 1992 | Unite |
| 1996 | State of Affairs |
| 2001 | Gangland |
| 2004 | The Hits: Reloaded |
| 2007 | Still Kool |
| 2013 | Kool for the Holidays |
| 2021 | Perfect Union |
See also
References
External links
Template:Kool & the Gang Template:Grammy Award for Album of the Year 1970s Template:2024 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Template:Authority control
- 1950 births
- Living people
- African-American Muslims
- African-American male singer-songwriters
- American male singer-songwriters
- American funk bass guitarists
- American male guitarists
- American disco singers
- American funk singers
- American jazz bass guitarists
- American jazz singers
- American soul singers
- Kool & the Gang members
- Musicians from Jersey City, New Jersey
- Musicians from Youngstown, Ohio
- American male bass guitarists
- 20th-century American bass guitarists
- 21st-century American bass guitarists
- Guitarists from Ohio
- Guitarists from New Jersey
- American male jazz musicians
- African-American guitarists
- 20th-century African-American male singers
- 20th-century American male singers
- 20th-century American singers
- Singer-songwriters from New York (state)
- Singer-songwriters from Ohio
- Singer-songwriters from New Jersey
- Muslims from Ohio
- Converts to Sunni Islam