June 2nd 2008
View attachment 63398
Background information
Birth name Ellas Otha Bates
Also known as Ellas McDaniel
Born December 30, 1928(1928-12-30)
Origin Chicago
Died June 2, 2008 (aged 79)
Genre(s) Rock and roll, blues, rhythm and blues
Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter, musician
Instrument(s) Vocals, guitar, violin, synthesizer, synthitar, electric piano, piano, organ, percussion, drums
Years active 1951 - 2008
Bo Diddley (December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008) was an influential American rock and roll singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Often cited as a key figure in the transition from blues to rock and roll, he introduced more insistent, driving rhythms and a hard-edged guitar sound. He was also known for his characteristic rectangular guitar.
Early life and career
Born in McComb, Mississippi as Ellas Otha Bates, he was adopted and raised by his mother's cousin, Gussie McDaniel, whose surname he assumed, becoming Ellas McDaniel. The family moved to Chicago when he was seven. He took violin lessons as a youth, but was inspired to become a guitarist after seeing John Lee Hooker.
He worked as a carpenter and mechanic, but also began a musical career playing on street corners with friends, including Jerome Green (c. 1934–1973), as a band called the Hipsters (later the Langley Avenue Jive Cats). In 1951, he landed a regular spot at the 708 Club on Chicago's South Side, with a repertoire influenced by Louis Jordan, John Lee Hooker, and Muddy Waters. He adopted the stage name, Bo Diddley, which is probably a southern black slang phrase meaning "nothing at all", as in "he ain't bo diddley". Another source says it was his nickname as a teenage Golden Gloves boxer. The nickname is also linked to the diddley bow, a two-stringed instrument that was used in the south by black musicians working in the fields.
In late 1954, he teamed up with harmonica player Billy Boy Arnold, drummer Clifton James and bass player Roosevelt Jackson, and recorded demos of "I'm A Man" and "Bo Diddley". They re-recorded the songs at Chess Studios with a backing ensemble comprising Otis Spann (piano), Lester Davenport (harmonica), Frank Kirkland (drums) and Jerome Green (maracas). The record was released in March 1955, and the A-side, "Bo Diddley", became a #1 R&B hit.
The Bo Diddley beat and guitar
Bo Diddley was well known for the "Bo Diddley beat," a rumba-like beat (see clave), 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. Referred to as a "shave and a haircut" beat, Diddley came across it while trying to play Gene Autry's "(I've Got Spurs That) Jingle, Jangle, Jingle". Three years before Bo's "Bo Diddley", a song that closely resembles it, "Hambone," was cut by Red Saunders' Orchestra with The Hambone Kids.
In its simplest form, the Bo Diddley beat can be counted out as a two-bar phrase:
"One and two and three and four and one and two and three and four and..." The bolded counts are the clave rhythm.
His 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 own recordings, Bo Diddley used a variety of rhythms, from straight back beat to pop ballad style, frequently with maracas by Jerome Green.
Also an influential guitar player, he developed many special effects and other innovations in tone and attack. Bo Diddley's trademark instrument was the rectangular-bodied Gretsch, nicknamed "The Twang Machine." Although he had other similar-shaped guitars custom-made for him by other manufacturers, he fashioned this guitar himself around 1958 and wielded it in thousands of concerts over the years. In a 2005 interview on JJJ radio in Australia, Bo implied that the design sprang from an embarrassing moment. In an early gig, while jumping around on stage with a Gibson L5 guitar, he landed awkwardly hurting his groin. [citation needed] He then went about designing a smaller, less restrictive guitar that permitted him 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 12-bar blues.
He often created lyrics as witty and humorous adaptations of 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 rap-style boasting of "Who Do You Love", a wordplay on hoodoo, used many striking lyrics from the African-American tradition of toasts and boasts. His "Say Man" and "Say Man, Back Again" both share a strong connection to the insult game known as the dozens. 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".
Success in the 1950s and 1960sOn November 20, 1955, he appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show only to infuriate the host. "I did two songs and he got mad," Bo Diddley later recalled. "Ed Sullivan said that I was one of the first colored boys to ever double-cross him. Said that I wouldn't last six months". Bo Diddley was asked to sing Tennessee Ernie Ford's hit "Sixteen Tons", but when he appeared on stage, he sang "Bo Diddley." He was banned from further appearances.
He continued to have hits through the late 1950s and the 1960s, including "Pretty Thing" (1956), "Say Man" (1959) and "You Can't Judge a Book By the Cover" (1962). He released a string of albums whose titles — including Bo Diddley Is a Gunslinger and Have Guitar, Will Travel — bolstered his self-invented legend. Between 1958 and 1963, Checker Records released 11 full-length albums by Bo Diddley. Although Bo Diddley was a breakthrough crossover artist with white audiences, appearing on the Alan Freed concerts, for example, he rarely tailored his compositions to teenage concerns.
In 1963, he starred in a UK concert tour with the Everly Brothers and Little Richard. The Rolling Stones, still unknown, were much lower on the same bill. Over the decades, his performances have ranged from sweaty Chicago clubs to rock and roll oldies tours. He appeared as an opening act for The Clash in 1979 and as a guest of the Rolling Stones. On March 25, 1972, he played with The Grateful Dead at the Academy of Music in New York City. This concert was released for the Grateful Dead's Dick's Picks live album series as Volume 30.
In addition to the many songs identified with him, he wrote the pioneering pop song "Love Is Strange" for Mickey & Sylvia under a pseudonym.
Bo Diddley was one of the first American musicians to have women in his band, including Peggy Jones (aka Lady Bo, b. 1940), Norma-Jean Wofford (aka The Duchess, c. 1942-2005) and Cornelia Redmond (aka Cookie). He also set up one of the first home recording studios.
The later years
In recent years, Bo Diddley had received numerous accolades in recognition of his role as one of the founding fathers of rock and roll. In 1986, he was inducted into the Washington Area Music Association's Hall of Fame. The following year saw his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His pioneering contribution to rockabilly has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. In 1996, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation. The following year saw his 1955 recording of his song "Bo Diddley" inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame as a recording of lasting qualitative or historical significance. He received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1998.
In the late 1980's he teamed with Bo Jackson in the Nike infamous Bo Knows commericals. Saying his one line "Bo you don't know Diddley!"
The start of the new millennium saw Bo Diddley inducted into the Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame and into the North Florida Music Association's Hall of Fame. In 2002, he received a Pioneer in Entertainment Award from the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters and a Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI) Icon Award.
In 2003, U.S. Representative John Conyers paid tribute to Bo Diddley in the United States House of Representatives who described him as "one of the true pioneers of rock and roll, who has influenced generations".
In 2004, Mickey and Sylvia's 1956 recording of his song, "Love Is Strange," was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame as a recording of qualitative or historical significance, and he was inducted into the Blues Foundation's Blues Hall of Fame. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked him #20 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
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 and in the UK, Uncut magazine included his 1958 debut album "Bo Diddley" in its listing of the '100 Music, Movie & TV Moments That Have Changed The World'.
In 2006, Bo Diddley participated as the headliner of a grass-roots organized fundraiser concert, to benefit the town of Ocean Springs, Mississippi, which was devastated by Hurricane Katrina. The "Florida Keys for Katrina Relief" was originally set for October 23, 2005, but Hurricane Wilma barreled through the Florida Keys on October 24, causing flooding and economic mayhem. In January 2006, the Florida Keys had recovered enough to host the fundraising concert to benefit the more hard-hit community of Ocean Springs. When asked about the fundraiser Bo Diddley stated, "This is the United States of America. We believe in helping one another."
He spent many years in New Mexico, not only as a musician, but as a law officer.[13]He lived in Los Lunas from 1971 to 1978 while continuing his musical career. Bo Diddley served for two and a half years as Deputy Sheriff in the Valencia County Citizens' Patrol; during that time he personally purchased and donated three highway patrol pursuit cars.
