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 manufactured from oil drums. Considered both an inspired and novelty act, Coleman developed a unique percussion 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 in 1968 and it remains in print.
[....] Coleman....began his career by accompanying local musicians on piano, including Sammy Davis Jr. In the 1940s, in Houston, 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 drum kit 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; another 15 years were spent in San Antonio 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 Arhoolie Records; 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. (Read more at Wikipedia)
Links To Peel[]
Peel discovered George Coleman's only album either through his interest in the Arhoolie Records catalogue or by reading a positive review of the record in a 1969 issue of Rolling Stone magazine. It brought Coleman to the attention of a wider audience, but he wasn't interested in a commercial music career and continued to perform locally until illness forced him to stop performing.
If his album, or the track mentioned above, did become an "underground classic...in England", then it may have been due to Peel, as there were few other possible sources of UK radio exposure for unusual, one-off artists like "Bongo Joe" Coleman. JP was still playing tracks from the album twenty years after its original release.
Festive Fifty Entries[]
- None
Sessions[]
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Other Shows Played[]
Listen at That Bull
- 28 November 1988: I Wish I Could Sing (album - Bongo Joe) Arhoolie
- 23 January 1989: Listen At That Bull (LP - Bongo Joe) Arhoolie
- 31 January 1989 (Radio Bremen): Listen At That Bull (album - Bongo Joe) Arhoolie
- 10 June 1995: Eloise (CD-Bongo Joe) Arhoolie