What Is Robert “Kool” Bell’s Net Worth?
Robert “Kool” Bell (also known as Muhammad Bayyan, his Muslim name) is an American singer-songwriter and bassist who has a net worth of $6 million. Robert “Kool” Bell is best known for being a founding member of the musical group Kool & the Gang. Kool & the Gang perform jazz, soul, funk, disco, and R&B and formed in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1964 under the name The Jazziacs. Kool & the Gang has sold more than 70 million albums worldwide. Their main members have been Robert “Kool” Bell on bass, Ronald Bell on tenor saxophone, James “J.T.” Taylor on lead vocals, George Brown on drums, Dennis Thomas on alto saxophone, Charles Smith on guitar, Larry Gittens on trumpet, Rick Westfield on keyboards, and Mark Blakey on triangle. The group released 26 studio albums between 1969 and 2023, and their most popular and successful singles include “Ladies’ Night,” “Too Hot,” “Celebration,” “Take My Heart (You Can Have It If You Want It),” “Get Down on It,” “Joanna,” “Fresh,” “Cherish,” “Victory,” “Jungle Boogie,” “Hollywood Swinging” and “Higher Plane.” In 1979, they won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year as part of the “Saturday Night Fever” soundtrack. They were also nominated for Best R&B Instrumental Performance for the 1974 album “Light Of Worlds” and Best Inspirational Performance for the 1984 song “You Are the One.”
Early Life
Robert “Kool” Bell was born Robert Earl Bell on October 8, 1950, in Youngstown, Ohio. He is the son of Robert “Bobby” Bell and Aminah Bayyan, who passed away in 1985 and 2014, respectively. Bell was raised in Jersey City, New Jersey, and earned the nickname “Kool” because of his laid back demeanor. Robert and his younger brother, Ronald Bell, formed Kool & the Gang (originally called The Jazziacs) in 1964, and they both converted to Islam in the early ’70s. Sadly, Ronald died in 2020.
Kool & the Gang
After the Bell brothers formed their band, Kool & the Gang released a self-titled album in 1969. Their first three albums did moderately well on the “Billboard” Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, but they didn’t crack the top 10 until 1973’s “Wild and Peaceful.” Their albums “Spirit of the Boogie” (1975), “Love & Understanding” (1976), and “Open Sesame” (1976) also reached the top 10. The 1973 single “Funky Stuff” was the band’s first top 10 hit on the “Billboard” Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, and 1974’s “Hollywood Swinging” was the first to top that chart. In the late ’70s, James “J.T.” Taylor became Kool & the Gang’s lead vocalist, and their first album with Taylor, 1979’s “Ladies’ Night,” reached #13 on the “Billboard” 200 chart and #1 on the “Billboard” Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and was certified Platinum. The album featured the singles “Ladies’ Night” and “Too Hot,” which were top 10 hits on the “Billboard” Hot 100 chart and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart (“Ladies’ Night reached #1 on this chart). In 1980, the band released another Platinum album, “Celebrate!,” which reached #10 on the “Billboard” 200 chart and #2 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The single “Celebration” topped the charts in the U.S., Canada, and New Zealand and was certified Platinum in the U.S. and Canada. Next, Kool & the Gang released the albums “Something Special” (1981) and “As One” (1982). “Something Special” went Platinum and reached #12 on the “Billboard” 200 chart and #1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and “As One” was certified Gold and peaked at #29 on the “Billboard” 200 chart and #5 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. “Take My Heart (You Can Have It If You Want It)” and “Get Down on It” from “Something Special” reached #1 and #4, respectively, on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. “As One” featured two singles that were top 10 hits on that chart, “Big Fun” and “Let’s Go Dancin’ (Ooh La, La, La).”
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The group’s next three albums, “In the Heart” (1983), “Emergency” (1984), and “Forever” (1986), reached the top 10 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. “Emergency” was certified 2× Platinum, while the other two albums went Gold. “Joanna” from “In the Heart” reached #2 on the “Billboard” 200 chart and #1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, as did “Cherish” from “Emergency.” The single “Fresh,” also from “Emergency,” was also a #1 hit on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and three singles from “Forever” reached the top 10 on that chart. In 1984, Kool & the Gang took part in the recording of the charity single “Do They Know It’s Christmas?,” which topped the charts in more than a dozen countries. After Taylor left the band in 1988, Kool & the Gang released their 18th studio album, 1989’s “Sweat,” which was their last album to chart on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart (#52) until 2007’s “Still Kool,” which peaked at #31 on that chart and went Platinum in France. Since then, the band has released the albums “Kool for the Holidays” (2013), “Perfect Union” (2021), and “People Just Wanna Have Fun” (2023).
Personal Life
Robert met Deborah Jones when they were teenagers, and they married in 1971. The couple remained together until Deborah’s death in 2018. Bell has two sons, Mohammed and Hakim. Robert founded the nonprofit organization The Kool Kids Foundation, and he told “New Jersey Stage” in 2022, “My wife came up with the idea of the Kool Kids Foundation. She passed about four years ago, so we continue the work in her honor. My son Hakim is president, my son Muhammad is vice president, I’m the CEO, and everyone else on our team contributes to Kool Kids Foundation.” The organization’s mission is “to create a positive impact in the lives of young children attending underfunded school districts,” and the “It’s Kool To Keep Music Alive in Schools” initiative aims to give “every young musician deserves the opportunity to pursue their dreams.”
Awards and Nominations
Kool & the Gang has earned 11 American Music Award nominations, winning for Favorite Soul/R&B Band/Duo/Group in 1982, 1983, and 1986, Favorite Soul/R&B Band/Duo/Group Video Artist in 1987, and Favorite Soul/R&B Album for “Emergency” in 1986. At the “Soul Train” Awards, they received a nomination for Album of the Year – Group, Duo, or Band for “Forever” in 1987 and the Legend Award in 2014. The group was honored with an Outstanding Achievement Award at the 2003 MOBO Awards and a Golden Camera for Lifetime Achievement at the 2014 Golden Camera Awards. They received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and they have been inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame (2007) and have been announced as 2024 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees. In 2018, Robert was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, along with his brother Ronald and their bandmates James “J.T.” Taylor and George Brown. In 2004, Bell earned a Black Reel Award nomination for Best Song for “Pump It Up” from the “2 Fast 2 Furious” soundtrack.
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