A “Celebration” is in order, as Kool & The Gang will drop a new album this summer.
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The Grammy Award-winning duo announced Wednesday (May 3) that they will honor their 60th Anniversary with a collection titled, People Just Wanna Have Fun. The project is scheduled to arrive on July 14.
The 15-song track list will feature band namesake Robert “Kool” Bell and original member George “Funky” Brown. People Just Wanna Have Fun serves as their 34th studio album and will feature their latest release, “Let’s Party” featuring Sha Sha Jones. The Funky-produced project was recorded at his Alley Cat Studio in Woodland Hills, California.
According to Billboard, the album will include some of the last music from Kool’s brother Ronald “Khalis” Bell on the horn and Dennis “D.T.” Thomas – they died in 2020 and 2021, respectively. Shawn McQuiller, Dominique Karen, Lavell Evans, Rick Marcel, Walt Anderson, and rapper Ami Miller & Ole’ will appear to tackle lead vocals.
“You’ve got the funk, the jazzier tracks; we have a few ballads on there,” shared Bell in a recent press release. “Then there are songs that cross over to a pop sort of thing. We go from ’70s, the ’80s, right into now. It’s old school, it’s new school – we kinda captured it all here. With all our music over the years, people have had fun. So I’d say this album just about sums it all up.”
The R&B-funk band hailed from Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1964. Since forming the group, they have experimented with their sound by dipping their toes in disco, rock, pop, soul, and even the blues. It wasn’t until 1973 that they received their first taste of success with their fourth studio album, Wild and Peaceful.
Their 1984 project Emergency received world-renowned praise and sold more than two million copies in the United States. Kool & The Gang have won two Grammys and seven American Music Awards. They are members of the New Jersey Hall of Fame and have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Along with the album, they announced The Kool And The Gang Rock the World Tour. The trek will kick off in Las Vegas on May 5 and will close out in Saratoga, California, in late September.
Kool & the Gang 2023 Tour
May 5 — Las Vegas, NV @ Westgate Resort & Casino
May 6 — Las Vegas, NV @ Westgate Resort & Casino
May 11 — Hampton Beach, NH @ Hampton Beach Casino & Ballroom
May 12 — Westbury, NY @ NYCB Theatre
May 13 — Wallingford, CT @ Toyota Oakdale Theatre
May 14 — Boston, MA @ MGM Music Hall –
May 20 — Leesburg, VA @ Ion Arena
May 27 — San Antonio, TX @ The Majestic Theatre
June 1 — London, UK @ Indigo at The O2
June 3 — Margate, Great Britain @ Dreamland
June 9 — East Molesey, Great Britain @ Hampton Court Palace
June 11 — Cambridge, Great Britain @ Childerley Orchard
June 12 — Plovdiv, Bulgaria @ Ancient Theatre
June 30 — Detroit, MI @ Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre
July 1 — Youngstown, OH @ Youngstown Foundation Amphitheatre
July 2 — Charleston, NC @ Haddad Riverfront Park
July 14 — Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl
July 15 — Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl
July 22 — Corona, NY @ Flushing Meadows Corona Park
September 16 — Mableton, GA @ Mable House Barnes Amphitheater
September 24 — Saratoga, CA @ Mountain Winery
Photo by Echoes/Redferns
