Bongo Joe Coleman

{{Short description|American drummer (1923–1999)}} {{Infobox musical artist | honorific_prefix = | name = Bongo Joe Coleman | honorific_suffix = | image = File:Bongo Joe Coleman.jpg | image_upright = | image_size = | landscape =  | alt = | caption = | native_name = | native_name_lang = | birth_name = George Coleman | alias = | birth_date = November 28, 1923 | birth_place = Haines City, Florida | origin = | death_date = {{Death date and age|1999|12|19|1923|11|28}} | death_place = San Antonio, Texas | genre = Jazz | occupation = Street musician | instrument = | years_active =  | label = | associated_acts = | website =  | module = | module2 = | module3 = }}

'''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.

==Early life== He was born George Coleman in Haines City, Florida, on November 28, 1923.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://arhoolie.org/bongo-joe-george-coleman-interview/|title=Bongo Joe (George Coleman) interview|work=Arhoolie Records|accessdate=November 14, 2017}}</ref> 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.

==Musical career== Coleman was engaged by the city's jazz scene, and began his career by accompanying local musicians on piano, including Sammy Davis Jr.<ref>{{cite AV media notes|title=George Coleman: Bongo Joe|type= booklet|year=2008|work=Mississippi Records|last=Skoog|first=Lawrence C.|id=MR-022}}</ref> 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.<ref name=tsha>{{cite web|url=https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fcowj|title=Coleman, George [Bongo Joe]|author=Brigham, Kathy|work=Texas State Historical Association|accessdate=November 14, 2017}}</ref> How he developed his drumming technique and tuning over the years resulted in a unique and novel sound.<ref name=tsha/>

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.<ref name=tsha/> 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.<ref name=all>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/bongo-joe-mn0000085217|title=Bongo Joe – Biography|author=Campbell, Al|work=AllMusic|accessdate=November 14, 2017}}</ref> One song from the album, "Innocent Little Doggy", became an underground classic in Texas, as well as in England.<ref name=tsha/> A low-profile but well-respected musician, Coleman occasionally participated at more prominent events such as the HemisFair, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, and Gerald Ford's presidential campaign in 1976.<ref name=tsha/> In 1991, he appeared on the PBS program ''Almost Live from the Liberty Bar''.<ref name=tsha/>

Coleman's music career ended abruptly in the early 1990s when he was diagnosed with diabetes and kidney disease. He died on December 19, 1999, age 76.<ref name=all/>

He was referenced in Gary P. Nunn's 1984 song "What I Like About Texas".

== References == {{Reflist}}

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