Bob Conga’s Artistic Passion Allows Him To Do Professional Music His Way to Keep Him Going Online Interview by Van Stone, Editor/Publish Philadelphia Front Page News frontpagenews1@yahoo.com

Bob Conga's Artistic Passion Allows Him To Do Professional Music His Way To Keep Him Going Online Interview by Van Stone, Editor/Publisher, Philadelphia Front Page News frontpagenews1@yahoo.com 

 Bob Conga

Bob Conga’s, aka Robert L. Strother, Jr., RAJA's debut God Speaks Thru These Hands in 2002 explored an impressive, yet impulsive, combination of synths and hard-hitting percussion beats.
In 2016 we catch up with Bob Conga talking about his artistic passion that continues. Because when it comes to radio, Conga is getting significant national airplay for his independent record-airplay online.
And his passion for music allows professional music and he to happen his own way- it also feels easier to digest and exude a more cohesive sound and story.

Philadelphia Front Page News:  How did you become so good on percussions?

Bob Conga: I listened to any album that had a conga drum on it! Plus I would practice six hours every day!

PFPN: What was your first professional paying job, and how did it come about?

Conga: While in the service (Air Force), I spotted my first conga drum in a pond shop window. I was stationed in the Topeka Kansas. They were called tack heads, because it didn't have any tuner pegs. You had to tune it by holding fire to the head of the drum. 

I believe that I paid $20.00 for it.

I took that drum back to my barracks, sanded it down and painted it black. I then proceeded to listen and played along with hundreds of albums for the next two years.

After my intense period of shedding in my room on base, I went in town encouraged to do so by another musician friend of mine, who also was from Chester, PA.  And he was a jazz drummer, meaning he still is drumming here in Philly. His name is Wayne Morgan.

I began playing with a band for free for the next six months. I wanted to get the feel of performing live, and I was allowed to do that as long as I was doing it for free!

However, after six months, my skills had improved greatly! Not only that, I had developed a strong following. So after two years, I thought that I was more than ready to get paid for my performances! I approached the band leader and said that I think it's time for me to start getting paid for my services. He agreed, and in 1968 is when I began getting pay as a professional.

PFPN: What else did you do to sharpen your skills?

Conga: My roommate and I would enter talent shows and travel from base to base, representing our home base Forbes Air Force base, which no longer is open. 

Every time I would win, I would run to the judges and ask questions like, what was I doing and how can I improve? Until I came across one judge in Phoenix, AZ who let me use his conga in the contest that had a snake skin around the head of the drum. When I asked him what was I doing? He said that he couldn't tell me what it was I was doing. But whatever it was, keep doing it, because the people loved what I was doing! Statements like that are what kept me going!!!