Tuesday, February 23, 2021

Seawall Drummer

 

For some strange reason, I awoke this morning thinking of George Coleman, the man who who used to play steel drums on the Galveston seawall.  

He didn't play the sort of steel drums you might find in a typical steel drum band; his instrument of choice was 55 gallon oil drums that he "tuned" by putting dents and gouges in the sides with a hatchet.

He recorded one album, and if this works, you should be able to hear an example here - Innocent Little Doggy by George Coleman on Amazon Music - Amazon.com.

His musical career began in the 1940s and included everything from gigs with Sammy Davis Jr. to playing on the beach in Galveston, the streets of San Antonio and at exclusive parties in private homes and country clubs. He played for President John F. Kennedy at the Cellar, a club in Fort Worth, the night before Kennedy was assassinated. 

He almost had one hit when the BBC picked up one of the songs from his only album and played it repeatedly.

He was a truly unique musician, and some say the first Rap artist.  One thing for sure, old George sure couldn't sing.

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