Gear Tales: King Congas from a music shop to the stars

Percussionist Mark Gallagher recalls the legendary Prune Music in Mill Valley|

Mark Gallagher is a well-known and well-respected musician here in the Valley of the Tunes. Gallagher plays congas, a pair of large slightly conical hand drums placed firmly into metal racks. Congas are used in acoustic music of all types, and in virtually all Latin-based songs and rhythms.

Gallagher, who is a mainstay at the open mic at the Moose Lodge on Thursdays, is also a house painter. He once told me, “All musicians in Sonoma are house painters.” Could that be true? Turns out he was only exaggerating a bit, as there are several house painters who dabble with tunes, or vice versa. As musicians, they all dabble in tone.

Gallagher’s contribution to Gear Tales concerns his trusty set of congas. He bought them at Mill Valley’s Prune Music in 1976, “just a little hole in the wall music shop,” according to Gallagher. As a musician, he felt comfortable hanging out there, soaking in the rich vibe of something about to happen.

Congas themselves may not be a rare instrument, but a pair of King Congas is rare indeed. Made by a now-defunct outfit based in Fremont, California, they made only about 2,000 drums during their short run that began in the mid-‘60s. The drums they produced are very collectable and are still considered to be some of the best sounding conga drums ever produced. An internet search on Monday afternoon revealed none for sale at all.

Gallagher’s Gear Tale concerns the salesmen/partners - not so much the gear, but the guys he bought them from at Prune. Renowned guitar technician Larry Cragg worked at Prune, selling guitar to the rockers who shopped there. Carlos Santana lived nearby, and Cragg was the guy who helped craft that famed guitarist’s signature tone. Neil Young was a frequent patron at Prune while he lived in West Marin.

One of the most memorable mentions me made in a recent Index-Tribune profile was about his role as a side musician in Young’s bands over the years. Cragg told of the swell of excitement he feels when the stage goes dark and the spot drops on him alone as he plays the banjo intro to Young’s “Old Man.”

Cragg’s partner at Prune was Randall Smith, who later went on to found the Petaluma-based, highly regarded guitar amplifier company, Mesa/Boogie. Their website states that “Randall has an ear for tone.”

Gallagher related the story about when Santana was in the shop and tried one of the prototype amps that Smith had made. Santana was so impressed he said, “This amp boogies.”

Perhaps the most important question about the tone and sound of congas might be: How do you pronounce the word? Gallagher always says “coongas.” Some players say “cungas,” others hang on to “kongas”, as in King Kongas. It seems to be a tomAto/tomAHto thing.

Two guys in a hole-in-the-wall shop in Mill Valley have made it very big in fields they sowed at Prune. The tuneful congas Gallagher still uses are a connection to halcyon days of early North Bay rock history.

UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy:
  • This is a family newspaper, please use a kind and respectful tone.
  • No profanity, hate speech or personal attacks. No off-topic remarks.
  • No disinformation about current events.
  • We will remove any comments — or commenters — that do not follow this commenting policy.