*Unfortunately, we’ve got sad news from the entertainment world. George Brown – co-founder, drummer, and songwriter of Kool & The Gang best known for the worldwide hits “Ladies Night,” “Get Down On It,” “Fresh,” “Celebration,” “Too Hot,” “Jungle Boogie,” and “Joanna” – has died. He passed away on November 16, 2023, in Los Angeles, CA after a battle with cancer. He was 74.
It was back in 1964 that George “Funky” Brown and Ricky Westfield joined a young Ronald Bell and his brother, Robert “Kool” Bell, and neighborhood friends Spike Mickens, Dennis Thomas, and Charles Smith to create a unique musical blend of jazz, soul, and funk.
Initially, they called themselves the Jazziacs. The band went through several name changes: The New Dimensions, The Soul Town Band, Kool & the Flames – before settling on their internationally famous moniker Kool & the Gang. The band officially launched in 1969 and 54 years later the band has become true Funk, Soul, and R&B legends.
We alluded to it above, but the bottom line is that Brown co-wrote many of the band’s iconic songs including “Ladies Night,” “Too Hot,“ “Jungle Boogie,” “Summer Madness,” “Open Sesame,” “Celebration,” “Cherish” and others.
The band has 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 to date. When asked to describe his music, Brown always replied that it’s “The sound of happiness.”
Brown’s Drumming has been sampled over the years
Brown’s signature drumming on the early Kool & The Gang recordings has been heavily sampled years later by countless artists across all genres ranging from the Beastie Boys, Jay-Z, Madonna, Janet Jackson, Cypress Hill, P. Diddy, DJ Kool, Mase, Too Short, DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh prince, Boogie Down Productions, Brand Nubian, De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, Nas, N.W.A., Kris’s Kross Jermaine Dupri and The Killers.
From Nairobi to New York, Kool & the Gang has performed continuously longer than any R&B group in history with their bulletproof funk and jazzy arrangements. Until he retired in August 2023, Brown toured with Kool & the Gang entertaining fans around the globe with his timeless hits and amazing live performances.
Kool & the Gang accolades and honors include a BET Soul Train Lifetime Achievement Award, a star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame, induction into the New Jersey Hall of Fame with a street named in their honor, and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Brown produced the group’s new album
After a decade-long hiatus from making new music, the band released People Just Want To Have Fun which Brown produced.
George Brown also released his memoir in 2023, “Too Hot: Kool & The Gang And Me.”
Brown is survived by his wife Hanh Brown and his children Dorian Melvin Brown, Jorge Lewis Brown, Gregory Brown, Jordan Xuan Clarence Brown, Aaron Tien Joseph Brown
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his honor to the Lung Cancer Foundation of America.
source: sujata murthy – umusic.com
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