Jamie Oldaker September 5, 1951 – July 16, 2020

Posted on August 26, 2020 by Rich Mangicaro

Our hearts go out to the family of Jamie Oldaker, who recently passed away at the age of 68. Jamie left an enduring mark in the world of music, spanning over 40 years of great contributions to the art of drumming. He collaborated with Eric Clapton on 11 albums, including the iconic Slowhand record and his groove from that one album has been studied and imitated countless times. One of the great pockets in Rock drumming, Jamie influenced so many great drummers whom we all love including Russ McKinnon and Jim Keltner…both also native sons of Tulsa, Oklahoma.

We at Gon Bops are honored to have known him, to have him as an endorsee and to call him our friend. We will miss him always.

The Gon Bops Family

Gon Bops Releases New Products for 2020!

Posted on March 9, 2020March 10, 2020 by Rich Mangicaro

We’re excited to feature these great new products for 2020. Starting with our new Asian Oak Alex Acuna 14” Djembe, this drum features a monster bass tone, great highs from the Remo Skydeep head and a sleek look with our Gon Bops Special Edition hardware.

Next, we’re proud to create 2 new tambourines, constructed with Asian Oak with master percussionist Lenny Castro! The Single-Row features warm articulate brass jingles, while the Double-Row uses bright and cutting stainless steel jingles. Both come with natural cowskin, providing great performance.

Designed with the rigorous demands of the Banda musician, our new stainless steel **Banda Snare Drum** features 24 lugs, 42-strand snares and an ultra-smooth, ball-action throw-off, plus a 2-ply head with triple-flanged hoops.

We’ve rounded our our new 2020 offerings with three useful accessories. Our new light-weight Djembe Stand packs up nicely to fit in any hardware trap case, while maintaining the strength needed for any style and multi-angled adjusting. Our new Hi-Hat Jingle Ring features a lightweight, cool vintage vibe, low profile to give the player that extra tambourine sound atop the hi-hat. Finally our new black, Cajon Seat Pad, provides a comfortable, non-slip seat with pockets for your sticks, mallets, brushes or smaller hand percussion…or even for your electronics/mobile devices.

Check out our new products today!

GON BOPS WELCOMES LENNY CASTRO!

Posted on August 15, 2019 by Rich Mangicaro

GON BOPS WELCOMES PERCUSSION ICON LENNY CASTRO TO ARTIST FAMILY

Gon Bops is extremely excited and proud to welcome the amazing Lenny Castro to our artist family! One of the world’s most in-demand percussionists, Lenny’s influence on percussion is legendary. For over 40 years, he has belonged to an elite list of musicians who have contributed, quite literally, to the soundtrack of our lives.

For Lenny, it’s all about the music and what’s best for the song. As a first-call artist, he’s known for his amazing ability to know exactly what to play on any track. As a result, it’s no surprise he’s recorded and/or performed with the biggest names in music, including The Rolling Stones, Elton John, U2, Toto, Boz Scaggs, Ricky Lee Jones, The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Maroon 5, Justin Timberlake, Bette Midler, and The Mars Volta.

He can be heard on many of the best-selling albums and tracks of all time, like Michael Jackson’s Off The Wall, Toto’s Africa, Christopher Cross’ Ride Like the Wind and Randy Newman’s I Love LA, as well as many successful movie soundtracks like Close Encounters Of The Third Kind, The Fugitive, 9 to 5 and the new hit film The Lion King.

“I am very excited about this, I feel like I’m coming home to Gon Bops,” comments Castro. “These are the very first instruments I played when I began my career many years ago,”

Please join us in a very warm welcome to the newest member of the Gon Bops family!

Gon Bops Introduces The Bucket Shekere!

Posted on July 31, 2019July 31, 2019 by Rich Mangicaro

Based on the Xequebalde, a Brazilian folk instrument, the new Gon Bops Bucket Shekere (PSHEKBK) is the first of its kind to be manufactured outside of Brazil. Quite literally a hybrid of a metal bucket and a shekere, the Bucket Shekere can be played in hand like a traditional shekere, or placed on a stand — a snare stand works perfectly — and played with brushes.

The Bucket Shekere is also the first Will Phillips signature instrument for Gon Bops. Captivated by Brazilian music, Will spent time studying and performing in Brazil, and was greatly inspired by the rich musical heritage he found there. One instrument that captured his attention was the Xequebalde, an instrument that varied in style as much as the players who made them. Will’s design reflects his own fresh interpretation of this uniquely Brazilian instrument.

The Gon Bops Bucket Shekere is designed primarily to be super light, for long-playing comfort and provides a rich, warm percussive attack. It’s crafted from lightweight aluminum, and its shell stands 8″ in height with a 12.5″ opening.

For more information, please visit: https://www.gonbops.com/products-category/shekere/

Gon Bops Welcomes Tony Moreaux Charon!

Posted on June 27, 2019 by Rich Mangicaro

Tony Moreaux Charon is a member of the Afro-Cuban All Stars (Buena Vista Social Club) led by Juan de Marcos Gonzalez…the most important figures in Cuban music today. Other artists Tony’s played with include the legendary jazz guitarist and vocalist George Benson, Jazz trumpet Roy Hargrove, Santana’s conga player Raul Rekow, Luis Conte and many others including pop, jazz and Latin bands in Europe. We’re proud to welcome this great player!

Gon Bops Welcomes Yissy Garcia!

Posted on March 25, 2019 by Rich Mangicaro

Gon Bops welcomes drummer/percussionist/composer Yissy García! Yissy is one of the most respected artists to emerge from a particularly exciting new generation of Cuban musicians. Considered to be the islands most prominent female percussionist and one of its most dynamic and innovative performers, she demonstrates the art of combining traps and percussion, drawing from both folkloric and popular Cuban music as well as contemporary jazz and funk styles. For more info, please visit her artist page!

Gon Bops introduces Fiesta Mini-Cajon Shakers!

Posted on February 18, 2019 by Rich Mangicaro

Gon Bops new Fiesta Mini-Cajon Shakers are a smartly-packaged four-pack of mini-cajon shakers, each of these fun shakers offers a distinct shaker tone, offering 4 cool sounds per box. Cherry Bomb, Lime Crush, Ultra Violet and White Magic colors make a great addition to your collection of shakers, or make a perfect gift for the young percussionist in your life. With their premium eco-friendly box packaging, they make an attractive counter-top item at any retail location.

Congratulations Gon Bops Grammy Winners!

Posted on February 11, 2019February 11, 2019 by Rich Mangicaro

Congratuations to Gon Bops artists – Grammy Winners Luisito Quintero and MB Gordy!! Luisito won Best Tropical Latin Album last night for his band Spanish Harlem. MB Gordy took the trophy home last night for Best New Age Album, with his band Opium Moon. We wish Luisito and MB our sincere and excited congrats!! We’re proud to have you in our family!

Gon Bops adds lightweight Foot Pedal Stand!

Posted on February 7, 2019 by Rich Mangicaro

Gon Bops announces a new Foot Pedal Stand, designed for gigging professionals who want a strong but lightweight stand! Sturdy and very portable, the new stand is extremely lightweight and folds easily into your travel bag, making it a perfect choice to take on the road. It attaches easily to any standard bass drum pedal and offers a 3/8″ diameter adjustable post that slides to the exact position for your cowbells, blocks, tambourines or other mountable small percussion instruments.

Gon Bops adds Sleigh Bells!

Posted on February 1, 2019 by Rich Mangicaro

Gon Bops new 25-Jingle Sleigh Bells offer that traditional sleigh bell sound, ideal for any celebratory occasion. With its ergo wooden handle and shiny steel bells, this classic instrument is perfect for holiday music or other uses like alternative percussive sound effects, traditional English Morris folk dancing, or symphonic applications like Mahler’s Symphony No. 4. A must-have in any percussionist’s bag.