George Brown of Kool & the Gang in 2019.Photo:Isa Foltin/Getty
Isa Foltin/Getty
George “Funky” Brown, drummer and co-founder ofKool & the Gang, has died at age 74.
The statement concluded, “His incredible talent and presence will be greatly missed and never forgotten.”
George Brown of Kool & the Gang.ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
Although a cause of death was not disclosed at this time,KCAL reportedin October that the musician had stage 4 lung cancer.
Brown was among the founding members of the iconic funk groupKool & the Gang. While still in their teens, he joined brothersRonald “Khalis” Belland Robert “Kool” Bell as they set out to form a band in Jersey City, New Jersey in 1964, along with friends Charles Smith,Dennis “D.T.” Thomas, Ricky West and Robert “Spike” Mickens.
After they first called themselves the Jazziacs and changed their moniker several times, the group blending jazz, funk, soul, rock and pop officially debuted as Kool & the Gang with their self-titled debut in 1969. The group went on to help to define the soulful sound of the ‘70s and become one of the most iconic funk bands of all time.
According to theSongwriters Hall of Fame, Brown was one of the primary songwriters behind the group — helping to pen hits such as “Celebration,” “Cherish,” “Get Down On It,” “Jungle Boogie” and “Ladies Night,” among many others.
Kool & the Gang.Michael Ochs Archives/Getty
Michael Ochs Archives/Getty
The Grammy-winning hitmakers received many accolades throughout their career, including an induction into theNew Jersey Hall of Fame, a star on theHollywood Walk of Fameand a Soul Train Legend Award. In 2020, their classic 1980 song “Celebration” wasinducted into the Library of Congress National Recording Registry.
The multi-instrumentalist opened up about living with stage 4 lung cancer in an October interview withKCAL. The outlet reported that Brown stopped touring due to illness three years ago, and went back out on the road in 2022 after he recovered. In 2023, the cancer relapsed and he continued receiving treatment.
Brown, who also played keys,spoke to NPRin aWeekend Edition Sundayinterview about the “Too Hot” band’s legacy earlier this year in an interview.
When asked how he would describe their sound, he said, “The sound of happiness.”
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The drummer also opened up about what made the funk group successful. He said, “It’s the chemistry. If the chemistry is there, bingo, it works. And you want to make it happen, and you want to see people happy, and you want to be successful with it. And you want to help create a culture, a world culture, where people come together with that music. That music is bringing people together and making this one-world culture greater than it was before.”
He continued, “And when you do music that’s happy music, that’s what it does. It brings people to the clubs to have a good time. And that’s what we do. We say our prayer before we leave, and we say, let’s go make some people happy.”
Robert “Kool” Bell is the only surviving, founding member of Kool & the Gang.
source: people.com
