Tell me about the greatness of Bo Diddley.

...don't forget "Mannish boy " with the same lick......

 

I didn't. Read the last line.

 

I saw Bo as the middle act with Tower of Power and CCR. He should have been the headliner.

 

Amazing. Sounds exactly as the Velvet’s Run , Run, Run

 

I doubt a single person on this beach has a clue who Bo Diddley is...[/QUOTE]

You're probably wrong about that- the record is from July 1963, live at Myrtle Beach SC. The Carolina beach music scene was in full swing, as it were. Kids dancing the Shag, and so forth. Respectably funky, for white people in 1963. The American South has always been more culturally polyglot than the rest of the country, Jim Crow era notwithstanding.

 

As a big Rolling Stones fan, I didn't realize how much of their sound they owe to Bo. I knew about Chuck Berry's influence, of course, but encountering Bo's CHESS BOX was a revelation.

The third of the Rolling Stone's Triumvirate Of Influence is Slim Harpo. Find a comp of his Excello sides and you'll immediately get it -- "Oh, man, they totally copped this, too!"

 

One of the greatest shows I ever saw (out of literally thousands over the past 30-mumblemumble years) was the Bo Diddley & Ron Wood show in 1988 at the Fillmore in San Francisco. The place was packed, and the two gunslingers really brought the goods. At one point in show, Bo demonstrated his versatility by taking the place of each musician in the band (except Wood and additional guitarist Jim Satten of course) one by one. Bo sounded especially good behind the drumkit! Sure, it was a bit of a schtick, but it was still impressive. They also brought unadvertised special surprise guest John Lee Hooker up for a tune. Woody still mentions this occasion in interviews from time to time -- clearly it was a memorable gig for him too! I was right down front, and the full capacity crowd meant I had to wait a bit to get out when the show was over. I remember hearing the roar of many motorcycles outside while I was still waiting to leave. Apparently there was a full contingent of bikers/Angels at the show!

I was lucky enough to see Bo Diddley two other times (including a small club gig in SF, and a free outdoor show in Reno), and he was great then too, but that show with Wood was special!

 

I find Diddley to be monotonous... nowhere near great to me.

But to each his own.

 

He was the 1960’s.
But he was playing in the 1950’s.

 

Found this quote ironic given your screen name and low opinion of Bo.

When the Beatles first arrived in the U.S. in 64, a reporter asked " John, what are you most looking forward to seeing here in America?" Without hesitation Lennon answered "Bo Didley!"

 

He was more important than many think. His whole approach to playing, came from a
percussion point of view. Whether it was his band laying down an over emphasized beat,
or just the way he strummed his guitar. He was a one of a kind. He should’ve been way bigger
than he ended up. The way he was marketed, and regular struggles involving African Americans
back then certainly played a big role. The fact that so many Rock Stars copied his beats in big songs
says a lot.

 

It not in "the beat," but I think this little, under-2-minute instrumental is as eloquent an argument for his greatness as I know:



L.

 

Along with Babatunde Olatunji.

 

That's pretty much what i was thinking when i started this thread, hence the reason i wasn't familiar with his music, as opposed to other rock pioneers like Chuck Berry, Elvis, Buddy Holly etc....

 

Reportedly Pink Floyd's Syd Barrett owned Bo's Beach Party LP and was a big fan.
His guitar playing sometimes highlighted the classic Diddley rhythmic approach.

 

Don’t forget psychedelic Bo, The Black Gladiator (1970) is a fun album

 

Great thread. It's inspired me to dive into his catalog. I was listening to Bowie's Panic in Detroit today & realized it's been a while since I heard a new tune with the Bo Diddley beat. Marie's the Name from Elvis, the Stones Not Fade Away cover, Springsteens's She's the One and so many others. Bo sure did leave a hell of a mark on rock & roll.

 

Bo Diddley's Beach Party poll thread (now closed)

Poll: "Bo Diddley's Beach Party" album by Bo Diddley in your collection?

 

In the world of rock and roll, Bo Diddley was a man among boys!

