Episode 2368: Robert "Kool" Bell of Kool & the Gang, GRAMMY® Honoree, ~ A Salute to Co- Founder Robert Bell

Grammy® Honoree, Hollywood Walk of Fame

Let's Celebrate a Golden Anniversary of Kool & The Gang!

Founding Member Brother Ronald Nathan Bell (November 1, 1951 – September 9, 2020),

 Robert's NEW Brand is.  La Kool. lKool had always envisioned having his own brand out of Europe. For many years, he sought out Grand Cru Vineyards from owners that have been selling for generations and decided to work with Paul Berthelot, a Multi-Vintage Grand Cru Producer since 1884.

A couple years ago marked the official launch of Le Kool Champagne, and Kool also recently added a new rosé champagne to keep the summer season going through the winter.

 Kool & the Gang, officially launched in 1969, after performing for five years under various band titles, has influenced the music of three generations and the band has become true recording industry legends. Thanks to iconic songs like Celebration, Cherish, Jungle Boogie, Summer Madness and Open Sesame, they’ve earned two Grammy Awards, seven American Music Awards, 25 Top Ten R&B hits, nine Top Ten Pop hits and 31 gold and platinum albums. From Nairobi to Newark, Kool & the Gang has performed continuously longer than any R&B group in history and their bulletproof funk and jazzy arrangements have also made them the most sampled R&B band of all time.

In 1979, Kool & the Gang unveiled a smooth new sound with Ladies Night. Produced by the legendary Pop/Jazz musician Eumir Deodato, it became their first platinum album. The #1 R&B title track reached #8 at Pop. It was followed by Too Hot (#3 R&B, #5 Pop). The 80’s would see them dominate the mainstream, starting with the double platinum-selling album Celebrate (driven by the international monster hit Celebration, which spent six weeks atop the R&B chart and became a #1 Pop single). Celebration, which played as the American hostages returned from Iran, remains de rigueur at joyous occasions worldwide. The smashes Get Down On It, Take My Heart, Let’s Go Dancing, Joanna, Tonight, Misled, the #1 R&B, #2 Pop giant Cherish and the #1 R&B anthem Fresh (these last three from the multi- platinum LP Emergency) solidified the group’s international stardom. Kool & the Gang landed global commercial endorsements, supported countless charitable causes and were the only American group to participate in Band Aid’s 1984 Do They Know It’s Christmas project for famine victims in Africa. With the explosion of hip-hop in the 90’s, Kool & the Gang’s incredible catalog of grooves made them DJ favorites. They were second only to R&B icon James Brown as sources of rap music samples.

In 2014, they were honored with a BET Soul Train Lifetime Achievement Award and in October 2015, in the town they sing about in one of their earliest hits, “Hollywood Swinging,” Kool & the Gang was honored to take their place as American musical icons with a star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2016,
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