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The Broken RecordExtra
Kool & The Gang
American R&B, soul and funk band
Kool & the Gang is an American R&B, soul and funk band formed in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1964. Its founding members include brothers Robert "Kool" Bell and Ronald Bell, Dennis "Dee Tee" Thomas, Robert "Spike" Mickens, Charles Smith, George "Funky" Brown, Woodrow "Woody" Sparrow and Ricky Westfield.
They have undergone numerous changes in personnel and have explored many musical styles throughout their history, including jazz, rhythm and blues, soul, funk, disco, rock and pop music. The group changed their name several times.
Settling on Kool & the Gang, the group signed to De-Lite Records and released their debut album Kool and the Gang in 1969.
members: Dennis Thomas, Ronald Bell, George Brown, James "J.T." Taylor
formed in: Jersey City
labels: De-Lite Records
genres: rhythm and blues, soul, jazz, funk
awards: star on Hollywood Walk of Fame, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, New Jersey Hall of Fame
Facts from Wikidata and Discogs, free to use.
funkdiscojazzjazz-funksoulcontemporary r&b
The Elsewhere GazetteExtra
1964–1972: Formation and signing with De-Lite
The band formed in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1964 when seven school friends decided to perform together as an instrumental jazz and soul group named the Jazziacs. Among them were Robert "Kool" Bell on bass, his brother Ronald Bell on keyboards, both from Youngstown, Ohio originally, Robert "Spike" Mickens on trumpet, Dennis "Dee Tee" Thomas on saxophone, Ricky West on keyboards, George Brown on drums, and Charles Smith on guitar. Except Smith, all of them attended Lincoln High School in Jersey City. Robert Bell had given himself the nickname "Kool" as a way of adapting to the street gangs in his neighborhood after moving from Ohio. The Bells' father Bobby and uncle Tommy were boxers. They moved to New York to train and lived in the same...
In February 1988, news of Taylor's departure from the group to pursue a solo career was reported in the press. The group had discussed pursuing solo projects during the previous year, with Thomas suggesting the band had considered splitting into twos or threes. Taylor was replaced by three vocalists: Sennie "Skip" Martin, Odeen Mays, and Gary Brown.
Formed by Robert "Kool" Bell, his brother and a bunch of their New Jersey teenage friends in the mid-60s (then called the Jazziacs), Kool & the Gang played traditional jazz in regional venues for several years, slowly morphing their style to incorporate emerging funk sounds of Sly and the Family Stone and James Brown. They were signed by the De-Lite label in the early '70s and gathered a small but loyal national following (in particular for their 1971 release Live at the Sex Machine). The group's fortunes exploded in 1974 with Wild and Peaceful, an infectiously raw album that spawned three smash hits, "Funky Stuff," "Hollywood Swinging," and "Jungle Boogie," all featuring great instrumentation and lyrics virtually shouted by the group. However, as quickly as they rode to fame, Kool & the Gang faded, their rough sound appearing out of place against the slick, dance-oriented sounds that began to dominate popular radio in the late '70s.
Kool & the Gang was an afterthought in the music world in 1979, when they brought in the honey-sounding lead James J.T. Taylor and pop/jazz producer Eumir Deodato for one last gasp, a shiny dance album called Ladies Night. Deodato simplified and swee
Also known as: Cool & The Gang, Cool And The Gang, Cool Gang, Cool' N' Gang, K & G Production, Inc.
From Discogs (free to use). Their entry
Liner notes
Kool & The Gang, the records, oldest first
Kool and the Gang
1969 album
Good Times
1972 album
Music Is the Message
1972 album
Wild and Peaceful
1973 album
wanted
Light of Worlds
1974 album
Spirit of the Boogie
1975 album
Open Sesame
1976 album
Love & Understanding
1976 album
The Force
1977 album
Everybody’s Dancin’
1978 album
Ladies’ Night
1979 album
Celebrate!
1980 album
Something Special
1981 album
As One
1982 album
In the Heart
1983 album
Emergency
1984 album
Forever
1986 album
Sweat
1989 album
Unite
1992 album
State of Affairs
1996 album
The Hits: Reloaded
2004 album
Still Kool
2007 album
Kool Funk Essentials - 2
2009 album
Kool for the Holidays
2013 album
Records from MusicBrainz; covers from the Cover Art Archive.
"Jungle Boogie" is a funk record by Kool & the Gang from their 1973 album Wild and Peaceful. It reached number four as a single, and became very popular in nightclubs.
Billboard ranked it as the number 12 single for 1974, despite as many as 36 No. 1 singles that year.
Background
The spoken main vocal was performed by the band's roadie Don Boyce. An instrumental version of the tune with an overdubbed flute part and additional percussion instruments, titled "Jungle Jazz", appeared on the album Spirit of the Boogie. There is a Tarzan yell at the track's end and grunting, panting and scatting heard throughout.
