He learned to play percussion instruments, including the bongos, while he was stationed in Okinawa during the Korean War.
After his tour of duty he settled in Southern California, playing in coffee shops and working odd jobs.
[1] Arthur Laboe, a local disc jockey, signed him to Original Sound Records, which released his single "Bongo Rock" in 1959.
[2] Original Sound released a full-length LP in 1960, which reached #35 on the Billboard 200.
Epps reappeared in 1969 as a bongo player in the film Girl in Gold Boots.