Kool & the Gang.Photo: getty
Moments after Kool & the Gang made an appearance at theAmerican Music Awardsafter winning two awards for their 1979 hit “Ladies Night,” the group was elated — and inspired.
“I said, the tag of ‘Ladies Night’ was, ‘Come on, let’s all celebrate. This is your night tonight,'” Robert ‘Kool’ Bell, co-founder of the influential R&B/funk band tells PEOPLE.
His brother Ronald ‘Khalis’ Bell, a co-founder and songwriter, recalls Bell, immediately chimed in: “Well, I got a great idea for a song.”
The working title of this yet-to-be formulated tune was “Celebration.” When the band returned home to New Jersey, Ronald played his idea. “We all said, ‘“That’s a great groove,'” recalls Bell.
“It’s our biggest song, they even played ‘Celebration’ on the Space Station,” says Bell, who spoke with PEOPLE from his home in Orlando (he also has a home in his native New Jersey).
And you can hear it live this year. The timeless group, which released a new albumPerfect Union, and single “Pursuit of Happiness” in August, haslaunched a concert tourthis year, with stops in the U.S. and Europe.
Ronald ‘Khalis’ Bell, whodied in 2020 at age 68, was the key writer of “Celebration,” with contributions from the rest of the band.
“It had that down-home feeling to it, like down in Alabama somewhere, and Grandma and Grandpa sitting on the porch, sitting drinking some Kool-Aid and rocking in their rocking chair,” says Bell.
Robert “Kool” Bell.Roy Rochlin/Getty
“That’s how it was,” he says. “It had that type of groove to it. That’s the story of ‘Celebration.'”
Bell marvels that the song remains so popular after all these years. “It’s a great feeling,” he says, “because you never know what a song is going to do, you know?”
“It’s stood the test of time. It’s a great song,” he adds. “You can’t just go back and do another ‘Celebration.’ We tried. ‘Celebration’ has won this.”
getty
As for a future hit like “Celebration”? “Not a ‘Celebration,'” he says. “Come on. Most played, sold song in the world for over 40 some years.”
Outside of working on new music with his son, Hakim, Bell has his own line of spirits calledLe Kool champagne. Robert, Hakim and another son also head up theKool Kids Foundation,which supports music education in schools and communities.
In addition, Bell and baseball legend Dusty Baker have joined together on a solar energy venture, Kool-Baker Global, that promotes renewable energy in the U.S. and Africa.
Kool & the Gang last year.getty
Bell is looking forward to this coming year and hitting the road again for travel and touring, which had been sidelined due to the pandemic.
“I have a saying right now, and that’s, ‘Hey, hey, hey, what you got to say? Covid go away,” he says, “because we like to play and do great things and see happy faces around the world.”
source: people.com
