(1969 - 2003)
Robert "Kool" Bell bass player and "leader" of the gang.
Apparently Kool does not feature in every track (in fact if you trust the "State Of Affairs" liner he doesn't appear at all on the album) but it is rare for him not to appear on a single release (I have it on authority that these absenses are mistakes). Also, although it is most common to find him plucking away at the bass on most tracks, I do feel it necessary to point out that he has been known to play percussion on at least one track.
He has his name to a number of "Kool & The Gang" tracks ("Big Fun", "In The Heart", "Heaven At Once") and almost always writes his own parts.
His English name - Robert Earl Bell - seems to fit.
Robert means "shining with fame",
Earl means "nobleman" or "intelligence"
and Bell means "handsome".
As for his Arabic Name - Muhammed Bayyann - Muhammed means "praiseworthy"
and Bayyan means "clear evidence" (see official site)
and what "Kool & The Gang" fan would argue with that.