Ravinia 2026 Issue 5

BOOGIE of the LAYING A VITAL PART of one of the greatest musical stories ever told is a blessing. But being the last man standing to tell that story comes with its share of sadness. It’s that sadness that Robert “Kool” Bell carries with him these days. “I’ll be years old this year, and I’ll try to make it to years old,” the mu- sician, singer, songwriter, and founding member of the iconic band Kool & the Gang says with a laugh from his home in Florida. “We were called the Mag- ni cent Seven, and I’m the last of the original seven. And our show is dedicat- ed to them.” Indeed, it was the original seven— Robert, his brother Ronald Bell, drum- mer George “Funky” Brown, keyboardist Ricky West eld, guitarist Charles Smith, trumpet player Robert “Spike” Mickens, and alto saxophonist Dennis “Dee Tee” omas—that laid the groundwork for the band that would be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in . Nevertheless, as Bell preps to take the Ravinia Festival stage on August , he refuses to get too comfortable in the sadness of having endured the loss of those original members. at’s because, frankly, there is too much to celebrate. Kool & the Gang stands as one of the most successful bands of our time—sell- ing over million albums worldwide and amassing top- R&B hits and nine top- pop hits. ey have been honored with two Grammy Awards and were even recognized with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in . And the beautiful thing is that the story of Kool & the Gang is far from ending, as Bell now nds himself on stage with music makers such as key- board player Curtis “Fitz” Williams and lead vocalist/guitarist Shawn “Shawny Mac” McQuiller who have more than put the time into the legacy that is Kool & the Gang. “All those guys have dealt with me for the longest,” Bell laughs. “I’ve had guys that have been with me for years. But between McQuiller, who’s the lead singer for many years now, and Walt Anderson, who’s also one of my lead singers, and then we got Rick Marcel— they are all part of what I now call the Magni cent Ten.” Certainly, before anyone can under- stand their ending, one must re ect on their beginning. And at the center of Bell’s earliest memories was the time he spent alongside his late brother Ronald. “My brother and I used to take these paint cans and play them like they were bongos,” he remembers quietly. “We used to sit in this little area at the school in town and we would play those cans. I’d see how much paint was in the bot- tom, and that determined what type of tone you got.” And from there, they graduated, musically speaking. “We le Youngstown, OH, and got actual bongos, and then we moved on,” Bell remembers of the brothers’ instru- mental evolution. “My brother got the saxophone, and then I became a bass player. And the rest is history.” But make no mistake—Bell was no ordinary bass player. “I learned how to play one song called ‘Coming Home, Baby’ on one string,” Bell says. “And that was the be- ginning. at’s when I saw it and I went on to learn how to play the bass guitar. A lot of bass players are very fancy. Some play six strings, some play eight strings. I’m pretty basic.” A er the Bell family relocated to Jer- sey City, NJ, the brothers started playing music with some neighborhood friends, with the band o cially coming together in . RAVINIA.ORG • RAVINIAMAGAZINE 7