Ronald Nathan Bell (November 1, 1951 – September 9, 2020), also known as Khalis Bayyan,[1] was an American composer, singer, songwriter, arranger, producer, saxophonist and co-founding member of Kool & the Gang.

[7] Training in Elwood, New York, he hung out with jazz players and became friends with Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk,[8][9] who lived in the same apartment building as the elder Bell.

In 1964, the brothers joined neighborhood friends Spike Mickens, Dennis Thomas, Ricky Westfield, George Brown, and Charles Smith to create a distinctive musical blend of jazz, soul, and funk.

[13] Ronald Bell composed, arranged, produced and performed some of the most popular music in Kool and the Gang's body of work.

He wrote and produced many of the Kool & the Gang's songs, including "Celebration", "Cherish", "Jungle Boogie", "Summer Madness", and "Open Sesame".