Kool & the Gang is an American R&B/funk band formed in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1964 by brothers Robert "Kool" Bell and Ronald Bell, with Dennis "Dee Tee" Thomas, Robert "Spike" Mickens, Charles Smith, George Brown, and Ricky West. They have undergone numerous changes in personnel and have explored many musical styles throughout their history, including jazz, soul, funk, rock, and pop music. The band's first mainstream success came with the release of their fourth album Wild and Peaceful (1973), which contains 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! (1980), and Emergency (1984), their highest selling album with two million copies sold in the US. Their hit singles during the period include "Ladies' Night", the US No. 1 "Celebration", "Get Down on It", "Joanna", "Misled", and "Cherish". The band's discography includes 23 studio albums and almost 70 singles. They have sold 7.5 million and 4.5 million RIAA-certified albums and singles, respectively, in the US and they've have sold 70 million albums worldwide.
History with the Macy's Parade[]
Kool & The Gang made their parade debut at the 1981 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. They took a ride on The Lunar Moth float and performed their powerhouse hits "Celebration" and "Take my Heart".
The groovy gang would make their second appearance at the 1999 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, doing a reprise performance of "Celebration" on Jell-O's "World of Wiggle" float.
For their third time at the 2003 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, the music legends performed yet another famous hit titled "Jungle Boogie" on Animal Planet's "Amazing Creatures of the Wild" float.