 

There was this thing I saw on YouTube where they asked many musicians , actors , politicians and celebrities who they preferred : Lennon or McCartney.
Bo Diddley was one of the people in it and he replied : " Neither one! I don't understand them!"
I don't know if that video is still available on YouTube but if it is it is worth watching.
By the by, Lennon edged out McCartney...but not by much.

 

Yeah....I saw him perform in '81 or '82 in a small club in Burlingame, California and I have to say, he was rather boring. Every song was based on "that same riff". I left early...sorry. Saw Chuck Berry around the same time and he was great!

 

It is the clave part in Afro-Cuban rhythm sections: 1, 2&, 4/2,3. He did not invent it.

 

I always forget I saw Bo Diddley live with Ron Wood. I wish I could go back in time and pay more attention. It was a last minute decision. We were in Boston to see That Petrol Emotion at The Paradise but the show was cancelled due to a power outage. We drove across town to The Channel and went to this show instead.

 

Love that disc and cover.

 

This is listed under accolades in Wikipedia, not too shabby for a musician some would have you believe is boring and repetitive.


Bo Diddley was posthumously awarded a Doctor of Fine Arts degree by the University of Florida for his influence on American popular music. In its People in America radio series, about influential people in American history, the Voice of America radio service paid tribute to him, describing how "his influence was so widespread that it is hard to imagine what rock and roll would have sounded like without him." Mick Jagger stated that "he was a wonderful, original musician who was an enormous force in music and was a big influence on the Rolling Stones. He was very generous to us in our early years and we learned a lot from him". Jagger also praised the late star as a one-of-a-kind musician, adding, "We will never see his like again".[58] The documentary film Cheat You Fair: The Story of Maxwell Street by director Phil Ranstrom features Bo Diddley's last on-camera interview.[59]

He achieved numerous accolades in recognition of his significant role as one of the founding fathers of rock and roll.

• 1986: Inducted into the Washington Area Music Association's Hall of Fame.
• 1987: Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame[5]
• 1987: Inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame
• 1990: Lifetime Achievement Award from Guitar Player magazine
• 1996: Lifetime Achievement Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation
• 1998: Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award[9]
• 1999: His 1955 recording of his song "Bo Diddley" inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame[60]
• 2000: Inducted into the Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame[61]
• 2000: Inducted into the North Florida Music Association's Hall of Fame
• 2002: Pioneer in Entertainment Award from the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters
• 2002: Honored as one of the first BMI Icons at the 50th annual BMI Pop Awards, along with BMI affiliates Chuck Berry and Little Richard.[62]
• 2003: Inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame[7]
• 2008: Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree posthumously conferred on Diddley by the University of Florida in August (the award had been confirmed before his death in June).
• 2020: Induction into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame
• 2010: Induction into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame.[63]
• 2017: Inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame.[8]

In 2003, U.S. Representative John Conyers paid tribute to Bo Diddley in the United States House of Representatives, describing him as "one of the true pioneers of rock and roll, who has influenced generations".[64]

In 2004, Mickey and Sylvia's 1956 recording of "Love Is Strange" (a song first recorded by Bo Diddley but not released until a year before his death) was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame as a recording of qualitative or historical significance. Also in 2004, Bo Diddley was inducted into the Blues Foundation's Blues Hall of Fame and was ranked number 20 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.[65]

In 2005, Bo Diddley celebrated his 50th anniversary in music with successful tours of Australia and Europe and with coast-to-coast shows across North America. He performed his song "Bo Diddley" with Eric Clapton and Robbie Robertson at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 20th annual induction ceremony. In the UK, Uncut magazine included his 1957 debut album, Bo Diddley, in its listing of the '100 Music, Movie & TV Moments That Have Changed the World'.

Bo Diddley was honored by the Mississippi Blues Commission with a Mississippi Blues Trail historic marker placed in McComb, his birthplace, in recognition of his enormous contribution to the development of the blues in Mississippi.[66] On June 5, 2009, the city of Gainesville, Florida, officially renamed and dedicated its downtown plaza the Bo Diddley Community Plaza. The plaza was the site of a benefit concert at which Bo Diddley performed to raise awareness about the plight of the homeless in Alachua County and to raise money for local charities, including the Red Cross.

