Graphic source: Mark Summers
Bo Diddley (December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008), born Ellas Otha Bates], aka "The Originator," influenced American rock 'n' roll as a singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He was perhaps best known for his distinctive rectangular guitar and as the creator of the "Bo Diddley beat."
He changed his "name in search of fame, to find the Midas touch (Copyright: "Ballad of Mott" Ian Hunter, Overend Watts, Mick Ralphs, Dale "Buffin" Griffin and Verden Allen) and adopted a stage name which is most likely a Southern African-American slang phrase meaning "nothing at all," as in "he ain't bo diddley." He possibly first used the nickname as a teenage Golden Gloves boxer. Finally, the nickname is also associated with the diddley bow, a two-stringed instrument that was used in the South by black musicians working in the fields.
In late 1954 he recorded "I'm A Man" and the A-side "Bo Diddley" at Chess Studios and as released in March 1955 "Bo Diddley" became a #1 R&B hit.
Diddley is best known for the distinctive "Bo Diddley beat," a rumba-like stylistic device similar to "hambone," a style used by street performers who play out the beat by slapping and patting their arms, legs, chest, and cheeks while chanting rhymes.
Some of his best-known songs, "Hey Bo Diddley" and "Who Do You Love?" often have no chord changes and the song centers on the rhythm. He influenced later guitarists with his early experiments with special effects and other innovations in tone and attack. Bo Diddley's trademark instrument is the rectangular-bodied Gretsch, nicknamed "The Twang Machine," a guitar that he developed himself around 1958.
His lyrics often freely adapted folk music themes. The song "Bo Diddley" was based on the lullaby "Hush Little Baby." Likewise, "Hey Bo Diddley" is based on the folk song "Old MacDonald." The boasting and booming of "Who Do You Love" is a wordplay on hoodoo.
On November 20, 1955, he appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show but only infuriated the host when instead of singing the arranged song, Tennessee Ernie Ford's hit "Sixteen Tons," he instead substituted his own "Bo Diddley." He was banned from further appearances.
His other hits in the late 1950s and the 1960s, included "Pretty Thing" (1956), "Say Man" (1959) and "You Can't Judge a Book By the Cover" (1962). One of his lesser known hits is the controversial "Love Is Strange" for Mickey and Sylvia which was written under a pseudonym.
Diddley's distinctive beat influenced many later rock artists, notably Elvis Presley ("His Latest Flame"); Bruce Springsteen ("She's The One"); U2 ("Desire"); The Smiths ("How Soon Is Now?"); Roxette ("Harleys And Indians (Riders In The Sky)"). Dee Clark - A former member of the Hambone Kids ("Hey Little Girl"); Johnny Otis ("Willie and the Hand Jive"); George Michael ("Faith"); Normaal ("Kearl van stoahl"); The Strangeloves ("I Want Candy"); Guns N' Roses ("Mr. Brownstone"); David Bowie ("Panic in Detroit"); The Pretenders ("Cuban Slide"); The Police ("Deathwish"); Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders ("The Game of Love"); The Supremes ("When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes"); Jefferson Airplane ("She Has Funny Cars"); The White Stripes ("Screwdriver"); The Byrds ("Don't Doubt Yourself, Babe"); Tiny Letters ("Song For Jerome Green") and The Stooges ("1969"). The early Rolling Stones sound was strongly associated with their versions of "Not Fade Away" and "I Need You Baby (Mona)."
Diddley died today at 79.
Graphic source: Rolling Stone
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