George “Funky” Brown Dies: Kool & The Gang Drummer & Songwriter Was 74

Greg Evans
·2 min read
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George “Funky” Brown, the drummer, founding member and one of the main songwriters of pop-R&B group Kool & The Gang, died in Los Angeles last night following a battle with lung cancer. He was 74.

Brown, along with Robert “Kool” Bell on bass, his brother Ronald Bell on tenor and lead vocalist James “J.T.” Taylor, was one of the songwriters in a band with such hits as “Jungle Boogie,” “Hollywood Swinging,” “Celebration,” and “Get Down on It.”

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His death was reported by TMZ.

According to an official biography of the drummer-songwriter posted by the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Jersey City, N.J., native had developed an early affinity for jazz drummers Elvin Jones, Art Blakey and Jack DeJohnette when he met neighbor and future Kool & The Gang keyboardist Ricky West. West introduced Brown to the band’s future saxophonist and musical director Ronald Bell and future trumpeter Robert Mickens, and by the mid-1960s they were playing jazz clubs while still in high school.

In 1969 the group, which had performed under various names includes the Jazziacs, became Kool & the Gang and began to develop the blend of jazz, soul, funk, rock and pop music that would become their trademark. The band’s breakthrough came in 1973 with the album Wild and Peaceful, which included the hits “Jungle Boogie” and “Hollywood Swinging.”

Throughout the ’70s and well into the ’80s Kool & the Gang scored a string of hits including “Ladies’ Night,” “Get Down on It,” “Joanna,” “Cherish” and the chart-topping “Celebration.”

The group won a Grammy in 1978 for their work on the soundtrack for Saturday Night Fever, which has sold more than 16 million copies in the U.S. alone. Kool & the Gang’s song “Open Sesame” also was featured in the movie.

In all, Kool & the Gang won two Grammys, seven American Music Awards, and was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame. They sold 7.5 million albums in the U.S. and more than 70 million worldwide. The group also opened for Van Halen on its 2012 tour with original singer David Lee Roth.

The drummer is survived by his wife and five children.

Brown spoke about his cancer battle in an interview with TV station KCAL News just last month.


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