Preston Eugene Epps (July 19, 1930 – May 9, 2019) was an American
percussion
A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...
ist.
Career
Epps was born in
Mangum, Oklahoma
Mangum is a city in and county seat of Greer County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 3,010 at the 2010 census. It was originally part of Old Greer County in the Texas panhandle. The community was named for A. S. Mangum, who owned the ...
. He learned to play percussion instruments, including the
bongos
Bongos ( es, bongó) are an Afro-Cuban percussion instrument consisting of a pair of small open bottomed hand drums of different sizes. They are struck with both hands, most commonly in an eight-stroke pattern called ''martillo'' (hammer). The ...
, while he was stationed in
Okinawa
is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi).
Naha is the capital and largest city ...
during the
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
. After his tour of duty he settled in
Southern California
Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...
, playing in
coffee shops
A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non-caf ...
and working odd jobs.
Arthur Laboe, a local
disc jockey
A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music f ...
, signed him to
Original Sound Records
Original Sound is a Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States afte ...
, which released his single "
Bongo Rock
"Bongo Rock" is a rock and roll instrumental written and recorded by Preston Epps. Released as a single in 1959, it charted #14 Pop in the United States and #4 in Canada. In 1973 the Incredible Bongo Band recorded a cover version of "Bongo Rock" ...
" in 1959. The tune became a hit in the U.S., reaching #14 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 that year.
Billboard Singles
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large out-of-home advertising, outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboard ...
Allmusic.com The follow-up, "Bongo Bongo Bongo", reached #78 the following year.
[ Original Sound released a full-length LP in 1960, which reached #35 on the ''Billboard'' 200. However, further bongo-themed singles, including "Bongo in the Congo", "Bongo Rocket", "Bootlace Bongo", "Bongo Boogie", "Flamenco Bongo", "Mr. Bongo", and "Bongo Shuffle", did not result in any further success.
Epps reappeared in 1969 as a bongo player in the film '']Girl in Gold Boots
''Girl in Gold Boots'' is a 1968 crime/drama film about the seedy underworld of go-go dancing, directed by Ted V. Mikels, who also directed ''The Astro-Zombies''. It was Mikels' first movie for his own company, Gemini.
Plot
Michele is a young ...
''. He continued on as a session musician
Session musicians, studio musicians, or backing musicians are musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a ...
in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1973, the Incredible Bongo Band
The Incredible Bongo Band, also known as Michael Viner's Incredible Bongo Band, was a project started in 1972 by Michael Viner, a record artist manager and executive at MGM Records. Viner was called on to supplement the soundtrack to the B-film ' ...
recorded "Bongo Rock" and released it as a single.
Epps continued playing in clubs in Southern California into the 1990s.
Discography w/Billboard chart peak positions
Singles
* Bongo Rock (#14)/Bongo Party—Original Sound
Original Sound is a Los Angeles, California-based record label. It was founded in the early 1950s by KTNQ, KPOP deejay Art Laboe. It began as a small label that specialized in compiling and re-releasing "oldies" R&B and rock 'n' roll songs.
Histor ...
4 -- 1959
* Bongo Bongo Bongo (#78)/Hully Gully Bongo—Original Sound 9 -- 1960
* Bongo Shuffle/Bongo In The Congo—Original Sound 14—1960
* Blue Bongo/Bongola—Top Rank 2067—1960
* Bongo Hop/Caravan—Top Rank 2091—1960
* Bongo Boogie/Flamenco Bongo—Majesty 1300—1960
* Bongo Rocket/Jungle Drums—Original Sound 17—1961
* Rockin' In The Congo/Sing Donna Go—Embassy 203—1961
* Mister Bongos/B'wana Bongos—Donna 1367—1962
* Bongo Express/Flamenco Bongo—Admiral 901—1963
* Bongo Rock '65/Bongo Waltz—Polo 218—1965
* Afro Mania/Love Is The Only Good Thing—Jo Jo 106—1969
Albums
*''Calypso Trinidad'' ("Louis Polliemon and Lord Preston Epps")''—''Crown Records 5301''—'' 1957
References
External links
Preston Epps Interview
NAMM Oral History Library (2013)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Epps, Preston
1930 births
2019 deaths
American session musicians
American percussionists
Top Rank Records artists
Musicians from Oakland, California
Bongo players
category:Original Sound artists