Besides Sandy Nelson's "Teen Beat," can you name another instrumental rock & roll hit from the '50s that features the drums as its lead instrument? The answer is Preston Epps'"Bongo Rock," which put Epps' frantic bongo-slapping in the Top 15 in 1959. The follow-up single, "Bongo Bongo Bongo," was a minor hit that set Epps' bongo artistry to a lazy boogie beat. Many of the tracks exude a mellow exotica vibe with flutes and, in one case, jungle sound effects, placing the emphasis on the "bongo" rather than the "rock." [AMG]
Dance To The Bongo Rock!
