Click on a time period to find out more:
1961
Claydes’ father purchases a Kay Electric guitar for Claydes at a pawn shop in Newark for $32.00. “Spike”
Mickens and Dennis Thomas meet at P.S. #22 Elementary School in Jersey City. Spike’s older brother, Butch, played guitar in a group called The Five Sounds. Spike takes up his father’s trade and begins playing the trumpet.
1962
Mabel Bell moves to Jersey City in search of factory work to support her boys. Ronald is 11 and two years behind in school. He is in the fourth grade. Robert, age 12, joins a well known Jersey City gang, “The Imperial Lords”. He becomes Tamango, a name he took from the movie Tamango starring Dorothy Dandridge which depicted the life of a notorious African warrior.
Claydes’ father buys him his first jazz guitar recording by Kenny Burrel.
Tamango checks out a violin from the music room at P.S. #22 in Jersey City.
George and Ricky begin playing at small coffee houses in Jersey City.
Tamango returns the violin and checks out the cello from the music room at P.S. #22 in Jersey City.
Tamango returns the cello to the music room at P.S. #22 in Jersey City.
George gets a paper route and begins purchasing a drum set one piece at a time.
Tamango begins playing the bongo and congas with Ronald Samuels and Chico and the Mighty Magnificents at P.S. #22 in Jersey City.
1963
Dennis’
father rents him his first alto sax on a three month rental. Dennis learns to play it in
three months. George invites Ricky to record with Claydes & The Rhythms at a studio
on Broad Street in Newark.
George travels on the #1 local bus with a drum set to the
session. The A side I Can't Go On Without You; the B side I
Can't Go On Without You instrumental version. The session was financed by
Claydes' father for $129. They sold three copies to themselves.
Dennis begins hanging out with a neighborhood big brother type by the name of "Big
Moose". Unbeknownst to his parents Dennis began running with Moose to New
York's Greenwich Village. They played at The Cafe Wha? on "Hootenanny
Night". Big Moose played Congas and Dennis played alto sax. They
performed African jazz songs like Afro Blue. Dennis played with his
mouth piece upside down.
At P.S. #22 in Jersey City, Ronald learns to play the steel drums by listening to Chico and The Mighty Magnificents a group that Dennis and Kool played in.
Ronald walks into a school assembly and Dennis is playing the theme from Clutch
Cargo on alto sax.
Ronald decides to play the sax.
Dennis joins the Five Sounds, Spike's older brother's group.
Ronald begins playing with Chico and The Mighty Magnificents.
Dennis is eighth grade Valedictorian at his graduation from P.S. #22 in Jersey City.
While walking through the hallway of Lincoln High School, Claydes spots George who he has heard is a drummer. He approaches George to play with his group "Claydes and the Rhythms".
Buddy Mays, Spikes' sister's fiancée, lived across the street from Ricky and George on Storms Avenue. Buddy, a jazz enthusiast, was host to Ricky and George on many an afternoon listening to jazz recordings in his living room.
Meanwhile at his fiancée's house, Butch was mentor and teacher for Ronald and Spike. Ronald was picking up fingering for the guitar and flute from Butch. Ronald took the flute home to practice.
Dennis, Butch's fellow band member came to the house to pick up the flute which Ronald forgot to bring back. This was Ronald's first face to face meeting with the Cool Cat who inspired him to play.
Dennis only word's were "Get the flute man".
Buddy knew that his fiancée's little brother Spike and his friend Ronald were looking for a rhythm section to form a group. Buddy introduced the four and they formed the group The Five Sounds Jr. even though there were only four members: a tribute to the group that inspired them. They begin playing at The Coffee House at St. John's Church on Summit Avenue in Jersey City.
1964
The Five Sounds, the senior group was playing in Greenwich Village at the Cafe Wha? When the Five Sounds Jr. showed up at the same venue, the senior group was not amused.
The Five Sounds Jr. changed their name to The Jazz Birds.
In exchange for sandwiches and exposure, the Jazz Birds began performing in Greenwich Village at the legendary club Cafe Wha? There they performed alongside rising stars Bill Cosby, Richie Havens and Richard Pryor.
Claydes , unable to convince his parents to allow him to travel to New York to play with The Jazz Birds, worked a series of jobs from milkman to mailman.
Claydes and Dennis meet in English class at Lincoln High School in Jersey City.
Ronald, considers an alliance with The Adventurers (formally the Imperial Lords) for survival’s sake. He accompanies his brother on a night out with the “gang”. He and Kool don their sweaters with giant A’s and set out for a party ‘up on the hill’. They were ambushed by the rival gang. Ronald is chased home by a guy with a hatchet. Once back on their own turf the Adventures find the snitch who tipped off the rival gang to their whereabouts and removed a piece of his nose with a straight razor.
Ronald declines all future gang invitations.
The Jazz Birds appear at amateur night at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. Gloria Lynn is the headline act. The Jazz Birds come in second place in the amateur competition.
