VOLUME Honours Kool & the Gang Co-Founder Ronald ‘Khalis’ Bell

Throughout the weekend, SiriusXM’s VOLUME (Ch. 106) will be remembering Kool & the Gang co-founder, singer, and saxophonist Ronald “Khalis” Bell by rebroadcasting a memorable interview with the iconic soul and funk group, as well as an exclusive conversation with Bell in which he reflects on his career, the forming of Kool & the Gang, and some of the band’s songs. Bell died in his U.S. Virgin Islands home on Wednesday, September 9, at the age of 68.

Ronald “Khalis” Bell founded Kool & the Gang with his brother, Robert “Kool” Bell, and their high school friends Dennis Thomas, Robert Mickens, Charles Smith, George Brown, and Ricky West in 1964. The band rose to prominence several years later, becoming one of the most successful soul and funk acts of the ‘70s and ‘80s with timeless hits including “Celebration,” “Get Down On It,” “Ladies’ Night,” and “Jungle Boogie.” Watch the band’s recent virtual performances of “Get Down On It,” “Ladies’ Night,” and more for SiriusXM’s The Groove (Ch. 50) below.