Remembering “Funky” George Brown (of Kool and the Gang)
I don’t do these posts often but it’s not often that someone has an impact both musically and personally. “Funky” George Brown was that for me. Kool and the Gang have been my favorite band since I was 12 and are the study guide and soundtrack to just about everything I do. George was “one of the funkiest drummers to walk this earth” (a quote from Steve Jordan) and without question my greatest inspiration on the drum set.
When I started playing in 2011, trying to transition into something so far-fetched for me at the time came from the way George put his foot in it (literally, for drummers who know) and I just remember wanting to do something like THAT with whatever was next as far as music. FF to 2015, when I started my Red Bull “Give the Drummer Some” column/radio show – of course George was my first interview guest (that interview is still on my website). What I didn’t expect was the advice he gave me in the ensuing years while I was trying to figure out my own career shift. Publishing (😅), songwriting (he wrote many of the band’s biggest hits), drummer health – no more pickup basketball cause you need all 4 limbs, all 20 digits and everything else to make a living lol – and in general how to keep things moving as a musician. Both George and the late great Ronald Bell offered me advice and guidance during some really precarious transition years and it continues to keep me focused today. It was more valuable to me than they’d ever know, and they really didn’t have to offer anything at all.
The music George gave us was more than enough – the type of person he was is what really makes this one sting for me. They say don’t meet your heroes but in this case it was a privilege that continues to push me forward. An immense thank you to the great Mr. George Brown. A peaceful journey.
Read his memoir (“Too Hot”) that was released in July. Bump some Kool and the Gang today. My sincere condolences to his family and the Kool and the Gang organization.
March 4, 2024 @ 9:57 pm
The general!