The Members:
-Robert "Kool" Bell (Bass) -Ronald Bell (Tenor Sax) -George Brown (Drums) -Claydes Charles Smith (Guitar)
-Larry Gittens (Trumpet) -Clifford Adams (Trombone)
- J.T.Taylor (Vocals) - Robert "Spike" Mickens (Trumpet)
-Michael Ray (Trumpet)
To be honest, Kool and The Gang is kind of the impetus for this whole series of posts. Of the four nominees that I have listed, they are the one nominee that, at least for me, I can't understand why they aren't in already. So they kind of started this process for me.
Kool and the Gang formed in Jersey City in the mid 60s, but it wasn't until the early 70s that they would score their first big success. It was the age of funk and R&B and KATG (which they will be named for brevity in this post) scored their first 2 top ten singles with "Jungle Boogie" and "Hollywood Swinging".
However, their stay at the top would not last long as funk went out of style in the mid-70s and disco began to dominate the charts. It is at this point, in 1979, that KATG makes a decision that would prove to be a masterstroke. Up till the point, they had been more of an instrumental band, with no major vocalist. That was about to change when they hired J.T. Taylor to be their lead vocalist. He gave their music a voice. In addition, they tweaked their funky style to fit the lighter pop and disco era that was booming. And lo and behold, they were on a roll. They had 3 major top ten singles in this stretch: "Ladies Night" "Too Hot" and arguably their biggest hit and the song they are most remembered for: "Celebration"
And this time, as music styles shifted again, and disco went out of style, KATG was ready and quickly shifted to more of a soft rock style as they entered the mid-80s. And the top hits kept on coming with songs like "Fresh", "Misled" (more on that one later), "Cherish" and my personal favorite song of theirs; "Joanna"
They would have 2 more Top Ten Singles in "Victory" and "Stone Love" before J.T. Taylor decided to leave KATG to start a solo career and essentially the prime period of KATG ended. There is no question that they had Hall-worthy success: 21 singles in the Top 40 over the span of their prime period. In fact, from 1980 to 1986 they had more top 40 singles than the King of Pop, Michael Jackson.
In terms of accolades, they won 2 Grammys and 7 American Music Awards. And, perhaps a sign that their time might be coming soon; KATG, through the Bell Brothers, Taylor, and George Brown, were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2018. So maybe in a couple of years they might be entering the R&R Hall of Fame, but honestly, they should be in already. And for the life of me, I don't really understand why they aren't in.
-Are they not in because they turned away from straight funk to produce more pop style/light music? Look at Chicago and they change they made in the early 80s led by Peter Cetera and Dave Foster. And they eventually got in.
-Are they not in because they are not considered rock enough? Similar band and well deserving candidate Earth, Wind and Fire are in; they got in in 2000. Now, they were one of the major innovators in the funk category, but they did not have great commercial success in the 80s while KATG managed to survive and flourish.
Plus I should add this. People think selling out is garbage and shameful. To me, there is a difference between crappy shlock and quality shlock, and if you want to say that KATG sold out, you would have to admit that most of their pieces are quality shlock.
The Two Songs:
The two songs I have chosen to represent KATG show their ability to change throughout the years. First is the massively under renowned instrumental piece "Summer Madness" This was made in the middle of their pure funk period in 1974 and it showcases their use of synthesizers and smooth jazz. The sound reminded me of Pink Floyd and what they would do with long musical pieces, especially "Shine on You Crazy Diamond" except this has the funk of KATG in tact
The second song I have chosen comes from the mid 80s and it shows that KATG can indeed pull off a rock song, especially for that time. It is the 1985 Top Ten hit, "Misled":
Who would have thunk that KATG could pull off a great rock and roll style guitar riff that could have come from any popular 80s rock band (too many to name). Anyway I think this song, more than anything shows that KATG do indeed belong in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Because they have the success credentials and, despite what people think, they do know how to rock.
Thank you for joining on this musical journey. Please Please contact me at Facebook, @UnitedWhofans on Twitter or in the comments section below if you want more of these types of things and any other bands you want to suggest. Thank you very much.
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