Bell was born in
Youngstown, Ohio, to Aminah Bayyan (1932–2014) and Robert "Bobby" Bell (1929–1985). His father was a professional boxer and
Golden Gloves amateur boxing winner. Training in
Elwood, New York, Bobby Bell had hung out with
jazz players and became friends with
Miles Davis and
Thelonious Monk, who lived in the same apartment building as he did. Ronald Bell and his brother,
Robert "Kool" Bell, were introduced to jazz at around five or six. The family moved to
Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1960. 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. 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 Kool & the Gang in 1968. ==Career==