Kool And Pointer Sisters Make Greatest Gang

Pointer Sisters Ruth, Anita and Ruth’s daughter Issa, share the stage with the best American jazz-R&B-soul-funk and disco band the world has ever seen, Kool & the Gang.

[Entertainment: Music]

I admit “I’m So Excited” and “Yes, We Can Can” “Jump” “Break Out” and beat a path to Lehman Center for the Performing Arts, located on the campus of Lehman College at 250 Bedford Park Boulevard West, in the Bronx, to purchase tickets for the hottest playbill in town.

This will be a night to “Cherish” because the audience will be treated to not one but two superb and spectacularly talented groups, Valentine’s Day, February 14th, when Pointer Sisters Ruth, Anita and Ruth’s daughter Issa, share the stage with the best American jazz-R&B-soul-funk and disco band the world has ever seen, Kool & the Gang.

According to Ruth Pointer and Robert “Kool” Bell, if you want to have a good time, make certain you join them at their concert “Celebration.” The two performers promise to keep lovers, families, and their devoted and loyal fans rocking in the aisles and doing the “Neutron Dance.” The Bronx rarely gets the opportunity to see such electrifying performers as The Pointer Sisters and Kool & the Gang sharing the same stage. Thus, fans should rush to the box office and just “Let The Music Take Your Mind.”

“Although the Pointer Sisters aren’t singing anything new for the Lehman Center show, we plan to sing our typical hits from the ‘70s and ‘80s which audiences always seem to love and are songs we love to do,” said Ruth, who with her sisters closed out 2008 with sold out performances in Las Vegas and Atlantic City. Also, The Pointer Sisters recently re-recorded some of their greatest hits on a CD entitled “Pointer Sister Favorites.”

“We will be doing many of our standards but also some of our newer songs from our latest recording, “Still Kool,” claimed the cool Kool Bell, whose staying power as Kool & the Gang will span 40 years in July 2009. “We will be singing our single “Stepping Into Love,” at Lehman which we think is appropriate for Valentine’s Day,” remarked the Gangs’ originator.

Born in Youngstown, Ohio, Kool grew up in New Jersey with his brother, songwriter and fellow band member, Ronald Bell. And while this is not the first time Kool and the Gang performed with the Pointer Sisters, it is the first time they will appear together at Lehman Center of the Performing Arts. Both Robert “Kool” Bell and Ruth Pointer spoke of their deep respect for each other’s artistry and the enjoyment they experience when performing together since both groups are very comfortable in all categories of music. “Kool and the Gang are really fun people,” remarked the vintage clothes trendsetting Pointer Sister. “Besides, who doesn’t love the music of Kool & the Gang. They are one of the best instrumental bands in the world.”

“I love working with the Pointer Sisters. I have worked with them a few times over the years and I expect our concert at Lehman Center will prove to be a great Valentine’s Day experience,” claimed Kool whose son Prince Hakim (a producer in his own right) will be performing with Kool at the Lehman Center venue. Entertainment seems to run within the Bell blood since his elder son Muhammad is also part of the entertainment business having worked with such artists as Lil Bow Wow and Toni Braxton.

Originally from Oakland, California, the Pointer Sisters are PKs (Preacher Kids). “Both my mother and father were preachers. As kids, they didn’t allow us to listen to rock ‘n roll music or even dance. When my parents weren’t home, my sisters and I would listen to rock ‘n rock, dance on the piano stool and fix our clothes provocatively. My grandfather would spy on us and then tell on us when my parents returned. My parents punished us then but when we became older my father relented and allowed us to sing music other than church music and even attend dances,” chuckled Ruth, who along with her sisters has sung every genre of music including a smattering of hip hop via their Motown release “Right Rhythm.” They also received wide acclaim within the country music world and are the first African American women to sing at the Grand Ole Opry.

World travelers, both Kool & the Gang and the Pointer Sisters have been well received in the United States and abroad. Award winners, The Pointer Sisters have been nominated 10 times and have won 3 Grammy Awards. They won for Best Country Vocal for Fairytale; Best Vocal Arrangement for “Automatic” and Best Pop Performance By A Group or Duo for “Jump (For Your Love).” Recently, the Pointer Sisters’ song “I’m So Excited” was picked up by Pepsi Cola for a new commercial campaign.

Known for their instrumentals and incredible brass section, the multi-member Kool & the Gang band won Grammy Awards for Saturday Night Fever and Light of Worlds and have sold over 70 million albums throughout the world. They have released 25 Top Ten R&B hits, 9 Top Ten Pop hits and achieved 31 Gold and Platinum albums.

Saturday, February 14th, 8:00 p.m., tickets for the Valentine’s Day Concert with The Pointer Sisters and Kool & the Gang can be purchased by calling the box office at 718-960-8833 (Mon.-Fri., 10AM-5PM and beginning at noon the day of the concert). Interested parties can also go on line at www.LehmanCenter.org for 24 hour access to concert tickets.

Lehman Center for the Performing Arts is accessible by both the No. 4 and D trains. Free Parking is available.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *