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Bo Diddley
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Born: Dec 30, 1928 in McComb, Mississippi. Died: June 2, 2008 in Archer, Florida. Style: R&B, Rock & Roll. Instruments: Guitar, Violin, Vocals. |
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He only had a few hits in the 1950s and early '60s, but as Bo Diddley sang, "You Can't Judge a Book by Its Cover." You can't judge an artist by his chart success, either, and Diddley produced greater and more influential music than all but a handful of the best early rockers. The Bo Diddley beat is one of rock & roll's bedrock rhythms, showing up in the work of Buddy Holly, the Rolling Stones, and even pop-garage knockoffs like the Strangeloves' 1965 hit "I Want Candy." Diddley's hypnotic rhythmic attack and declamatory, boasting vocals stretched back as far as Africa for their roots, and looked as far into the
future as rap. His trademark otherwordly vibrating, fuzzy guitar style did much to expand the instrument's power and range. But even more important, Bo's bounce was fun and irresistibly rocking, with a wisecracking, jiving tone that epitomized rock & roll at its most humorously outlandish and freewheeling...
His very first single, "Bo Diddley"/"I'm a Man" (1955), was a double-sided monster. The A-side was soaked with futuristic waves of tremolo guitar, set to an ageless nursery rhyme; the flip was a bump-and-grind, harmonica-driven shuffle, based around a devastating blues riff. But the result was not exactly blues, or even straight R&B, but a new kind of guitar-based rock & roll, soaked in the blues and R&B, but owing allegiance to neither. from All-Music Guide review by Richie Unterberger Chess Records was, and still is, the ultimate treasurehouse of Chicago blues, not to mention liberal sprinklings of early rock'n'roll, classic R&B, and sixties/seventies soul. Although the company ceased to be active in the mid-seventies, its catalogue lives on, and celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. source |
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As a live performer, Diddley was galvanizing, using his trademark square guitars (namely one of his Grestch guitars he nicknamed The Twang Machine) and distorted
amplification to produce new sounds that anticipated the innovations of '60s guitarists like Jimi
Hendrix. In Great Britain, he was revered as a giant on the order of Chuck Berry and Muddy
Waters. The Rolling Stones in particular borrowed a lot from Bo's rhythms and attitude in their early
days, although they only officially covered a couple of his tunes, "Mona" and "I'm Alright." Other
British R&B groups like the Yardbirds, Animals, and Pretty Things also covered Diddley standards
in their early days. Buddy Holly covered "Bo Diddley" and used a modified Bo Diddley beat on
"Not Fade Away"; when the Stones gave the song the full-on Bo treatment (complete with shaking
maracas), the result was their first big British hit.
from All-Music Guide review by Richie Unterberger |
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RealAudio Sound bites...
 Bo Diddley
I'm a Man
You Don't Love Me (You Don't Care)
Diddley Daddy
Pretty Thing
Coatamundi
Bo Diddley is Crazy
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Bo Diddley - Major Works, Timeline, Biography, Related Web Sites, Biblliography:
from Bo Diddley |
You can't judge an apple by lookin' at the tree You can't judge honey by lookin' at the bee You can't judge a daughter by lookin' at the mother You can't judge a book by lookin' at the cover Oh, can't you see -- whoa, you've misjudged me I look like a farmer but I'm a lover You can't judge a book by lookin' at the coverfrom You can't judge a book |
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