Ronald invites Robert to the Cafe Wha? Ronald borrows a base guitar from someone in the audience. He tells Robert, a cello player in school, to play the E note on Ben Tucker’s "Coming Home Baby". Robert is saved by the groove. He drops Tamango and The Imperial Lords and decides to chill with the band. Tamango was a hot headed roughneck so he wanted his new name to reflect his newfound cool side. Jersey City was full of Cool’s but he was the only "Kool".
By the end of the year The Jazz Birds change their name to The Jazziacs.
1965
In his parents kitchen Claydes hears West Montgomery’s “Going Out Of My Head” on the radio. He freezes in his tracks.
George is approached in study hall at Lincoln High School by Claydes who tells him he knows a man who needs a band to back up a Motown/Staxs revue. George tells his good friend and neighbor Ricky. Ricky and fellow Jazziacs Ronald, Spike, George and Kool join Claydes to become The Soul Town Band with the Soul Town Revue.
Spike is adamantly opposed to selling out to popular music.
Dennis leaves the Five Sounds and joins The Soul Town Band who have a slamming horn section.
Because they were too young to drive, George carted his drums in a shopping cart, traveling 14 miles or more to get home from gigs.
Claydes leaves high school after two years.
1966
Claydes, who has a job at Can Do, a government program for community development, meets a prominent Jersey City businessman, Tom Paketas. Tom encourages the group to meet influential politicians. Tom gave them rehearsal space in one of his properties at the Junction in Jersey City.
1967
Claydes drives an oil truck. The truck moves around horribly when full of oil. He leaves for a job at a box factory. He lasted three months.
Ronald also takes a job at the box factory, he lasts two weeks. It was his first and last "day job"
Ronald Bell with Mabel (mother)
at P.S 22 Graduation 8th grade, Jersey City, NJ
1968
The Soul Town Band develops their own following apart from the revue. They change their name to Kool & The Flames.
Walter Foster, a bus driver for James Brown, had an important audition with Gene Redd of Redd Coach Records in New York. He hired Kool & The Flames to play back up for his audition. They played back up for Walter on Cold Sweat and Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay.
Kool & The Flames walked away with their first recording contract with Redd Coach.
Walter Foster did not. He continued to drive the bus for James Brown.
1969
Kool & The Flames play the Cheeta Club in NYC. Wille Fester & The Mighty Magnificents feat Skip, Sonny & The Pace Brothers turned the show out.
Kool & the Flames decide to add choreography to their act.
Kool, Ronald, Claydes, George, Dennis, Spike and Ricky record their first album for Gene Redd on Redd Coach Records. To avoid any confusion with James Brown’s "Famous Flames" they decided to make their recording debut as Kool & The Gang. The album spawned their first Billboard R&B charted single Kool and the Gang and later Let The Music Take Your Mind.
Redd Coach signs the group over to De Lite Records.
Under the careful tutelage of Gene Redd, Kool & The Gang developed a dynamic performance style.
De Lite was located on 56th and 8th Avenue in NYC. George Clinton of The Parliaments lived across the street on 56th and 8th. Ronald and Dennis run into George one day. He has shaved the moon and stars into his afro. He tells them about a concept he is working on - Parliament & The Funkadelics.
Kool & The Gang decide to add costumes to their act. Ronald dons a psychedelic wig. He becomes Funky Man.
Claydes daughter was born
1970
 Jinx, a small time drug dealer and patron of the arts gave the group free space in his basement to rehearse. One day three men came into the basement and start yelling for the guys to stop the music. They are narcotics agents. They question the group. One agent takes a bag of drugs and places it under a pillow in plain sight. Another
agent asks, “If I find any drugs under that pillow, whose gonna take the weight for it?”
Another asks, “If I find any drugs under this couch, who’s gonna take the weight?” No one answers. They handcuff the group and place them on the floor of the basement for seven hours. Everyone who entered the house that day was handcuffed and placed on the floor of the basement. At the end of the night they were taken to Greenville lockup. Gene Redd came to get them out. No charges were pressed.
The next morning at another rehearsal hall, Kool & The Gang collectively wrote Who’s Gonna Take The Weight.
Kool & The Gang’s audacious sophomore set Live At The Sex Machine peaked at #6 on Billboard’s R&B chart. Kool & The Gang’s first live album showcased the group’s musical growth and their lyrical expression of spirituality, unity and the responsibility of mankind. This album produced three hit singles: Funky Man, Who’s Gonna Take The Weight, and I Want To Take You Higher.
George marries.
George has a son.
Ronald Bell has a daughter.
Claydes second child was born.
1971
The Best Of Kool & The Gang Featuring The Penguin
Kool marries.
Kool and Ronald in Greece, 1971
Immediately after Kool’s wedding, Kool & The Gang rush to Manhattan Center in NYC for their first big time professional appearance. They headline with Little Anthony & The Imperials
Kool has a son.
Ronald marries.
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