Kool & The Gang – July 4, Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier LiveEvents June 26, 2016 3343 Kool & The Gang Opening Act: The Brooks Kool & The Gang has sold over 70 million albums worldwide and influenced the music of three generations. Thanks to songs like Celebration, Cherish, Jungle Boogie, Summer Madness and Open Sesame, they’ve earned two Grammy Awards, seven American Music Awards, 25 Top Ten R&B hits, nine Top Ten Pop hits, and 31 gold and platinum albums. Kool & The Gang has performed continuously for the past 45 years, longer than any R&B group in history. Their bulletproof funk and tough, jazzy arrangements have also made them the most sampled band of all time. In 1969 Kool & The Gang released their self-titled debut album. It was the introduction to a theme, music is the message, that Kool & The Gang stands by today. The instrumental album was an expression of their deep love of music. It was also an introduction to their signature sound and the fierce horn arrangements created by Khalis, Dee Tee, and Spike. In 1979, Kool & The Gang unveiled a smooth new sound with Ladies Night. Produced by the legendary Pop/Jazz musician Eumir Deodato, it became their first platinum album. The #1 R&B title track also reached #8 at Pop. It was followed by Too Hot (#3 R&B, #5 Pop). The ’80s would see them dominate the mainstream, starting with the double platinum-selling album Celebrate (driven by the international monster hit Celebration, which spent six weeks atop the R&B chart and became a #1 Pop single). The smashes Get Down On It, Take My Heart, Let’s Go Dancing, Joanna, Tonight, Misled, Cherish and Fresh (these last three from the multi-platinum LP Emergency) solidified the group’s international super-stardom. Kool & the Gang landed global commercial endorsements, supported countless charitable causes and were the only American group to participate in Band Aid’s 1984 Do They Know It’s Christmas project for famine victims in Africa. With the explosion of hip-hop in the ’90s, Kool & the Gang’s incredible catalog of grooves made them DJ favorites, and they were second only to R&B icon James Brown as sources of rap-music samples. Kool & The Gang remains one of the most active touring bands, performing hundreds of shows every year. When THE Koolest group in the history of funk lands and prepares for liftoff in Place des Arts, this Festival gets ready for an unbeatable Party! For more information and tickets: www.placedesarts.com 514-842-2112 or 1-866-842-2112 www.montrealjazzfest.com
