How you can help this NJ band get into the Rock Hall of Fame

These are the 2024 nominees for inclusion in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame:

🎶 Peter Frampton

🎶 Sinead O'Connor

🎶 Jane's Addiction

🎶 Oasis

🎶 Sade

🎶 Kool & the Gang

🎶 Mary J. Blige

🎶 Ozzy Osbourne

🎶 Lenny Kravitz

🎶 Mariah Carey

🎶 Cher

🎶 Dave Matthews Band

🎶 A Tribe Called Quest

🎶 Eric B. and Rakim

🎶 Foreigner

Of all those, only one is from New Jersey. That’s the legendary Kool & the Gang.

Yes, I said legendary.

Did you know it’s been a 60-year “Celebration” of R&B, funk, disco and soul? They’ve been at it since 1964 and officially as Kool & the Gang since 1969. They’ve been “Too Hot” for so long and they’re still going strong. They’re performing in California and Las Vegas and then internationally in the next few months.

The band formed in 1964 in Jersey City when seven friends from school got together to perform as an instrumental jazz and soul group called the Jazziacs. Robert “Kool” Bell was one of them.

They went through other names like The Soul Town Band and the New Dimensions before becoming Kool & the Gang in 1969. Lots of personnel changes over the years and some style adjustments as well.

They’ve had 12 Top 10 hits according to Billboard including “Fresh,” “Ladies Night,” “Joanna,” and “Jungle Boogie.” Only once did they have a number one hit which was “Celebration” and that remained on the charts for a whopping 30 weeks. Is there a single wedding reception you’ve been to where it wasn’t played?

After 32 songs on Billboard’s Hot 100 and more than half a century of making music this is the first time they’ve been nominated by the Rock Hall. They face some stiff competition, so if you’d like to see these guys from Jersey make it in did you know you can help?

You can vote. Here’s the link.

You have until April 26 and get this. You can vote every single day, once a day, for up to 7 nominees. It’s in the rules. So it’s no joke when I say vote and vote often if you’d like see this incredible band from Jersey get the recognition.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.

You can now listen to Deminski & Doyle — On Demand! Hear New Jersey’s favorite afternoon radio show any day of the week. Download the Deminski & Doyle show wherever you get podcasts, on our free app, or listen right now.

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