Kool & the Gang started out as jazz-loving childhood friends who released their debut album in 1969. Keeping the jazzy horns but tightening up their grooves, they quickly became one of the biggest funk bands during the genre's '70s heyday. Their earliest hits featured brassy hooks that helped them cross over to pop radio while maintaining their R&B credibility. After the disco era, the band evolved further, adding synthesisers and new lead singer James "JT" Taylor for a string of classic Top 10 hits into the mid-'80s.