Question: Who is this man?
Clue: The Rolling Stones opened for him in 1963. He played with the Grateful Dead in 1972. He opened for The Clash in 1979. Marvin Gaye was his chauffer. He played the maintenance man who gave Spinal Tap directions to the stage at the Xanadu Star Theater in Cleveland. His style is instantly recognizable and Buddy Holly, The Who, Tom Petty, George Thorogood, The Smiths, George Michael, Guns n Roses and The White Stripes have all used it to great success.
Answer: If you don’t know, you don’t know Diddley.
Elias Otha Bates was born in Mississippi today in 1928. He moved to the South Side of Chicago in 1934 and became interested in music through the church. He played violin and trombone before picking up a guitar. Inspired by the Chicago blues scene in general and John Lee Hooker in particular, he started playing in local bands in the 1940s. By the early 1950s he was going by the name Bo Diddley and was ready to change rock and roll history.
The Bo Diddley Beat was first unleashed in 1955 and suddenly rock and roll music had an entirely new fundamental rhythm. If rock and roll is a body then The Bo Diddley beat is a vertabrae. If rock and roll is a house then The Bo Diddley Beat is a load bearing wall. It has become an underpinning so basic we take it for granted but it started with the release of the song “Bo Diddley” in 1955.
Bo Diddley’s rhythm guitar playing inspired a legion of copycats and inspired most of the bands in the British Invasion, including the Beatles, The Who, Rolling Stones and Yardbirds. Diddley released over 20 albums in his career but was often overshadowed by peers like Chuck Berry and Little Richard. While Diddley was the first black artist on the Ed Sullivan Show he was subsequently banned because he played “Bo Diddley” instead of the song that Sullivan wanted him to play. Diddley also differed from Chuck Berry and Little Richard by not catering to the teenage crowd. While Berry was singing about Sweet Sixteen, Diddley was talking about using cobra snakes for neckties. Diddley’s album sales may have suffered from his reluctance to playing the game by anyone else’s rules but his legacy did not.
In 1987, Bo Diddley was part of the second induction class at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.He enjoyed a brief resurgence on the national stage beginning in 1989 when he was part of a massive advertising campaign for Nike that featured Bo Jackson. Diddley continued to tour and record through 2007. He played his final show on May 12, 2007. The following day he suffered a stroke and he died on June 2, 2008.
“Bo Diddley” off the album “Bo Diddley” 1955:
“Who Do You Love?” 1956:
“Mumblin’ Guitar” off the album “Have Guitar, Will Travel” 1960:
“You Can’t Judge a Book by Its Cover” single 1962:
Buddy Holly – Not Fade Away 1957:
George Thorogood – Who Do You Love? 1979:
The Smiths – How Soon is Now? 1985:
George Michael – Faith 1987:
Guns n Roses – Mr. Brownstone 1987:
