Born Robert Earl Bell on the 8th October 1950 in Youngstown, Ohio USA, he is a Grammy Award-winning songwriter, singer and bass guitarist, best known to the world as the founder of the R&B, soul and funk band Kool & the Gang, which he started with his brother Ronald Bell and several of their mutual friends in the late ‘60s. Some of their most successful songs include “Ladies’ Night” (1979), “Celebration” (1980), “Joanna” (1983), “Fresh” (1984), and “Cherish” (1985), among many others that have also helped the sales of their albums.
Have you ever wondered how rich Robert “Kool” Bell is, as of late 2017? According to authoritative sources, it has been estimated that Bell’s wealth is as high as $6 million, an amount earned through his successful career in the music industry, active since the mid- ‘60s. Since the inception of the Kool & the Gang, the group has released 23 studio albums and has sold more than 70 million album copies globally.
Robert “Kool” Bell Net Worth $6 Million
Robert spent his childhood years in Jersey City, New Jersey and together with his brother became interested in jazz music. Little by little the two started playing together, as they were growing up, and their interest would become wider, so that when Robert turned 13 years, he started the band called the Jazziatics, with Ronald as well as their friends. Just three years later, they changed the name to Kool & the Flames, while in 1969 the band assumed the name Kool & the Gang. Aside from Robert and Ronald, the group comprised Robert Mickens who played trumpet, Dennis Thomas on saxophone, George Brown as the drummer, Charles Smith as the guitarist, and Ricky West on keyboards. In 1969 they received a contract offer from Gene Redd of the recently-formed De-Lite Records, which was accepted, and they immediately started working on their debut album. The self-titled album came out the same year, and peaked at No. 43 on the US R&B chart, and the single of the same name reached No. 19 on the US R&B/Hip-Hop chart. “Kool” Bell’s net worth was now well established.
With their fourth album, the group announced the start of something greater for them in the years to come, since the album “Wild and Peaceful” reached No. 6 on the US R&B chart, and achieved gold status, which increased Robert’s wealth to a large degree. However, they didn’t have much success until the late ‘70s, but the ‘80s decade was theirs as they dominated the R&B scene with such albums as “Ladies’ Night” (1979), which became their first No. 1 album and went platinum, then “Celebrate!” (1980), which also achieved platinum status, followed by “Something Special” (1981) that topped the US R&B chart, and achieved platinum status, and “As One” (1982), “In the Heart” (1983), “Emergency” (1984), their most successful album to date, as it achieved double platinum status in the USA and platinum in Canada, while in the UK it was certified silver, increasing Robert’s wealth to a large degree. From the mid- ‘80s, group’s popularity began to decline, and though they have remained active until the present day, they haven’t had much further success. The group’s last studio album was 2013’s “Kool for the Holidays”, released through ATO Records.
“Kool” was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame in the Performance Arts Category in 2015 as a member of Kool & the Gang.
Regarding his personal life, Robert has been married to Deborah Jones since 1971; the couple has two children together.
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