Preston Eugene Epps, born on July 19, 1930, in Mangum, Oklahoma, is an American percussionist. He learned to play various percussion instruments, including the bongos, while stationed in Okinawa during the Korean War and after his military service, settled in Southern California, where he began performing in local coffee shops and taking on odd jobs. His breakthrough came when Arthur Laboe, a local disc jockey, signed him to Original Sound Records. The label released his debut single "Bongo Rock" in 1959, which peaked at number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100. The follow-up single, "Bongo Bongo Bongo", reached number 78 on the same chart the following year. In 1960, Original Sound released Epps' full-length LP Bongo Bongo Bongo, which climbed to number 35 on the Billboard 200. Despite subsequent bongo-themed singles like "Bongo in the Congo" and "Flamenco Bongo", none achieved the same level of success. Epps continued his career as a session musician throughout the 1960s and 1970s, and appeared in the film Girl in Gold Boots in 1969. In 1973, The Incredible Bongo Band recorded "Bongo Rock" and released it as a single. Epps continued performing in Southern California clubs into the 1990s before passing away from natural causes on May 9, 2019, at the age of 88.
