Ronald Bell

The family moved to Jersey City, New Jersey in 1960. In 1964, the young Ronald Bell and his brother, Robert "Kool" Bell joined neighborhood friends Spike Mickens, Dennis Thomas, Ricky Westfield, George Brown, and Charles Smith to create a unique musical blend of jazz, soul and funk. At first calling themselves "The Jazziacs", the band went through various name changes-- "The New Dimensions", "The Soul Town Band", and "Kool & the Flames" before settling on their famous moniker, Kool & the Gang. Kool & the Gang officially launched in 1969 and is known today as true Funk, Soul, and R&B legends.

Ronald Nathan Bell a.k.a. Khalis Bayyan, (born November 1, 1951) is an American composer, singer, songwriter, arranger, producer, and co-founding member of Kool & the Gang. He is also the father of singer Rachid "Rasalus" Bell, who often performs under the stage name Ra.

He was born Ronald Bell in Youngstown, Ohio, United States) to Aminah Bayyan (1932–2014) and Robert "Bobby" Bell (1929–1985) a professional boxer and former golden gloves amateur boxing winner, who traveled extensively on the boxing circuit throughout the 1950s and 1960s. In the segregated South, black musical acts and boxers on tour would often find themselves in the same accommodations, town after town, and Bobby would often bring home his jazz friends' recordings. It was during those years on the road that Bobby became buddies with Miles Davis, and a roommate to Thelonious Monk.