Beat[edit]
Main article: Bo Diddley beat
The "Bo Diddley beat" is essentially the clave rhythm, one of the most common bell patterns found in sub-Saharan African music traditions.[67] One scholar found this rhythm in 13 rhythm and blues recordings made in the years 1944–55, including two by Johnny Otis from 1948.[68]

Bo Diddley gave different accounts of how he began to use this rhythm. Sublette asserts, "In the context of the time, and especially those maracas [heard on the record], 'Bo Diddley' has to be understood as a Latin-tinged record. A rejected cut recorded at the same session was titled only 'Rhumba' on the track sheets."[69] The Bo Diddley beat is 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.[70] Somewhat resembling the "shave and a haircut, two bits" rhythm, Diddley came across it while trying to play Gene Autry's "(I've Got Spurs That) Jingle, Jangle, Jingle".[71] Three years before his "Bo Diddley", a song with similar syncopation "Hambone", was cut by the Red Saunders Orchestra with the Hambone Kids. In 1944, "Rum and Coca Cola", containing the Bo Diddley beat, was recorded by the Andrews Sisters. Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away" (1957) and Them's "Mystic Eyes" (1965) used the beat.[72]


"Bo Diddley beat"[72]/Son clave Play (help·info).
In its simplest form, the Bo Diddley beat can be counted out as either a one-bar or a two-bar phrase. Here is the count as a one-bar phrase: One e and ah, two e and ah, three e and ah, four e and ah (the boldface counts are the clave rhythm).

Many songs (for example, "Hey Bo Diddley" and "Who Do You Love?") often have no chord changes; that is, the musicians play the same chord throughout the piece, so that the rhythms create the excitement, rather than having the excitement generated by harmonic tension and release. In his other recordings, Bo Diddley used various rhythms, from straight back beat to pop ballad style to doo-wop, frequently with maracas by Jerome Green.[citation needed]

An influential guitar player, Bo Diddley developed many special effects and other innovations in tone and attack, particularly the resonant "shimmering" sound. His trademark instrument was his self-designed, one-of-a-kind, rectangular-bodied "Twang Machine" (referred to as "cigar-box shaped" by music promoter Dick Clark) built by Gretsch. He had other uniquely shaped guitars custom-made for him by other manufacturers throughout the years, most notably the "Cadillac" and the rectangular "Turbo 5-speed" (with built-in envelope filter, flanger and delay) designs made by Tom Holmes (who also made guitars for ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons, among others). In a 2005 interview on JJJ radio in Australia, he implied that the rectangular design sprang from an embarrassing moment. During an early gig, while jumping around on stage with a Gibson L5 guitar, he landed awkwardly, hurting his groin.[73][74] He then went about designing a smaller, less restrictive guitar that allowed him to keep jumping around on stage while still playing his guitar. He also played the violin, which is featured on his mournful instrumental "The Clock Strikes Twelve", a twelve-bar blues.[75]

He often created lyrics as witty and humorous adaptations of folk music themes. The song "Bo Diddley" was based on the African-American clapping rhyme "Hambone" (which in turn was based on the lullaby "Hush Little Baby"). Likewise, "Hey Bo Diddley" is based on the song "Old MacDonald". The song "Who Do You Love?" with its rap-style boasting, and his use of the African-American game known as "the dozens" on the songs "Say Man" and "Say Man, Back Again," are cited as progenitors of hip-hop music (for example, "You got the nerve to call somebody ugly. Why, you so ugly, the stork that brought you into the world ought to be arrested").[76]

Influence on US Military Culture: The Army and other US ground forces often use 'Jodies' marching cadences in a 'call-and-answer' arrangement to relieve boredom of long marches during training and in the field. The platoon Sergeant typically shouts or sings the call and troops repeat in answer, all in the characteristic 120 beat per minute pace. Troops had been chanting cadences for decades before, but it became prevalent in the years after Korea, extending to today.