For the remainder of his life he resided in Archer, Florida, a small farming town near Gainesville, Florida, where he attended a born again Christian church with some of his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He continued to tour around the world, and as of the summer of 2006, he was planning to record some faith-based songs, at least some of which would be utilizing his own original music.
Bo Diddley performed a number of shows around the country in 2005 and 2006 with the Johnnie Johnson Band, featuring Johnson on keyboards, Richard Hunt on drums and Gus Thornton on bass.
Recent Illness and Death
On May 17, 2007, Bo Diddley was admitted to intensive care in Creighton University Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska, following a stroke during a concert at Council Bluffs, Iowa on May 13. He had a history of hypertension and diabetes, and the stroke affected the left side of his brain, causing receptive and expressive dysphasia. The hospital reported him in "guarded" condition at the time.
While recovering from the massive stroke and heart attack, he came back to his home town of McComb for the unveiling of a plaque, on the National Blues Trail devoted to him. The plaque stated he was "acclaimed as a founder of rock and roll." He was not supposed to perform but as he listened to the music of local musician Jesse Robinson, who sang a song written for this occasion, Robinson sensed Bo Diddley wanted to perform and handed him a microphone. That was the first time Bo Diddley performed publicly since his stroke and heart attack.
On June 2, 2008, Bo Diddley died at the age of 79 of heart failure at his home in Archer, Florida Garry Mitchell, a grandson of Diddley and one of more than 35 family members at the musician's home when he died at about 1:45 a.m. EDT (0545 GMT), said his death was not unexpected. "There was a gospel song that was sung and he said 'wow' with a thumbs up," Mitchell told Reuters, when asked to describe the scene at Diddley's deathbed. "The song was 'Walk Around Heaven' and in his last words he stated that he was going to heaven."
Cover versions and tributes
The Bo Diddley beat has been used by many other 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 (see above) ("Hey Little Girl"); Johnny Otis ("Willie and the Hand Jive"); George Michael ("Faith"); Normaal ("Kearl van stoahl"); The Strangeloves ("I Want Candy"); Ace Frehley ("New York Groove"); Primal Scream ("Movin' on up"); 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)".The Who's "Magic Bus" also is based upon the distinctive "Bo Diddley Beat". His own songs have been frequently covered. The Clash recorded "Mona" during the London Calling sessions. The Animals and Bob Seger both recorded "The Story of Bo Diddley". The Who, The Remains and The Yardbirds covered "I'm a Man", and The Woolies, George Thorogood and Juicy Lucy had hits with "Who Do You Love", which was also covered by Quicksilver Messenger Service, Patti Smith and The Jesus and Mary Chain, and was a concert favorite of The Doors. Chris Isaak covered "Diddley Daddy" on his third album, Heart Shaped World. Diddley's "Road Runner" was also frequently covered in concert by bands including Humble Pie and The Who, and on Aerosmith's album Honkin' on Bobo. Guru Guru - a popular Krautrock band - performed "Bo Diddley" on their live album Essen 1970, though the track cuts off rather abruptly at the twelve-minute mark. Both Eric Clapton and Creedence Clearwater Revival covered "Before You Accuse Me". Velvet Underground drummer Maureen Tucker counts Diddley as one of her chief influences and covered "Bo Diddley" on her solo album, Life in Exile After Abdication. Tom Petty has played "I Need You Baby (Mona)" in concert, and even performed it with Diddley himself in 1999.
In 1963, Buddy Holly's version of "Bo Diddley" provided him with a top-ten posthumous hit in the UK, peaking at No. 7 in the summer of that year. The B-side of Holly's 1958 hit, "Oh Boy", namely "Not Fade Away" (written in part by Holly under the pseudonym Charles Hardin [he was christened Charles Hardin Holley]) also featured the classic Bo Diddley beat and inspired The Rolling Stones 1964 version, which was their second UK release (peaking at No. 7 in the UK early in 1964) and their first release in the United States.
Muddy Waters' "Mannish Boy" (originally "Manish Boy") was an adaptation of Bo Diddley's "I'm a Man" and also an answer song, the title being Muddy Waters' take on his younger rival. Tiny Letters recorded a song called "song to Jerome Green," about Bo's maraca player. "Say Man" was Bo Diddley's only Top 40 hit. David Lindley recorded a tribute song entitled "Pay Bo Diddley". The Jesus and Mary Chain covered "Who Do You Love" on their 12" "April Skies" in 1987 and in the same year recorded a tribute song "Bo Diddley is Jesus" on a 2x7". Elliott Murphy used both his name and beat in his song "Bilbao Bo Diddley". Ronnie Hawkins recorded and covered "Hey Bo Diddley", "Bo Diddley" and "Who Do You Love" during his many recording sessions, including those with his backing band of the time, The Hawks, who later became known as The Band. The Finnish rock/blues band Max on the Rox also covered "Who Do You Love" in their second album, Rox II.
Diddley was also very popular by proto-punk musicians and later in the punk scene. For example both the New York Dolls and The Lurkers recorded their own version of his song "Pills", and Diddley was the opening act on The Clash's first U.S. tour.
Bo Diddley's song "Who Do You Love" can be heard in the intro credits to the movie La Bamba.
He also appeared on a 2003 episode of the sitcom According to Jim entitled "Bo Diddley".
He also had a small role as a pawnbroker in the 1983 film Trading Places, starring Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd.
Appeared in George Thorogood's "Bad To The Bone" video. The song "Bad To The Bone" itself is a re-work of Diddley's "I'm A Man."
Historic marker
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.
Discography
Bo Diddley (1958)
Go Bo Diddley (1959)
Have Guitar Will Travel (1960) [1]
Bo Diddley in the Spotlight (1960)
Bo Diddley Is a Gunslinger (1960) (Checker 2977) Album Cover
Bo Diddley Is a Lover (1961)
Bo Diddley's a Twister (1962)
Bo Diddley (1962)
Bo Diddley & Company (1962)
Surfin' with Bo Diddley (1963)
Bo Diddley's Beach Party (1963)
Bo Diddley's 16 All-Time Greatest Hits (1964)
Two Great Guitars (with Chuck Berry) (1964)
Hey Good Lookin' (1965)
500% More Man (1965)
The Originator (1966)
Super Blues (with Muddy Waters & Little Walter) (1967)
Super Super Blues Band (with Muddy Waters & Howlin' Wolf) (1967)
The Black Gladiator (1970)
Another Dimension (1971)
Where It All Began (1972)
Got My Own Bag of Tricks (1972)
The London Bo Diddley Sessions (1973)
Big Bad Bo (1974)
20th Anniversary of Rock & Roll (1976)
I'm a Man (1977)
Ain't It Good To Be Free (1983)
Bo Diddley & Co - Live (1985)
Hey...Bo Diddley in Concert (1986)
Breakin' Through the BS (1989)
Living Legend (1989)
Rare & Well Done (1991)
Live at the Ritz (with Ronnie Wood) (1992)
This Should Not Be (1993)
Promises (1994)
A Man Amongst Men (1996)
Moochas Gracias (with Anna Moo) (2002)
Dick's Picks #30 (1972 5-song Live Session with The Grateful Dead) (2003)
God Bless Him
Take Care All
View attachment 63398
Background information
Birth name Ellas Otha Bates
Also known as Ellas McDaniel
Born December 30, 1928(1928-12-30)
Origin Chicago
Died June 2, 2008 (aged 79)
Genre(s) Rock and roll, blues, rhythm and blues
Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter, musician
Instrument(s) Vocals, guitar, violin, synthesizer, synthitar, electric piano, piano, organ, percussion, drums
Years active 1951 - 2008
Bo Diddley (December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008) was an influential American rock and roll singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Often cited as a key figure in the transition from blues to rock and roll, he introduced more insistent, driving rhythms and a hard-edged guitar sound. He was also known for his characteristic rectangular guitar.
Early life and career
Born in McComb, Mississippi as Ellas Otha Bates, he was adopted and raised by his mother's cousin, Gussie McDaniel, whose surname he assumed, becoming Ellas McDaniel. The family moved to Chicago when he was seven. He took violin lessons as a youth, but was inspired to become a guitarist after seeing John Lee Hooker.
He worked as a carpenter and mechanic, but also began a musical career playing on street corners with friends, including Jerome Green (c. 1934–1973), as a band called the Hipsters (later the Langley Avenue Jive Cats). In 1951, he landed a regular spot at the 708 Club on Chicago's South Side, with a repertoire influenced by Louis Jordan, John Lee Hooker, and Muddy Waters. He adopted the stage name, Bo Diddley, which is probably a southern black slang phrase meaning "nothing at all", as in "he ain't bo diddley". Another source says it was his nickname as a teenage Golden Gloves boxer. The nickname is also linked to the diddley bow, a two-stringed instrument that was used in the south by black musicians working in the fields.
In late 1954, he teamed up with harmonica player Billy Boy Arnold, drummer Clifton James and bass player Roosevelt Jackson, and recorded demos of "I'm A Man" and "Bo Diddley". They re-recorded the songs at Chess Studios with a backing ensemble comprising Otis Spann (piano), Lester Davenport (harmonica), Frank Kirkland (drums) and Jerome Green (maracas). The record was released in March 1955, and the A-side, "Bo Diddley", became a #1 R&B hit.
The Bo Diddley beat and guitar
Bo Diddley was well known for the "Bo Diddley beat," a rumba-like beat (see clave), 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. Referred to as a "shave and a haircut" beat, Diddley came across it while trying to play Gene Autry's "(I've Got Spurs That) Jingle, Jangle, Jingle". Three years before Bo's "Bo Diddley", a song that closely resembles it, "Hambone," was cut by Red Saunders' Orchestra with The Hambone Kids.
In its simplest form, the Bo Diddley beat can be counted out as a two-bar phrase:
"One and two and three and four and one and two and three and four and..." The bolded counts are the clave rhythm.
His 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 own recordings, Bo Diddley used a variety of rhythms, from straight back beat to pop ballad style, frequently with maracas by Jerome Green.
Also an influential guitar player, he developed many special effects and other innovations in tone and attack. Bo Diddley's trademark instrument was the rectangular-bodied Gretsch, nicknamed "The Twang Machine." Although he had other similar-shaped guitars custom-made for him by other manufacturers, he fashioned this guitar himself around 1958 and wielded it in thousands of concerts over the years. In a 2005 interview on JJJ radio in Australia, Bo implied that the design sprang from an embarrassing moment. In an early gig, while jumping around on stage with a Gibson L5 guitar, he landed awkwardly hurting his groin. [citation needed] He then went about designing a smaller, less restrictive guitar that permitted him 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 12-bar blues.
He often created lyrics as witty and humorous adaptations of 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 rap-style boasting of "Who Do You Love", a wordplay on hoodoo, used many striking lyrics from the African-American tradition of toasts and boasts. His "Say Man" and "Say Man, Back Again" both share a strong connection to the insult game known as the dozens. 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".
Success in the 1950s and 1960sOn November 20, 1955, he appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show only to infuriate the host. "I did two songs and he got mad," Bo Diddley later recalled. "Ed Sullivan said that I was one of the first colored boys to ever double-cross him. Said that I wouldn't last six months". Bo Diddley was asked to sing Tennessee Ernie Ford's hit "Sixteen Tons", but when he appeared on stage, he sang "Bo Diddley." He was banned from further appearances.
He continued to have hits through the late 1950s and the 1960s, including "Pretty Thing" (1956), "Say Man" (1959) and "You Can't Judge a Book By the Cover" (1962). He released a string of albums whose titles — including Bo Diddley Is a Gunslinger and Have Guitar, Will Travel — bolstered his self-invented legend. Between 1958 and 1963, Checker Records released 11 full-length albums by Bo Diddley. Although Bo Diddley was a breakthrough crossover artist with white audiences, appearing on the Alan Freed concerts, for example, he rarely tailored his compositions to teenage concerns.
