John Kongos

John Kongos Biography by Andy Kellman Before scoring a handful of minor hits in the U.K. in the late '60s and early '70s, John Kongos had been the leader behind Johnny Kongos & the G-Men, a prolific beat group from Johannesburg, South Africa that frequently appeared on that country's charts during the first half of the '60s. In 1966, Kongos and a number of his associates relocated to London and cut a 1967 single as Floribunda Rose for Piccadilly. Floribunda Rose eventually morphed into Scrugg, a psychedelic pop band that released a trio of singles for Pye prior to their 1969 breakup. "I Wish I Was Five," a 1968 B-side, gained the most attention. Upon Scrugg's split, Kongos went solo and released a handful of records, including the albums Confusions About a Goldfish, John Kongos, and Tokoloshe Man. The 1971 single "He's Gonna Step on You Again" registered on the charts in the U.K. and the U.S. Sporadic reissues of Kongos' work appeared during the '90s, and in 2002, Castle released Lavender Popcorn: 1966-1969, which combined Scrugg and Floribunda Rose material (both familiar and previously unreleased) with Confusions About a Goldfish.