Entertainment
KOOL & THE GANG First To Receive the Star in Youngstown (OH) Walk of Fame
A celebration of good times and great honors had taken place on Saturday, July 1st, 2023, for Grammy legends Kool & the Gang as the city of Youngstown Ohio unveiled the very first star saluting the funk greats on the Youngstown Walk of Fame.
Band co-founder/leader Robert “Kool” Bell and his younger brother the late Ronald Khalis Bayyan Bell are Youngstown natives who moved to New Jersey in 1960. The Bell brothers formed their first band, the Jazziacs, four years later – which later became Kool & the Gang in 1968.
Robert “Kool” Bell attended the unveiling of the star with current members of Kool & the Gang as well as family.
“We got our first star here, and we’re hoping the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is next,” Bell shared in an interview with WFMJ-TV. “It’s just good to be back. It’s just good to see so many people and see family here. I have so many memories here.”
Later that day, Kool & the Gang gave a homecoming concert in Youngstown. “It was definitely a party that night,” said Bell. “We played all our hits for our hometown friends!”
Kool & the Gang’s new album, People Want To Have Fun, will be available on July 14th, 2023, for streaming as well as download, CD and vinyl purchase.
MORE FROM ROBERT KOOL BELL
The Kool Kids Foundation, the Bell family non-profit initiative supporting music education for youth, will hold their 4th Annual Golf Tournament Fundraiser on Tuesday, July 11th, 2023 at the Cedar Hill Golf and Country Club, 100 Walnut Street in Livingston, NJ. For more information, go to www.koolkidsfoundation.org