Rebecca Panico | The Jersey Journal

Some very "kool" Jersey City natives were selected for the New Jersey Hall of Fame last month for their decades-long career in the music industry.

Kool and the Gang, a funk/pop/R&B band that formed in Jersey City nearly half a century ago, will now take its place among other 2015 inductees like Derek Jeter and Jon Stewart.

"It's an honor. It's truly an honor to be an inducted in anything," said Ronald Bell, 63, who plays saxophone for the band.

Brothers Ronald Bell and Robert "Kool" Bell were two of five other founding members of the band: Robert "Spike" Mickens, Dennis "Dee Tee" Thomas, Ricky Westfield, George Brown and Charles Smith. The Gang would go on to sell over 70 million records worldwide, create hits like "Celebration" and have songs like "Jungle Boogie" appear in films like Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction."

Story

Little known is Kool and the Gang's participation in the seminal piece, Hustler's Convention, by Lightnin' Rod-which laid the groundwork for hip hop and gangsta rap.

(Nathan Lane was Joe Lane back in his Prep days..before he went Hollywood)

Kool & the Gang among 5 Hudson nominees for N.J. Hall of Fame
By The Jersey Journal
on April 23, 2015 at 6:33 PM, updated April 23, 2015 at 6:35 PM

Kool & The Gang, the R&B group that got its start in Jersey City and spawned monster hits like "Celebration" and "Jungle Boogie" in the 1970s, is among the finalists to be inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame this year.

The group is one of five nominees from Hudson County and join 45 other possible inductees.
Robert "Kool" Bell, leader and bass player for Kool & The Gang; his brother Ronald, a tenor saxophonist; and Dennis "DeeTee" Thomas, alto saxophonist were all raised in Jersey City and occasionally come back to make appearances. In 2013, the two Bells and Thomas visited Jersey City to mark the 50th anniversary of Kool & The Gang. Thomas called the city "a very groovy joint."

The other Hudson nominees:

Tony Award-winning actor Nathan Lane is a Jersey City native who attended St. Peter's Prep. He is known for his roles in "The Birdcage,''The Producers," "Mouse Hunt,'' ''Guys and Dolls,'' and "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum'' and his recurring roles on "Modern Family" and "The Good Wife". In 2006, Lane received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and in 2008, he was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame.

Comedian Flip Wilson, who died in 1998, was also a Jersey City native. Wilson hosted his own weekly variety series, "The Flip Wilson Show." The series earned Wilson a Golden Globe and two Emmy Awards.

In January 1972, Time magazine featured Wilson's image on their cover and named him "TV's first black superstar."

JJ piece?

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... nj_hall.html#incart_river