As great a role as Eddie Bongo played musically, he was an irreplaceable element in the Funk Brother's family for one simple reason: In the pressure cooker atmosphere of the Snakepit, they desperately needed a comedian to keep things from boiling over and Eddie was a virtuoso. A master at playing "the dozens," many a session ground to a halt as players doubled over in laughter while Bongo wailed on James Jamerson's mother (his favorite target) or some other unsuspecting victim.
Coming into Motown through the back door as Marvin Gaye's valet, Eddie eventually became Hitsville's most prolific conga player gracing many of the label's greatest recordings with his latin and jazz grooves. Like some of the other Funk Brothers, Bongo moved to the West Coast in the mid-'70s hoping to still record for Motown while picking up recording gigs for other labels. But his fate was the same. Bongo found it impossible to regain the magic that he had been a part of in Detroit.
Coming into Motown through the back door as Marvin Gaye's valet, Eddie eventually became Hitsville's most prolific conga player gracing many of the label's greatest recordings with his latin and jazz grooves. Like some of the other Funk Brothers, Bongo moved to the West Coast in the mid-'70s hoping to still record for Motown while picking up recording gigs for other labels. But his fate was the same. Bongo found it impossible to regain the magic that he had been a part of in Detroit.
As great a role as Eddie Bongo played musically, he was an irreplaceable element in the Funk Brother's family for one simple reason: In the pressure cooker atmosphere of the Snakepit, they desperately needed a comedian to keep things from boiling over and Eddie was a virtuoso. A master at playing "the dozens," many a session ground to a halt as players doubled over in laughter while Bongo wailed on James Jamerson's mother (his favorite target) or some other unsuspecting victim.
Coming into Motown through the back door as Marvin Gaye's valet, Eddie eventually became Hitsville's most prolific conga player gracing many of the label's greatest recordings with his latin and jazz grooves. Like some of the other Funk Brothers, Bongo moved to the West Coast in the mid-'70s hoping to still record for Motown while picking up recording gigs for other labels. But his fate was the same. Bongo found it impossible to regain the magic that he had been a part of in Detroit.
Coming into Motown through the back door as Marvin Gaye's valet, Eddie eventually became Hitsville's most prolific conga player gracing many of the label's greatest recordings with his latin and jazz grooves. Like some of the other Funk Brothers, Bongo moved to the West Coast in the mid-'70s hoping to still record for Motown while picking up recording gigs for other labels. But his fate was the same. Bongo found it impossible to regain the magic that he had been a part of in Detroit.
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