Hollywood Swinging - Kool & The Gang (1974) 10/30/22

How many of us have ever gone to a concert and been inspired to become a musician? Or at least, gave it some thought?

Whether or not you followed through is not my point today--it's the feeling itself and the desire.

Once in a while, someone DOES follow through...and sometimes, against all odds, they succeed.

Case in point: Robert and Ronald Bell. When they were young, the brothers religiously attended concerts by John Coltrane and other jazz artists, and when they got older, they formed a jazz/funk band of their own, naming it after Robert's nickname: "Kool."

Kool & The Gang released a BUNCH of "Great Songs" over the years, including a song about going to concerts and being inspired to join a band!

1974's "Hollywood Swinging" is a funk masterpiece, with an autobiographical vocal by the Gang's keyboard player Ricky Westfield.

The song topped Billboard's R&B Chart and reached #6 on the Hot 100. It also sold more than a million copies.

No word on how many musicians might have been inspired

Hollywood Swinging" by Kool & The Gang: a "Great Song of 1974!"