George "Bongo Joe" Coleman (November 28, 1923 – December 19, 1999) was an American street musician who was recognized for performing with a makeshift

drum kit A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...

manufactured from oil drums. Considered both an inspired and novelty act, Coleman developed a unique

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 ...

sound as he toured popular tourist attractions in Texas but preferred to perform on the streets rather than lucrative stage venues. He recorded one album for

Arhoolie Records Arhoolie Records is an American small independent record label run by Chris Strachwitz and is based in El Cerrito, California, United States (it is actually located in Richmond Annex but has an El Cerrito postal address.) The label was founded by ...

in 1968 and it remains in print.

Early life

He was born George Coleman in

Haines City, Florida Haines City is a city in Polk County, Florida, Polk County, Florida, United States. Its population was 13,174 at the 2000 census and 20,535 at the 2010 census. It is the third most populous city in Polk County. It is part of the Lakeland, Florida, ...

, on November 28, 1923. His father died before he was born and his mother died when he was seven. After graduating high school, he lived with his older sister in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

Musical career

Coleman was engaged by the city's

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a majo ...

scene, and began his career by accompanying local musicians on piano, including

Sammy Davis Jr. Samuel George Davis Jr. (December 8, 1925 – May 16, 1990) was an American singer, dancer, actor, comedian, film producer and television director. At age three, Davis began his career in vaudeville with his father Sammy Davis Sr. and the ...

In the 1940s, in

Houston Houston (; ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in Texas, the Southern United States#Major cities, most populous city in the Southern United States, the List of United States cities by population, fourth-most pop ...

, he spent time in bands at a number of locales. Here, for the first time, he played an unconventional percussion instrument – unconventional in that he fabricated a makeshift

out of 55-gallon oil drums. How he developed his drumming technique and tuning over the years resulted in a unique and novel sound. Despite more lucrative offers by established venues, for 15 years, Coleman preferred playing on the streets of

Galveston Galveston ( ) is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a population of 47,743 in 2010, is the county seat of surrounding Gal ...

; another 15 years were spent in

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

where his nickname "Bongo Joe" was originated. The latter city was where Coleman recorded his only album, ''George Coleman: Bongo Joe'', in 1968 with producer Chris Strachwitz of

; his work remains in print to this day. One song from the album, "Innocent Little Doggy", became an underground classic in Texas, as well as in England. A low-profile but well-respected musician, Coleman occasionally participated at more prominent events such as the HemisFair,

New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (commonly called Jazz Fest or Jazzfest) is an annual celebration of local music and culture held at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana. Jazz Fest attracts thousands of vi ...

, and

Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. ( ; born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was an American politician who served as the 38th president of the United States from 1974 to 1977. He was the only president never to have been elected ...

's presidential campaign in 1976. In 1991, he appeared on the

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of ed ...

program ''Almost Live from the Liberty Bar''. Coleman's music career ended abruptly in the early 1990s when he was diagnosed with

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level (hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...

and

kidney disease Kidney disease, or renal disease, technically referred to as nephropathy, is damage to or disease of a kidney. Nephritis is an inflammatory kidney disease and has several types according to the location of the inflammation. Inflammation can ...

. He died on December 19, 1999, age 76. He was referenced in

Gary P. Nunn Gary P. Nunn (born December 4, 1945) is an American country music singer-songwriter. He is best known for writing "London Homesick Blues", which was the theme song for ''Austin City Limits'' from 1977 to 2004 (seasons 2–29). Nunn is also consi ...

's 1984 song "What I Like About Texas".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coleman, Bongo Joe 1923 births 1999 deaths People from Haines City, Florida American street performers American jazz pianists American male pianists 20th-century American drummers American male drummers Jazz musicians from Texas 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians 20th-century American pianists Arhoolie Records artists