According to a Facebook post, Kool & the Gang member and co-founder Dennis “Dee Tee” Thomas passed away on Saturday, August 7, in his sleep in New Jersey.
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The post read, “Dennis was known as the quintessential cool cat in the group, loved for his hip clothes and hats, and his laid-back demeanor. A huge personality while also an extremely private person.”
“Dee Tee was the group’s wardrobe stylist who made sure they always looked fresh. In the band’s early days, Dennis also served as the “budget hawk,” carrying the group’s earnings in a paper bag in the bell of his horn.”
Thomas started Kool & the Gang in 1964, and the ensemble included his friends, Robert Bell, known as Kool, Ronald Bell, Spike Mickens, Ricky Westfield, George Brown, and Charles Smith.
They were initially called the “Jazziacs,” but then changed the name to Kool & the Gang, coined by Bell.
The band tried different styles of music from soul, funk, jazz, pop, and R&B, before ultimately choosing jazz.
“We learned that we had to simplify, that most simple music will grab a wide part of the audience,” Thomas told The New York Times in 1973, about how he chose the genre of music they’d perform.
“Everybody in the group was a jazz musician at heart, but we knew we had to play R&B to make money.”
“We want to play universal music,” he continued. “We want to lift our audiences up, so they think about what they’ve heard.”
Thomas was born on February 9, 1951, in Orlando, Florida. He and his family moved to Jersey City, New Jersey, when he was two years old. He later moved to the city’s Lafayette section, where he met the other group members.
Kool & the Gang is known for hits such as “Celebration,” “Get Down on It,” and “Jungle Boogie.”
The band was awarded a Grammy in 1978, the decade when their music became the go-to for its upbeat rhythm.
The alto saxophone player, flutist, percussionist, and master of ceremonies’ cause of death is unknown.
