The Groove
Saturday February 8th, 2025 with Elorious Cain
BLACK HISTORY MONTH Celebration of KOOL & THE GANG

We continue our 2025 Celebration of BLACK HISTORY MONTH with a special on KOOL & THE GANG, and on February 22 we will be featuring CROWN HEIGHTS AFFAIR. Yes we are celebrating amazing BLACK bands from the big apple for BLACK HISTORY MONTH! Hailing from the New Jersey side, the brothers Robert "Kool" Bell and Ronald Bell (also known as "Khalis Bayyan") along with friends Dennis "Dee Tee" Thomas, Robert "Spike" Mickens, Charles Smith, George Brown, Woodrow "Woody" Sparrow, and Ricky Westfield began playing live JAZZ in their part time as teenagers. They would eventually start calling themselves KOOL & THE GANG and add a funky edge to their music. Influenced by many JAZZ musicians, KOOL & THE GANG started in the late 1960's recording their own unique blend of FUNK and DISCO that would slowly establish them as one of the best sources with iconic and widely popular tracks like "Funky Stuff", "Hollywood Swinging" and "Jungle Jazz" to name a few. The band reached a second and phenomenal commercial peak between 1979 and 1985 following a brief partnership with Brazilian producer EUMIR DEODATO known for his 1974 hit, a JAZZY DISCO cover of "Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001)." The addition of singer James "J.T." Taylor as lead vocalist to the line-up also added to their cleaner sound which brought megahits like "Ladies' Night" and "Celebration" in the 1979 and 1980. Dozens of artists have been greatly influenced by the unique sounds of KOOL & THE GANG. Their popularity spread around the globe!