Capturing footage in the Gang’s dressing room at Madison Square Garden using the JVC ProHD 790

Traditionally, a Ferro article is one part the person or persons and two parts their involvement or use of technology. This time we have sauntered to the other side of the room and  stared through the “Looking Glass” to bare witness and pay homage to a classic Pop R&B sensation that is all about the artistic performance and less about the technology.

Their stage show is simple by todays standards.  A small lighting console run by their tour manager. The sound is usually supplied by the house.  There are no smoke or laser gimmicks.  No digital multi-tracks dubbing vocals or instrument parts… Just a smoking hot horn section, a few electric guitars and bass.  A ZON bass to be more precise.  Then there is a keyboard player with a modest ensemble of keyboards, a few percussion instruments and a drummer. HOWEVER,  when this band takes the stage, its like the opening ceremony at the Olympics. Its bigger than life and all VERY REAL.  If you assumed that this level of talent would have a back story that is just as big as their performance, you would have assumed correctly.  During the 3 months we were honored to have covered their tour and listened to hours of tales from the past we discovered their journey was just as intense as their love of performing.

If passion is a key to success, it looks like this band and Kool may be around for many more decades…

On stage with Kool before the big show at MSG

“The Giants had just won the Super Bowl, the Knicks were hot again, and there we were;  Madison Square Garden.  I’m talkin’ the Garden!  New York City!” -Robert “Kool” Bell, Kool & the Gang.

In 1960, at the age of 10, Robert Bell moved from Youngstown, Ohio to Jersey City, NJ.  At that time Robert wasn’t thinking about selling out Madison Square Garden.  He wasn’t even thinking about being in a band.  How could he?  He was far more interested in staying safe on the streets and learning about his new home, the concrete jungle.

“I remember when we first moved to Jersey my Mother sent me to the store to get a loaf of bread.  I got to the store and a guy walked right up to me and demanded that I give him all my money.  I told him that my mom had given me this money to buy a loaf of bread. He just laughed, then took my money.  It was right around this time when I realized that I wasn’t in Ohio anymore!  I was either going to survive or be a victim out here.”

“Never forget your roots.” Robert “Kool” Bell gives back to the community at the Boys and Girls Club of Jersey City.

Not only did Robert survive;  he thrived.  Going under the alias of “Kool”,  Mr. Bell quickly learned the ways of the Jersey City streets.  Although Kool kept to the streets, he also had another passion; Music… and soon enough Mr. Bell would learn that this new passion of his might, and ultimately DID, one day bring him to the top of the world.

Kool, accompanied by his brother Kahlis Bell and a few local boys from Jersey City, began hanging out and jamming at talent shows and clubs in the area.  After the boys gained some confidence and recognition, they made their way across the river to Cafe Wa in NYC’s Greenwich Village.  Every Sunday there was a Hootenanny hosted at the cafe, and it was at one of these Hootenannies when Robert’s life would be changed forever.

“I used to fool around on my guitar with this song called “Coming Home Baby” by Herbie Man.  I played the whole song on one string of my guitar.  One night at Cafe Wa I decided I was going to play this extra bass guitar that was lying around, and play this “Coming Home Baby” song.  It was easy, but it was good.  That was the beginning of my career as a bass player.”

ZOOOOOOOM….  fast-forward to Robert’s senior year of High School…

“I didn’t do the whole school thing too much, but at least I finished.  I remember telling my teachers that we were going on tour and that I was going to be a star.  They all basically laughed in my face and said, ‘Good Luck.’ “

Two months later Kool & The Gang released their first record and landed themselves on the nation’s Top 40 list.  The boys from Jersey City had successfully blended R&B, Motown, and Jazz all into one very Kool type of new music, and the people were loving it.  The band got signed by Universal Records (then “Delight Records”) and began making a real name for themselves in New York and New Jersey, and they weren’t stopping there.

Kool & The Gang during the “Ladies Night” days.

In 1979 Kool & The Gang had reached the pinnacle of the industry by receiving Platinum Certification for their album “Ladies Night.”  Once again, they weren’t stopping there. Actually, they were accelerating! By 1984 they went on to release not one, not two, but three more platinum albums, including the 2x Platinum “Emergency” record, which also went Platinum in Canada.  It was official: the “OTHER” boys from Jersey had gone international, in a big way.

Once the 1990’s rolled around, Kool & The Gang decided to expand their touring to all areas of the globe.  Their songs had become so popular that Kool wanted to give back to ALL of the fans.

“Some artists only go to the big cities.  You know, New York, Paris, Rome, places like that.  I love those places, don’t get me wrong, but I wanted to go to Poland, and Germany, and Africa and I wanted to show the fans that they were appreciated.  When you are younger, you read about places in history books and stuff, but when you go there and you experience it, that’s what music is all about.  It’s about new cultures, new languages.  There really is no better feeling than when you are rocking a show in Cuba and there are 200 thousand fans moving with you, rocking with you, appreciating what you do.”

Not only did the fans appreciate Kool & The Gang, perhaps even more so, they were appreciated at a much different level by their peers, musical artists around the world.  The Gang has had HUNDREDS of their songs sampled over the past few decades by names such as LL Cool J, Jay-Z, Wu Tang Clan, Ice Cube, and P. Diddy… just to name a few!  So from humble beginnings in Youngstown, Ohio to sold out stages in Berlin, Germany… Mr. Robert “Kool” Bell has seen it all and done it all, proving that ANYBODY can accomplish ANYTHING if they dream big enough and work hard enough.

“Whatever inspiration I had, I put it all into the music.  You’ve got to have that certain energy, that certain something… that certain drive to make it big.  By the time I was getting out of high school I knew that I was going to make it big and there was really nothing that was ever going to stop that.”

Thanks Kool! It’s always a pleasure, inspiration and adventure working with you.  From all of us at Ferro, much love and respect…

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Snapshot from our interview on Kool’s tour bus