Bongo Herman - The man behind those sweet sounds

Percussion maestro Herman Davis popularly called ‘Bongo Herman’, would have wanted his life no other way than with reggae music being at the heart of it.

In an interview with JIS News, Bongo Herman said that Reggae has not only created a livelihood for him, but also allowed him to travel the world.

“I have travelled to Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, Rome, and Italy because of the music,” he said.

He added that the music has also enabled him to be involved in two movies, The Harder They Come, in 1972, and Rockers, in 1978.

“When the Harder they Come was filming in Trench Town, I was around Jimmy Cliff; and in the Rockers movie, I am the man dancing in the record shop in the full-yellow tracksuit,” he said.

Bongo Herman has also worked alongside other popular Jamaican musicians, such as Jimmy Cliff, and was the percussionist for Cliff’s first album, Jimmy Cliff Unlimited.

In fact, it is the drumming of Bongo Herman that is heard on singles like Jackie Mitto’s Drum Song, Richie Spice’s Earth a Run Red, Gyptian’s Serious Times, and Fantan Mojah’s Hail the King. He also played other percussion instruments for some recordings, such as a shaker, heard in Gregory Isaacs’ Night Nurse; the vibraslap, and a chattering sound instrument that can be heard on Barrington Levy’s Shine Eye Girl.

The 76-year-old percussionist said that reggae has helped him to build a reputable career as a percussion maestro and a producer.

‘I’ve played my part’

“I’m from the days of ska, rocksteady [and] reggae. My contribution to reggae is quite assured. I’ve played my part where music in concerned,” he said.

Bongo Herman now works at the Bob Marley Museum, on Hope Road, and boasts the privilege of being one of the few persons at the treasured tourist attraction who actually grew up in Trench Town with the legendary reggae singer Bob Marley, and worked alongside him for years.

“The other persons here, they teach about Bob Marley, but I speak about what I know. I can tell people about his life and how I worked with him and his family right here in this yard and under some of these same trees,” he said.

Bongo Herman also entertains visitors at the museum on a daily basis, and teaches them how to play the percussion instruments.

He believes that his love for music has been with him since his childhood in Trench Town, a story similar to that of Bob Marley.

Bongo Herman said that Trench Town taught him the foundation of music, as it was the place to learn how to hold a microphone, to learn the distance to keep it away from your mouth, the principles of stage performance and much more.

In the 1960s, he decided to take his career to another level and pursue his dream by working with producer Derrick Harriott. He worked at Channel One Studio, Federal Recording Studio (now Tuff Gong Recording Studio), Harry J Studio, Anchor Recording Studio, Studio One, Mixing Lab, and several other small studios.