Nahru Lampkin, aka Bongo Man (born 1962), is an American entertainer, musician,
street performer
Street performance or busking is the act of performing in public places for gratuities. In many countries, the rewards are generally in the form of money but other gratuities such as food, drink or gifts may be given. Street performance is pr ...
, and entrepreneur from
Detroit, Michigan.
He has two other jobs, but he is best known as a street performer who plays
conga drums (referred to as bongo drums by his customers)
near the entrance to sporting and other events, while offering rhymed comments to passers-by.
He was born in Michigan in 1962.
Lampkin has been performing his "Bongo Man" act since 1983, when he started at
Fisherman's Wharf in
San Francisco.
He has been performing at the
University of Michigan's Saturday football games for more than 25 years, starting in 1988;
ESPN described him as a "longtime and storied tradition" at Michigan games.
He also performs at
Michigan State University
Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...
games,
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...
games,
and events at
Joe Louis Arena,
Ford Field
Ford Field is a domed American football stadium located in Downtown Detroit. It primarily serves as the home of the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL), as well as the annual Quick Lane Bowl college football bowl game, state champ ...
and
Comerica Park.
Since 1993 he has traveled to perform at the
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year ...
in
Louisville, Kentucky and at
Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras (, ) refers to events of the Carnival celebration, beginning on or after the Christian feasts of the Epiphany (Three Kings Day) and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday, which is known as Shrove Tuesday. is French for "Fat ...
in
New Orleans, Louisiana.
When not performing he drives a taxicab (the "Bongo Man Taxi")
and teaches robotics at YouthVille Detroit.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lampkin, Nahru
Living people
1962 births
Musicians from Detroit