Tell me about the greatness of Bo Diddley.

Bo would’ve been 91 years old today. All Diddley all evening on my turntable!

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=2544989439106081

 

No - Peggy Jones aka "Lady Bo" (between 1957-61); Norma-Jean Wofford aka "The Duchess" (during 1962-66)

Peggy Jones (musician) - Wikipedia
Norma-Jean Wofford - Wikipedia

 

what is the best book about Bo Diddley? biography or similar...

 

There's only one that I'm aware of; "Bo Diddley Living Legend" (1995) by George R White - I imagine that only used copies are now available. The author also published a 92 page discography "The Complete Bo Diddley Sessions" (1993) of which I believe an updated edition is planned.

 

I was at that show and it was great.

There is a local musician, Paul James, who lives in my neighbourhood and whose band regularly backed up Bo Diddley when he came to town. In fact apparently Bo liked him and his band so much that he would only play here if they were the backing band. I saw one of their shows in a small club. Here's a song co-written with Bo: https://youtu.be/I5xCXMDvWbg

 

Bo Diddly is such a Bad A$$ they named a beat after him.

 

Incredible songwriter, and guitar player...I saw him in early 90's once at Hard Rock Cafe squeezed on a little stage area. A buddy taped the whole set from about of standing room audience...heard it once...now gotta find that tape of his!

 

I haven't read through everything here but not sure if anyone has mentioned the origins of his stage name? It is a reversal of Diddley Bow. An instrument, homemade, often the first instrument of a youngster often just called a "one-string". Sometimes made from broom wire and a board or box, sometimes simply nailed to the side of the house. It was common in the rural South especially among African Americans. I'll take a wild guess that it was his first instrument.

 

Yesterday I was in a restaurant & Bow Wow Wow's "I Want Candy" was playing.
I hope Bo got paid!

 

He played with Ronnie Wood for a while.

Good album!

 

the greatness is that he wrote and cut who do you love.

i had to double check to make sure zeppelin didn't write it first

 

Listen to "The Deadly Rhythm" by Refused for a really weird use of this riff. Nothing can prepare you for it.

 

Just discovered Bo's debut album. What a debut. So good I ordered his second. Best tunes I've spun in awhile. Bo da man

 

You can't get any cooler than Bo. You also can't really go wrong with any of his Chess records.

 

He’s a gunslinger.

 

He's a lumberjack

 

And a lover.

 

And he's Ok

 

He didn't understand what in the hell the Beatles were doing lol and even though I'm a massive Beatles fan I find that comment hilarious in a respectful way

 

Conversely the Beatles really liked what Bo was doing back in the day.

 

Anybody heard this compilation? Amazon has it (Prime) for $12.

Bo Diddley - Five Classic Albums

Is mono the way to go with these recordings?

 

No, I haven't heard this set. My intuition tells me to avoid it for a couple reasons. While it may be and likely is properly licensed, it's not on CHESS, CHECKER, or even MCA. What's more, its description reads, "The standard remastered editions of these tracks are present on this compilation". With squashed dynamics and excessive bass being the norm on modern masterings these days, I simply wouldn't chance it. My favorite albums are Bo's first two. I'm not sure if they were ever issued in stereo, and they sound great in mono! This CD issued in 1986 is out of print, but is easy and cheap to get. It sounds very good too! Bo Diddley - Bo Diddley / Go Bo Diddley An interesting feature of this compact disc is that it has the song Dearest Darling twice because it originally appeared on both Bo Diddley and Go Bo Diddley.

 

And a surfer...

 

I love this thread, Bo Diddley is my favorite of all the "big name" artists of the fifties. The song that got my brothers and I into his music way back in 1971 was "Say Man":

 

Bo Diddley had some of the best album covers of his era.