Kool and the Gang's Dennis 'Dee Tee' Thomas dies at 70
The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Monday, December 2, 2024


Kool and the Gang's Dennis 'Dee Tee' Thomas dies at 70
In this file photo taken on June 14, 2018, US musicians Robert 'Kool' Bell (L), James 'JT' Taylor (2L), Ronald Bell (3rd from L) and Dennis Thomas (R) of Kool & The Gang perform onstage during the Songwriters Hall of Fame 49th Annual Induction and Awards Dinner at New York Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City. Dennis "Dee Tee" Thomas, a co-founder of the legendary soul-funk band Kool and the Gang, whose hits included "Celebration," died on August 7, 021 at age 70, the group announced. ANGELA WEISS / AFP.



NEW YORK (AFP).- Dennis "Dee Tee" Thomas, a co-founder of the legendary soul-funk band Kool and the Gang, whose hits included "Celebration," died on Saturday at age 70, the group announced.

Thomas, "beloved husband, father and a co-founder of Kool & the Gang, passed away peacefully in his sleep at the age of 70 in New Jersey," said a Facebook statement from the group.

Another founding member, Ronald Bell, died last year.

"An original member of Kool & the Gang, Dennis was known as the quintessential cool cat in the group, loved for his hip clothes and hats, and his laid-back demeanor," his bandmates wrote.

"Alto saxophone player, flutist, percussionist as well as master of ceremonies at the band's shows," he made his farewell appearance with the group on July 4 at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, the statement added.

Kool and the Gang became a major smash in the 1970s, pumping out hits like "Get down on it," "Jungle Boogie" and "Ladies' Night," with its brassy funk putting it in a class with Earth, Wind and Fire, the Isley Brothers and Sly and the Family Stone.

Brothers Robert and Ronald Bell, along with friends Thomas, Robert Mickens, Charles Smith, George Brown and Ricky Westfield founded the group in 1964 in New Jersey, first under the name the Jazziacs.

The long-running group fused jazz, soul and funk.

Thomas was the group's stylist, the statement said, making 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."

Kool and the Gang was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2018.

It remains a DJ favorite and is heavily sampled especially in the rap world, its tracks appearing in songs by artists including Jay-Z, Nas, NWA, Tupac, The Wu-Tang Clan, Snoop Dogg, A Tribe Called Quest and Busta Rhymes.


© Agence France-Presse










Today's News

August 9, 2021

Hiroshi Sugimoto's Jekyll and Hyde year

Exhibition at Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen pays tribute to Sol LeWitt

The dirndl: a dress for past and present

San Francisco's cyclists cheer a road less traveled. Museums mourn it.

Hang-Up presents 'Game Changers: Renegade Artists Defying Convention'

White Cube opens an exhibition of works by Rachel Kneebone

Hung Liu reflects on migration in de Young's Wilsey Court

Mitchell-Innes & Nash announces the release of "Pope.L, My Kingdom for a Title"

Group show highlights landscape painting, drawing, sculpture and photography

A new welcome to the Art Gallery of New South Wales: First look at transformed civic space in Sydney

Markie Post, 'Night Court' actress, dies at 70

New online exhibition explores humanity of those living with HIV/AIDS

Smithsonian American Art Museum announces new initiative through the American Art Journal

Artists brighten walkway with installation created in collaboration with nature

Luis C Lopez-Morton of Morton Subastas joins Bidsquare's board of directors

The LA Art Show's special summer edition celebrates major success with record sales

Kelton the one-tonne wicker beltie starts Dumfries and Galloway homecoming tour

Cheshire based H&H Classics appoint Nick Bicknell as its Sales & Business Development Manager

Join a living work of art as Uniqlo Tate Play opens at Tate Modern

Cooper Hewitt's Interaction Lab launches seven prototypes to experience the Smithsonian Open Access Collection

Kool and the Gang's Dennis 'Dee Tee' Thomas dies at 70

'Reservation Dogs' uses humor, not magic, to conjure Native culture

Exhibition explores how three artists document changes in nature, culture, and crises

Nach Waxman, founder of a bookstore where foodies flock, dies at 84

IFX brokers review transparent brokers review

How Long does GameStop Take to Refund a Cancelled Order?

CHEAP PAINTING SERVICES IN SINGAPORE




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez
Writer: Ofelia Zurbia Betancourt

Attorneys
Truck Accident Attorneys
Accident Attorneys
Houston Dentist
Abogado de accidentes
สล็อต
สล็อตเว็บตรง
Motorcycle Accident Lawyer

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site Parroquia Natividad del Señor
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful