Page 23 - Jackpot Magazine Tunica ~ March, 2024

Kool & the Gang at Pearl River Resort
Legendary group performs at Silverstar Hotel & Casino on March 15
CHOCTAW — Pearl River Resort’s Silver Star Hotel & Casino welcomes Kool & the Gang to Centerstage at 8 p.m. on Saturday, March 15. Tickets start at $35.
Kool & the Gang has influenced the music of three generations and the band has become true recording legends.
Thanks to iconic songs like “Cel- ebration, Cherish,” “Jungle Boogie,” “Summer Madness” and “Open Sesa- me,” Kool & the Gang has earned two Grammy Awards, seven American Mu- sic Awards, 25 Top Ten R&B hits, nine Top Ten Pop hits and 31 gold and plati- num albums.
Their self-titled 1969 debut album introduced their signature instrumen- tal sound and fierce horn arrangements and spawned their first Billboard R&B charted single, “Kool & the Gang.” The album also spawned the R&B charted single “Let the Music Take Your Mind.”
In 1970, they hit with “Funky Man,” “Who’s Gonna Take the Weight,” and “I Want to Take You Higher.”
The band’s stellar reputation grew with each album, but 1973’s gold disc Wild&PeacefultookKool&theGang to another level (#6 R&B, #33 Pop), spurred by the immortal party anthems “Funky Stuff,” “Hollywood Swinging” and the platinum smash “Jungle Boo- gie.” Hits like “Higher Plane” (#1 R&B) and the classic “Summer Madness” (fea- tured on the Grammy-winning movie soundtrack Rocky) followed. In 1979, Kool & the Gang unveiled a smooth new sound with Ladies Night. It became their first platinum album. The #1 R&B title track reached #8 on the pop charts. It was followed by “Too Hot” (#3 R&B, #5 Pop). The ‘80s would see them domi- nate the mainstream, starting with the double platinum-selling album Celebrate (driven by the international monster hit
Kool & the Gang bring the hits to Silver Star’s Centerstage.
“Celebration,” which spent six weeks atop the R&B chart as a #1 Pop single.
The smashes “Get Down On It,” “Take My Heart,” “Let’s Go Dancing,” “Joanna,” “Tonight,” “Misled,” the #1 R&B and #2 Pop giant “Cherish” and the #1 R&B anthem “Fresh” (these last three from the multi- platinum LP Emer- gency) solidified the group’s international stardom. Kool & the Gang landed global commercial endorsements, supported countless charitable causes and were the only American group to participate in Band Aid’s 1984 “Do They Know It’s Christmas” project for famine victims in Africa.
With the explosion of hip-hop in the 90’s, Kool & the Gang’s incredible cata- log of grooves made them DJ favorites. They were second only to R&B icon James Brown as sources of rap music samples.
Today, the group enjoys global fame and recognition and a following that spans generations due in part to the groups widely sampled catalogue. Kool & the Gang’s drum beats, bass, guitar and signature horn lines lace the tracks
of numerous artists including the Beas- tie Boys, Jay-Z, Madonna, Janet Jackson, Cypress Hill, and P. Diddy. Kool & the Gang is the most sampled band in hip- hop by far. Their music is also featured on countless soundtracks.
In 2014, they were honored with a BET Soul Train Lifetime Achievement Award and in October 2015, in the town they sing about in one of their earliest hits,“HollywoodSwinging,”Kool&the Gang was honored to take their place as American musical icons with a star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame.
In 2016, they released a single, “Sexy (Where’d You Get Yours),” which rose to #15 on the Billboard Adult R& B chart. The song signifies a moderniza- tion of Kool & the Gang’s unmistakable sound, down to the dance floor-tailored bass grooves and the perfectly timed horns. It was their first airplay chart hit in a decade.
Visit etix.com to purchase tickets to see Kool & the Gang or buy them through the Pearl River Resort website at pearlriverresort.com, or by calling (866) 44PEARL.
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