At Billboard’s 11th annual touring awards, the “Spirit of the Boogie” panel — a conversation withKool & the Gang— demonstrated that flexibility plays a crucial role in a band’s longevity. Groups often solidify as they get older: they settle in and focus. In an increasingly uncertain ...
Despite their freshman status in ’69, they were already R&B PhDs. But it wasn’t until 1973’sWild and Peacefulthat the wider world started to notice, with the unhinged groove of “Jungle Boogie” and “Hollywood Swinging” crashing into the Billboard Hot 100’s top 10. Since then, i...
In an extract from the full, near 90-minute show that is running separately on the Roots’ official YouTube channel, Brown explains how “Jungle Boogie” arose from a period in which the group were under pressure to sell records. He and other members of Kool and the Gang were in the of...
The group was started in the 1960s by Robert “Kool” Bell and his brother Ronald. The Gang’s first chart success came with 1973’s Wild and Peaceful album that spun off the hits “Jungle Boogie” and “Hollywood Swinging.” Kool & the Gang continued to chart in the ensuing decades, ...
Over the decades, the funk, soul and R&B legends have earned two Grammy Awards, seven American Music Awards and scored numerous hits on the Billboard charts, including “Celebration,”“Jungle Boogie” and “Ladies Night.” Thomas has appeared on every Kool & the Gang album since the band...
Despite their freshman status in ’69, they were already R&B PhDs. But it wasn’t until 1973’sWild and Peacefulthat the wider world started to notice, with the unhinged groove of “Jungle Boogie” and “Hollywood Swinging” crashing into the Billboard Hot 100’s top 10. Since then, ...
Over the decades, the funk, soul and R&B legends have earned two Grammy Awards, seven American Music Awards and scored numerous hits on the Billboard charts, including “Celebration,”“Jungle Boogie” and “Ladies Night.” Thomas has appeared on every Kool & the ...