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George Brown, a founding member of Kool & The Gang, died after battling cancer
“George Brown, co-founder, drummer, songwriter of Kool & The Gang best known for the worldwide hits ‘Ladies Night,’ ‘Get Down on It,’ ‘Fresh,’ ‘Celebration,’ ‘Too Hot,’ ‘Jungle Boogie,’ ‘Joanna,’ died November 16, 2023, in Los Angeles, CA after a battle with cancer.
In a statement his family said, “We lost our beloved husband and father, Kool & The Gang founding member George Brown last night. He passed away peacefully at Long Beach Memorial Hospital surrounded by family. His incredible talent and presence will be greatly missed and never forgotten.”
In 1964, Brown joined Ricky Westfield, Ronald Bell, Robert “Kool” Bell, Spike Mickens, Dennis Thomas and Charles Smith to create a combination of jazz and funk music.
By 1969, the group had settled on the name Kool & The Gang and officially became a band.
Along with drumming, Brown co-wrote a handful of songs including, “Ladies Night,” “Too Hot,” “Jungle Boogie,” “Summer Madness,” “Open Sesame,” “Celebration” and “Cherish” among others.
“When asked to describe his music, Brown always replied with it’s ‘The sound of happiness,'” the press release stated.
Throughout Brown’s career with Kool & The Gang, the band received two Grammy Awards, seven American Music Awards and 31 gold and platinum albums. The group’s music has also been an inspiration to other artists, even in different genres.
The Beastie Boys, Madonna, Jay-Z, Janet Jackson, N.W.A. and The Killers are just a few of the bands and artists who have sampled the R&B group’s songs.
Brown is survived by his wife Hanh Brown and his children Dorian Melvin Brown, Jorge Lewis Brown, Gregory Brown, Jordan Xuan Clarence Brown and Aaron Tien Joseph Brown.
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