KOOL & THE GANG - AUTOGRAPHED SIGNED PHOTOGRAPH CO-SIGNED BY: KOOL & THE GANG (ROBERT "KOOL" BELL), KOOL & THE GANG (CURTIS WILLIAMS), KOOL & THE GANG (DENNIS "DEE TEE" THOMAS) - HFSID 199697

KOOL & THE GANG: ROBERT "KOOL" BELL, CURTIS WILLIAMS and DENNIS "DEE TEE" THOMAS. Photograph signed: "Love,/Curtis Williams", "Forever Love/Robert 'Kool' Bell/Kool & the Gang/88'" and "Love Always/'Dee.Tee'". B/w, 9¾x8 overall, image 9x5 (one surface). PolyGram Records publicity photograph by Roberto Rabanne. Captioned at lower margin. Vocalist and bassist ROBERT 'KOOL' BELL and his brother, Ronald (aka Khalis Bayyan), founded the Jazziacs in 1964 with alto saxophonist DENNIS "DEE TEE" THOMAS as well as drummer "Funky" George Brown, trombone player Clifford Adams, guitarists Charles Smith and Woody Sparrow, keyboard player Ricky West and trumpeter Robert "Spike" Michens. After first changing their name to the Soul Town Band, the group became "Kool & the Gang" after a Greenwich Village club owner mistakenly billed them as "Kool & the Flames". Although Kool & the Gang began recording in 1971, they didn't have their first Top 40 hit, "Funky Stuff", until 1973. They would later hit the Top 10 with "Jungle Boogie" and "Hollywood Swinging" and chart on the Top 40 with "Higher Plane" and "Spirit of the Boogie". After winning a 1978 Grammy Award for "Open Sesame", which appeared on the soundtrack for Saturday Night Live, Kool & the Gang released Celebrate! (1980), which featured their only No. 1 hit, "Celebration". Although they had several other hits, including "Joanna", "Cherish", "Misled" and "Fresh" and released seven consecutive gold or platinum albums, their popularity diminished with the departure of vocalist James "J.T." Taylor, who had joined Kool & the Gang in 1979. In 1986, Taylor was replaced by three vocalists, including Skip Martin, Odeen Mays and Gary Brown (who are pictured on this photograph). CURTIS WILLIAMS also joined the group in 1986. Guitarist Charles Smith (born in 1948) died in June 2006. Minor surface stains (not evident head on). Black mark at lower right corner. Fine condition.