George ‘Funky’ Brown of Kool & The Gang Dies at 74

Written By Mike Greenblatt

PHOTO CREDIT: KTFA Entertainment

They called him Funky. George Brown started Kool & The Gang in 1964 Jersey City with brothers Ronald and Robert “Kool” Bell and neighborhood  friends Spike Mickens, Dee Tee Thomas, Ricky Westfield and Charles Smith, as a jazz-pop-funk-soul collective. By the time of their 1969 self-titled debut album, they were opening shows for Richard Pryor and Bill Cosby. Brown passed away November 16 in Los Angeles at the age of 74. He had struggled with cancer for years, quitting the road recently. Brown drummed until 1998 when he switched to keyboards. He co-wrote such band favorites as “Ladies Night,” Get Down On It,” Fresh,” “Celebration,” “Too Hot,” “Jungle Boogie” and “Joanne.”

The band’s farewell came on social  media:  “dear brother, co-founder and the funkiest drummer the world has ever seen…his beautiful soul is now at rest. We love you, George. Thank you for giving us the sound of happiness.” His memoir, Too Hot: Kool & The Gang and Me, came out earlier this year.

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Mike Greenblatt

MIKE GREENBLATT has been writing for Goldmine magazine and New Jersey's Aquarian Weekly for more than 35 years. His writing subjects fill the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

He's interviewed Joe Cocker, Graham Nash, David Crosby, Carlos Santana, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Johnny Cash, and members of The Rolling Stones and The Beatles. He was 18 when he attended Woodstock in 1969.

In addition to writing about music, Greenblatt has worked on publicity campaigns for The Animals, Pat Benatar, Johnny Winter, Tommy James and Richard Branson, among others. He is currently the editor of The Jersey Sound.

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