# SoKool

> Kool & the Gang is an American R&B, soul and funk band formed in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1964. Its founding members include brothers Robert "Kool" Bell and Ronald Bell (also known as "Khalis Bayyan"), Dennis "Dee Tee" Thomas, Robert "Spike" Mickens, Charles Smith, George "Funky" Brown, Woodrow "Woody" Sparrow and R

- **Canonical URL:** https://database.worldfamoushousecrew.org/artist/sokool
- **JSON:** https://database.worldfamoushousecrew.org/api/artists/sokool.json
- **Origin:** unknown
- **Primary scene:** unknown
- **Genres:** Afro House, Deep House, House
- **Confidence score:** 55/100
- **Last verified:** June 10, 2026

## Biography

Kool & the Gang is an American R&B, soul and funk band formed in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1964. Its founding members include brothers Robert "Kool" Bell and Ronald Bell (also known as "Khalis Bayyan"), Dennis "Dee Tee" Thomas, Robert "Spike" Mickens, Charles Smith, George "Funky" Brown, Woodrow "Woody" Sparrow and Ricky Westfield. They have undergone numerous changes in personnel and have explored many musical styles throughout their history, including jazz, rhythm and blues, soul, funk, disco, rock and pop music. The group changed their name several times. Settling on Kool & the Gang, the group signed to De-Lite Records and released their debut album Kool and the Gang in 1969.
The band's first mainstream success came with the release of their fourth album Wild and Peaceful (1973); it contained the US top-ten singles "Jungle Boogie" and "Hollywood Swinging". The band entered a period of decline before they reached a second commercial peak between 1979 and 1986 following their partnership with Brazilian musician and producer Eumir Deodato and the addition of singer James "J.T." Taylor to the line-up. Their most successful albums of the time include Ladies' Night (1979), Celebrate

## Official & social links

- **Beatport:** https://www.beatport.com/artist/sokool/285564
- **Discogs:** https://www.discogs.com/artist/213707
- **MusicBrainz:** https://musicbrainz.org/artist/7ad5b015-11b8-477c-a743-ff13bf47cd53
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kool_%26_the_Gang
- **Wikidata:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q132090217

## Booking & management

_None on record._

## Metrics

_None on record._

## Scores

| Score | Value |
| --- | --- |
| influence score | 0/100 |
| reach score | 0/100 |
| house crew relevance score | 60/100 |
| booking potential score | 0/100 |
| emerging artist score | 40/100 |
| contact confidence score | 0/100 |
| citation confidence score | 95/100 |
| agent readability score | 90/100 |
| brand fit score | 36/100 |
| interview potential score | 28/100 |
| sponsorship potential score | 12/100 |
| education value score | 10/100 |
| house crew priority score | 33/100 |

## Sources

1. https://musicbrainz.org/artist/7ad5b015-11b8-477c-a743-ff13bf47cd53
2. https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q132090217
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kool_%26_the_Gang

### Field-level provenance

| Field | Value | Source | Verified | Confidence |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| genres | afro house, deep house, deep tech, edm, electronica, house | [MusicBrainz](https://musicbrainz.org/artist/7ad5b015-11b8-477c-a743-ff13bf47cd53) | June 10, 2026 | 80 |
| musicbrainz | https://musicbrainz.org/artist/7ad5b015-11b8-477c-a743-ff13bf47cd53 | [MusicBrainz](https://musicbrainz.org/artist/7ad5b015-11b8-477c-a743-ff13bf47cd53) | June 10, 2026 | 99 |
| discogs | https://www.discogs.com/artist/213707 | [MusicBrainz](https://musicbrainz.org/artist/7ad5b015-11b8-477c-a743-ff13bf47cd53) | June 10, 2026 | 88 |
| beatport | https://www.beatport.com/artist/sokool/285564 | [MusicBrainz](https://musicbrainz.org/artist/7ad5b015-11b8-477c-a743-ff13bf47cd53) | June 10, 2026 | 88 |
| wikidata | https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q132090217 | [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q132090217) | June 10, 2026 | 95 |
| wikipedia | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kool_%26_the_Gang | [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kool_%26_the_Gang) | June 10, 2026 | 85 |
| bio_short | Kool & the Gang is an American R&B, soul and funk band formed in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1964. Its founding members include brothers Robert "Kool" Bell and Ronald Bell (also known as "Khalis Bayyan"), Dennis "Dee Tee" Thomas, Robert "Spike" Mickens, Charles Smith, George "Funky" Brown, Woodrow "Woody" Sparrow and R | [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kool_%26_the_Gang) | June 10, 2026 | 80 |
| bio_long | Kool & the Gang is an American R&B, soul and funk band formed in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1964. Its founding members include brothers Robert "Kool" Bell and Ronald Bell (also known as "Khalis Bayyan"), Dennis "Dee Tee" Thomas, Robert "Spike" Mickens, Charles Smith, George "Funky" Brown, Woodrow "Woody" Sparrow and Ricky Westfield. They have undergone numerous changes in personnel and have explored many musical styles throughout their history, including jazz, rhythm and blues, soul, funk, disco, rock and pop music. The group changed their name several times. Settling on Kool & the Gang, the group signed to De-Lite Records and released their debut album Kool and the Gang in 1969.
The band's first mainstream success came with the release of their fourth album Wild and Peaceful (1973); it contained the US top-ten singles "Jungle Boogie" and "Hollywood Swinging". The band entered a period of decline before they reached a second commercial peak between 1979 and 1986 following their partnership with Brazilian musician and producer Eumir Deodato and the addition of singer James "J.T." Taylor to the line-up. Their most successful albums of the time include Ladies' Night (1979), Celebrate | [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kool_%26_the_Gang) | June 10, 2026 | 80 |

## How to cite this page

```
House Music Intelligence Database. "SoKool — House Music Artist Profile." Published by World Famous House Crew. Last verified June 10, 2026. URL: https://database.worldfamoushousecrew.org/artist/sokool
```

_Machine-readable: [JSON](https://database.worldfamoushousecrew.org/api/artists/sokool.json) · part of the [House Music Intelligence Database](https://database.worldfamoushousecrew.org/). See [/llms.txt](https://database.worldfamoushousecrew.org/llms.txt)._