Robert Earl 'Kool' Bell (born October 8, 1950), also known as Muhammad Bayyan, is an American musician, singer, and songwriter who grew up in Jersey City, New Jersey.
In the Record§
He co-founded Kool & the Gang in Jersey City in 1964 alongside his brother Ronald Bell and five neighborhood friends, all of whom attended Lincoln High School in the city.
As the band's bassist and a driving creative force, he helped build one of the most sampled catalogs in music history, spanning funk, soul, R&B, and pop across six decades.
The section of Maple Street in Jersey City where Bell and his bandmates grew up was officially renamed 'Kool & the Gang Way' in 2016 in their honor.
Sources§
- Wikipedia — Robert "Kool" Bell — link
- Archive research: The Jersey City Sound, 2026
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