Acting

Robert Kool Bell

Robert Earl "Kool" Bell (born October 8, 1950), also known by the name Muhammad Bayyan, is an American musician, singer and songwriter. He is the last surviving founding member of the American R&B, soul, funk and disco band Kool & the Gang. Bell was born in Youngstown, Ohio, to Aminah Bayyan (1932–2014) and Robert "Bobby" Bell (1929–1985). Bell grew up in Jersey City, New Jersey. Growing up, Bell was nicknamed "Kool", due to being "laid back": That's a nickname from the neighborhood I grew up in here in Jersey City. It's a faddish thing and I just happened to take the name Kool 'cause I'm kind of a laid back person. Along with his brother, Ronald Bell, he began playing jazz, and in 1964 they formed a group named The Jazziacs. They began playing at clubs in New York City under a series of different band names before settling on the name Kool & the Gang in 1968. Their debut album, Kool and the Gang, was released the following year. The band's first major hit came in 1973, with "Jungle Boogie", which charted at number four on the Billboard Hot 100. Their first number one hit single was "Spirit of the Boogie", which was released in 1975.