John Kongos, born August 6, 1945 in Johannesburg, South Africa, is a South African singer and songwriter. He first gained attention in South Africa with Johnny and the G-Men before moving to the United Kingdom in 1966, where he formed the groups Floribunda Rose and Scrugg. He released his debut solo studio album, Confusions About a Goldfish, in 1969 on Dawn Records. His commercial breakthrough came in 1971 with the single "He's Gonna Step on You Again", which reached number 4 on the UK Singles Chart and number 70 on the US Billboard Hot 100. His follow-up single, "Tokoloshe Man", also reached number 4 in the UK, and his studio album Kongos reached number 29 on the UK Albums Chart. In 1990, the British band Happy Mondays covered "He's Gonna Step on You Again" under the title "Step On", reaching number 5 in the UK. Compilation releases of his early work included Lavender Popcorn 1966-1969 in 2001, and his four sons perform together in the rock band Kongos.
