#Kool & the Gang Drummer George Brown Dies at 74

George Brown, the drummer who gave Kool & the Gang its propulsive, infection beats, died on Nov. 16 at age 74 after a battle with cancer.

Brown — whose nickname was “Funky” — was one of seven school friends from Jersey City, New Jersey, who came together in 1964 as an instrumental-only jazz and soul group calling itself the Jazziacs. Other members included Robert “Kool” Bell on bass, his brother Ronald Bell on keyboards and Charles Smith on guitar.

The band went through several name changes, including the New Dimensions, the Soul Town Band and Kool & the Flames, before settling on Kool & the Gang, the name that would become famous worldwide, in 1969. The band signed to De-Lite records and released its first LP, the all-instrumental Kool and the Gang, in 1970. By 1973, the band incorporated emerging disco trends in its sound, cracking the U.S. Top 10 with “Jungle Boogie” in 1973 and “Hollywood Swinging” in 1974.

After a period of decline, they came back in 1979 with top-ten hits “Ladies Night” and “Too Hot,” and the following year reached No. 1 — they’re only song to top the chart — with “Celebration.” Other hits include “Get Down On It,” “Fresh,” “Cherish” and “Joanna.”

The band has won two Grammy Awards, seven American Music Awards and 31 gold and platinum albums to date. Brown’s signature drumming on the early Kool & The Gang recordings has been heavily sampled years later by artists across like the Beastie Boys, Jay-Z, Madonna, Janet Jackson, Cypress Hill, P. Diddy and The Killers.

When asked to describe his music, Brown — who released a memoir this year entitled Too Hot: Kool & the Gang and Me — always replied: “It’s the sound of happiness.”

Brown is survived by his wife Hanh Brown and his children Dorian Melvin BrownJorge Lewis Brown, Gregory Brown, Jordan Xuan Clarence Brown and Aaron Tien Joseph Brown. Donations can be made in his honor to the Lung Cancer Foundation of America.