EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Kool & The Gang legend reveals Manchester AO Arena party will be a real Celebration!
FUNK and soul icons Kool & The Gang are bringing non-stop hits to Manchester and today in an exclusive interview legendary founder Robert ‘Kool’ Bell told fans: “Come on, let’s all Celebrate!”
The hitmakers behind feel-good classics Celebration, Get Down On It, Cherish, Jungle Boogie, Summer Madness, Open Sesame and more, play Manchester AO Arena on Friday, July 11.
BUY TICKETS: Tickets are available now at www.gigsandtours.com and www.ticketmaster.co.uk.
It’s been 15 years since the band last played Manchester and they are excited to bring the funk and more than six decades of hits back to the city, Kool told Graham Walker.
He said: "This year I’ll be 75 years old. 75 is the platinum year, and I’m blessed to celebrate that. Whether you’re my age or younger, it’s a blessing to come together to celebrate life. Like we like to say every night on stage, 'Come on, let’s all celebrate!'
"Manchester is one of the most enthusiastic audiences for us, and we’re excited to be coming back," added Kool, Born Robert Earl Bell, but dubbed “Kool” by himself as a teen.
"They can expect a night of non-stop hits! When we come to town, we bring the party, and I know Manchester is always ready to party!”
He admitted it's a challenge to plan a setlist, with so many classics to choose from.
Their enduring appeal, he believes, is a combination of the rhythm-driven energy of their songs, brassy horns adding to the melody and the amazing musicianship of his super talented band.
“We don’t have enough time to play all our hits. Sometimes our fans will ask for songs that weren’t part of our set, but we make sure the audience won’t be disappointed.
"Our songs are rhythm-driven. And the horns add the melody, but at the end of the day, we’re just musicians playing good music that we’ve been inspired to write through the years. We’re genuinely just sharing what we like to hear and play with the world, and we’re glad they like it too."
Kool & the Gang have performed continuously longer than any R&B group in history and their bulletproof funk and jazzy arrangements have also made them the most sampled R&B band of all time.
The heavily-in-demand band has continued to tour the world, appearing most recently alongside Kid Rock, Dave Matthews Band, Elton John, The Roots, and a 50-city tour with the legendary rock band, Van Halen.
They’ve earned two Grammy Awards, seven American Music Awards, a BET Soul Train Lifetime Achievement Award, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, 25 Top Ten R&B hits, 9 Top Ten Pop hits and 31 gold and platinum albums.
They have been essential innovators in the sound of funk, soul, disco, and R&B, creating rock & roll's most danceable anthems.
Celebrating a major milestone last year, the band were inducted into the Class of 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
This momentous occasion honoured their significant contributions to the music industry and enduring impact on the genre, recognising their past successes as well as their ongoing influence.
With six decades of hits, the internationally celebrated group released their critically acclaimed 34th studio album, People Just Wanna Have Fun, in 2023.
The 15-track project, which is helmed by Kool and keyboardist-drummer George ‘Funky’ Brown, follows the release of their single, Let's Party, featuring Sha Sha Jones.
Bassist Kool not surprisingly cites Motown bass legend James Jamison and acclaimed jazz double-bassist Ron Carter as his biggest musical influences.
Born Robert Earl Bell, in Youngstown, Ohio, in 1950, Kool changed his name to Muhammad Bayyan when he and his band co-founder younger brother, Ronald, who became Khalis Bayyan, converted to Islam in 1972.
But to millions of fans around the world he's known simply as Kool, a nickname he says he actually gave his laid-back self as a teen growing up in Jersey City.
"When I was a teenager, there was a guy in my neighbourhood whose name was Cool. I liked that name. So, I changed the C to a K and called myself Kool. I gave myself the name," he revealed.
Celebration is the band's biggest global hit and Kool told how it came about after something of a heavenly experience.
He said: "My brother, Khalis, was inspired to write Celebration after reading about the angels celebrating. This was during the time period when we just made a comeback with our song, Ladies Night, and at the end of that song, there’s a lyric, 'let’s all celebrate'.
"There was something in the air during that time period with my brother. It just spilled through him, and we all joined in because we were celebrating."
The two brothers co-founded the band in 1964. Khalis,who wrote and produced many of Kool & the Gang's songs, played tenor saxophone, keyboards and sang backing vocals. He passed away, aged 68, in 2020.
Kool is now the last surviving original band member, but with a line-up that includes super talented musicians, some who joined the gang decades ago, the band’s original legacy lives on—in sound and spirit.
He said: “Every night, there’s a section of our show where all of the founding members are up on the screen on the stage, and I talk about them in our early years, forming the band.
"It’s my favourite part of the show because we did this together, and I’m carrying it on. Even though they’re not physically here, they’re still with me. This is what we built as teenagers, and we stayed together."
He said it's hard to choose just one song from their catalogue which means the most to him, personally - but he does have one, Ladies night, inspired by good times hanging out with the love of his life, his now late wife, Sakinah.
He said of picking a personal favourite song: "That’s a hard one because I have so many, but if I had to pick one, I’d have to say Ladies Night because I came up with the concept and told my brother.
"George Brown came up with the baseline, and then we all joined in. The song was inspired by all of the hanging out that my wife, Sakinah and I were doing during that time period. Those were very exciting times, and I had my wife by my side.
"That song came from our life experience at the time, when I was hanging out with the love of my life."
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