Kool & the Gang is the name of an American rhythm and blues band, that was formed in New Jersey, in the mid- ‘60s by Robert Bell, his brother Ronald and their friends Robert Mickens, Ricky West, Dennis Thomas, Charles Smith and George Brown. The group has released 23 studio albums so far, and have produced hits such as “Hollywood Swinging” (1973), “Higher Plane” (1974), “Spirit of the Boogie” (1975), “Celebration” (1980), “”Take My Heart (You Can Have It If You Want It)” (1981), “Fresh” (1984), and “Stone Love” (1987), among many others.
Have you ever wondered how much money does Kool & the Gang have? According to authoritative sources, it has been estimated that the overall size of Kool & the Gang’s worth is as high as $20 million, an amount earned through a successful career in the music industry. According to experts in the field, Kool & the Gang have sold more than 70 million albums worldwide.
Kool & the Gang Net Worth $20 Million
What began as a time killer by teenager Robert Bell and his brother Ronald turned into a massive R&B sensation. First named the Jazziatics, the two brothers called several of their school friends to join them in the music enterprise; three years after the initial formation, they changed the name to Kool & the Flames, and then in 1969 assumed the name Kool & the Gang. The same year they received a contract offer from Gene Redd to join his newly formed record label De-Lite Records. The group’s debut album came out the same year, “Kool and the Gang”, and it reached No. 43 on the US R&B chart, while the single of the same name peaked at No. 19 on the US R&B/Hip-Hop chart. Their net worth was established.
The next two albums were mediocre, but then in 1973 the group released its fourth album – “Wild and Peaceful” – which marked the start of the group’s dominance on the R&B scene, reaching No. 6 on the US R&B Chart and achieving gold status. The album that followed, “Light of Worlds” also achieved gold status, increasing the group’s overall wealth. Their first No. 1 album came out in 1979 entitled “Ladies’ Night”, and was also their first platinum album.
They continued in the same way throughout the ‘80s, enjoying massive popularity and increasing the worth of Kool & the Gang by a large margin. Some of their most successful albums include “Celebrate!”, which achieved platinum status in the US and gold in Canada, then “Something Special” (1981), the group’s second No. 1 album, which was also certified platinum in US and gold in Canada, followed by “As One” (1982), “In the Heart” (1983), and “Emergency” in 1984, which became the group’s most successful album commercially, achieving double platinum status in the US, platinum in Canada, and silver in the UK. The album spawned such hits as “Fresh”, “Misled”, “Cherish”, and “Emergency”.
Since then, the group’s popularity has been in constant decline; though they have released eight studio albums since the late ‘80s, none of them have come close in popularity to their releases from the start of the ‘80s. Their most recent album came out in 2013, entitled “Kool for the Holidays” for ATO records.
Four members of the original line-up have been in the band throughout its existence – the brothers Bell, George Brown and Dennis Thomas. Mickens left in 1986, West was out from the group in 1976, while Smith passed away in 2006. Numerous musicians have been part of the group, including such as Michael Ray, who is currently the guitarist in the group, then James “J. T.” Taylor who was the lead singer during band’s popularity streak from 1977 to 1988, and again from 1996 to 2001, and Sennie “Skip” Martin who served as the vocalist from 1998 to 2005.
