Good Times! Celebrate good times with timeless funk band Kool & The Gang at Brighton Dome Concert Hall

Kool & the Gang have influenced the music of three generations. Thanks to 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.

Kool & The Gang has performed continuously for the past 43 years, longer than any R&B group in history. Their bulletproof funk and jazzy arrangements have also made them the most sampled band of all time.

In 1964, Khalis Bayyan (AKA Ronald Bell) and his brother, Robert “Kool” Bell, joined Jersey City neighborhood friends Robert “Spike” Mickens, Dennis “Dee Tee” Thomas, Ricky Westfield, George Brown, and Charles Smith to create a unique musical blend of jazz, soul and funk. At first calling themselves the Jazziacs, the band went through various names (The New Dimensions, The Soul Town Band, Kool & the Flames) before settling on their moniker.

Over the next several years they solidified their musical chemistry on the rough-and-tumble East Coast music scene supporting acts like Bill Cosby, Richie Havens and Richard Pryor. Their self-titled 1969 debut album introduced their signature instrumental sound and fierce horn arrangements and spawned their first Billboard R&B charted single, Kool & The Gang.

Fast forward 10 years to 1979 when 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 also reached #8 at Pop. It was followed by Too Hot (#3 R&B, #5 Pop). The ‘80s 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).

The group enjoys global fame that spans generations, due in part to their widely sampled catalogue

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.

Today, the group enjoys global fame and recognition and a following that spans generations due in part to the group’s widely sampled catalogue. Kool & The Gang’s drum beats, bass, guitar and signature horn lines lace the tracks of numerous artists including the Beastie Boys, Jay-Z, Madonna, Janet Jackson, Cypress Hill, and P. Diddy. Kool & The Gang is the most sampled band in hip-hop by far. Their music is also featured on the soundtracks for Rocky, Saturday Night Fever, Pulp Fiction, Wreck-It Ralph and countless others.

Kool & The Gang has continued to tour the world appearing with artists such as Kid Rock, Dave Matthews Band, Elton John, The Roots and a 50-city tour with Van Halen.

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

2016 marked the band’s 50th year together. Here is how they celebrated the milestone:
1) They were inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame.
2) They received a touching tribute when a street they grew up on in Jersey City was re named in their honour: “Kool & The Gang Way”.
3) Kool & The Gang released “Sexy (Where’d You Get Yours)” the single from their upcoming album which is due to drop in 2017. The song signifies a modernisation of Kool & The Gang’s unmistakable sound, right down to the dance floor-tailored bass grooves and the perfectly timed horns.
4) Kool’s bass is displayed at the new Smithsonian Institution National Museum of African American History and Culture

Kool & The Gang continue to delight fans around the globe with their timeless hits, and are playing Brighton Dome Concert Hall on Wednesday 14 June. Support comes from Thrill Syndicate (Live), Mick Fuller (SoulShyne) and Pablo Contraband (Disco Deviant) so you can be sure of a brilliant disco/funk night with a generous lineup. You can read booking details below or read the top right of this page for an exclusive competition to win tickets!

Kool & The Gang, Brighton Dome Concert Hall, Wed 14 June
7pm til 11pm, £35 plus booking fee
Tickets are available from 01273 709709 and www.brightondome.org

COMPETITION

Brighton Dome concert tickets to be won!

For your chance to win a pair of tickets for Kool & The Gang at Brighton Dome Concert Hall on Wed 14 June, just answer the following question:

Which year did Kool & The Gang release their platinum album Ladies Night?

A) 1979 B) 1981 C) 1983

Email competitions@thelatest.co.uk with the answer and your full name & telephone number to be in with a chance of winning.

Competition closes 9am Monday 29th May.

Winners will be required to collect their tickets from the box office on the night of the show. Terms & conditions apply.