The Bongos

The Bongos formed in Hoboken as an initial trio of Richard Barone on guitar and vocals, Rob Norris on bass, and Frank Giannini on drums and vocals. The group made clear its identity as a pop act, and a capable one, drawing from guitar-pop traditions that stretched from the Byrds to T. Rex and binding those strands through Barone’s own compositions. Although Barone remained the central figure, the other members contributed equally vital elements. James Mastro joined after the release of the band’s debut full-length, Drums Along the Hudson (1982), supplying several memorable guitar lines. Earlier, between 1980 and 1981, the Bongos issued a run of singles and an EP on the small Fetish Records imprint before signing with the independent PVC label. That label gathered the previously available material onto Drums Along the Hudson. The band next stepped up to RCA for the five-song Numbers With Wings (1983) and the album Beat Hotel (1985), then exited the major label and disbanded. Razor & Tie later reissued Drums Along the Hudson on CD along with a combined edition of Numbers With Wings and Beat Hotel. At their strongest, the Bongos crafted highly appealing guitar pop.