George “Funky” Brown, Kool & The Gang Drummer and Co-Founder, Dead at 74

Kool & The Gang’s longtime drummer and founding member George “Funky” Brown died on November 16 of lung cancer. He was 74. The super-talented drummer provided the funky backbone for the legendary soul/funk/jazz band's tracks for decades. He was also one of the band’s main songwriters and co-wrote classics such as “Celebration,” “Ladies’ Nights,” “Jungle Boogie,” “Too Hot,” “Summer Madness,” “Get Down On It" and "Cherish." Brown, along with fellow Kool & The Gang members Robert “Kool” Bell, James “J.T.” Taylor and Ronald Bell (aka Khalis Bayyan), was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2018.

George Melvin Brown was born on January 15, 1949 in Jersey City. His father, George Sr., worked in the coal business, and his mother, Eleanor White Brown, was employed as a maid and key puncher. His parents made sure that music was always a big part of his life. Brown developed an interest in drumming at a young age. He saved up money from his newspaper route to buy his first drum set. He paid $3 for a drumming lesson from a drummer who used to play for renowned vocal group the Shirelles. He told Brown that he was a “natural” and gave him the book titled Buddy Rich’s 16 Essential Snare Drum Rudiments. Brown took one more lesson and never returned, as he already had the necessary tools to become a great drummer. He modeled his drumming style after jazz drummers like Art Blakey, Buddy Rich and Elvin Jones.

In 1964, Brown, tenor saxophonist Ronald Bell, trumpeter Robert “Spike” Mickens, keyboardist Rickey West, bassist Robert “Kool” Bell (Ronald’s brother), guitarist Charles Smith and saxophonist Dennis “Dee Tee” Thomas formed the Jazziacs. They were neighborhood friends, and all of them, except for Smith, attended Lincoln High School in Jersey City. The band members were influenced by jazz giants such as Charlie Parker and John Coltrane, so their early sound was very jazz-heavy. They gigged around the East Coast for years honing their chops, developing band chemistry and building a following. 

The band also went through various name changes, including The Funk Town Band, The Soul Machine Review and The New Dimension, before finally settling on Kool & The Gang. By the time they changed their name to Kool & The Gang, their sound had become much more funky and R&B-based; however, there were still strong jazz elements in their music.

The band signed to De-Lite Records in 1969. They released their self-titled debut album on the label in December of that year. The album is a high-quality collection of R&B, funk and soul-jazz tracks. It showcased the band’s formidable musicianship and impressive production and arrangement skills. The album’s two singles, “Let The Music Take Your Mind” and “Kool & The Gang,” both peaked at #19 on Billboard’s R&B singles chart. The LP reached #43 on Billboard’s R&B album chart. The collection served as a great launching pad for the band’s incredible music career.

Kool & The Gang went on to become one of the biggest R&B bands of the ‘70s and ‘80s. They have sold more than 70 million albums worldwide and boast 25 top-10 singles on the R&B charts (including nine #1s) and 12 top-10 singles on the pop charts. The band also has 31 gold and platinum albums and has landed numerous music honors and awards, including two Grammys and seven American Music Awards. In 2014, they were honored with the BET Soul Train Lifetime Achievement Award. And they received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2015. Additionally, Kool & The Gang are the tenth most sampled artist of all time; their music has been sampled 1922 times, according to WhoSampled.com.

George “Funky” Brown's drumming was an essential ingredient of Kool & The Gang's sound, and he has influenced legions of drummers with his tremendous skills and dynamic funk feel. He never failed to deliver the funk, be it in the studio or onstage.

"Let The Music Take Your Mind"

Kool & The Gang performing "Who's Gonna Take The Weight" on Soul Train in 1972

"Funky Stuff"