Kool & the Gang

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• Genre: Funk
• Hometown: Jersey City
• Kool & the Gang Website

About

One of the many groups that drew inspiration from Sly Stone's material of the late '60s, Kool and the Gang took Sly's Funk template and added a touch of deep James Brown soul into their mix throughout the '70s. A party band by any standard, their horn section could only be upped by the JB's in terms of locking into a groove. Songs like "Funky Stuff," the Tarantino-appropriated "Jungle Boogie," and the mellower "North, East, South and West" were all heavy with thick bass and squelching wah-wah pedals. With the addition of pop vocalist J.T. Taylor in 1979, the record-buying public finally gave them their due, as Kool and the Gang racked up a chart-burning run of hits through the first half of the '80s: "Ladies Night," "Too Hot," "Cherish," "Fresh," and most notably, "Celebration," which has unofficially become the official theme song for any event that happens anywhere at any given time.

- Jon Pruett