In 1963, he starred in a UK concert tour with the Everly Brothers and Little Richard. The Rolling Stones, still unknown, were much lower on the same bill. Over the decades, his performances have ranged from sweaty Chicago clubs to rock and roll oldies tours. He appeared as an opening act for The Clash in 1979 and as a guest of the Rolling Stones. On March 25, 1972, he played with The Grateful Dead at the Academy of Music in New York City. This concert was released for the Grateful Dead's Dick's Picks live album series as Volume 30.
In addition to the many songs identified with him, he wrote the pioneering pop song "Love Is Strange" for Mickey & Sylvia under a pseudonym.
Bo Diddley was one of the first American musicians to have women in his band, including Peggy Jones (aka Lady Bo, b. 1940), Norma-Jean Wofford (aka The Duchess, c. 1942-2005) and Cornelia Redmond (aka Cookie). He also set up one of the first home recording studios.
The later years
In recent years, Bo Diddley had received numerous accolades in recognition of his role as one of the founding fathers of rock and roll. In 1986, he was inducted into the Washington Area Music Association's Hall of Fame. The following year saw his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His pioneering contribution to rockabilly has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. In 1996, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation. The following year saw his 1955 recording of his song "Bo Diddley" inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame as a recording of lasting qualitative or historical significance. He received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1998.
In the late 1980's he teamed with Bo Jackson in the Nike infamous Bo Knows commericals. Saying his one line "Bo you don't know Diddley!"
The start of the new millennium saw Bo Diddley inducted into the Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame and into the North Florida Music Association's Hall of Fame. In 2002, he received a Pioneer in Entertainment Award from the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters and a Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI) Icon Award.
In 2003, U.S. Representative John Conyers paid tribute to Bo Diddley in the United States House of Representatives who described him as "one of the true pioneers of rock and roll, who has influenced generations".
In 2004, Mickey and Sylvia's 1956 recording of his song, "Love Is Strange," was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame as a recording of qualitative or historical significance, and he was inducted into the Blues Foundation's Blues Hall of Fame. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked him #20 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
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 and in the UK, Uncut magazine included his 1958 debut album "Bo Diddley" in its listing of the '100 Music, Movie & TV Moments That Have Changed The World'.
In 2006, Bo Diddley participated as the headliner of a grass-roots organized fundraiser concert, to benefit the town of Ocean Springs, Mississippi, which was devastated by Hurricane Katrina. The "Florida Keys for Katrina Relief" was originally set for October 23, 2005, but Hurricane Wilma barreled through the Florida Keys on October 24, causing flooding and economic mayhem. In January 2006, the Florida Keys had recovered enough to host the fundraising concert to benefit the more hard-hit community of Ocean Springs. When asked about the fundraiser Bo Diddley stated, "This is the United States of America. We believe in helping one another."
He spent many years in New Mexico, not only as a musician, but as a law officer.[13]He lived in Los Lunas from 1971 to 1978 while continuing his musical career. Bo Diddley served for two and a half years as Deputy Sheriff in the Valencia County Citizens' Patrol; during that time he personally purchased and donated three highway patrol pursuit cars.
For the remainder of his life he resided in Archer, Florida, a small farming town near Gainesville, Florida, where he attended a born again Christian church with some of his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He continued to tour around the world, and as of the summer of 2006, he was planning to record some faith-based songs, at least some of which would be utilizing his own original music.
Bo Diddley performed a number of shows around the country in 2005 and 2006 with the Johnnie Johnson Band, featuring Johnson on keyboards, Richard Hunt on drums and Gus Thornton on bass.
Recent Illness and Death
On May 17, 2007, Bo Diddley was admitted to intensive care in Creighton University Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska, following a stroke during a concert at Council Bluffs, Iowa on May 13. He had a history of hypertension and diabetes, and the stroke affected the left side of his brain, causing receptive and expressive dysphasia. The hospital reported him in "guarded" condition at the time.
While recovering from the massive stroke and heart attack, he came back to his home town of McComb for the unveiling of a plaque, on the National Blues Trail devoted to him. The plaque stated he was "acclaimed as a founder of rock and roll." He was not supposed to perform but as he listened to the music of local musician Jesse Robinson, who sang a song written for this occasion, Robinson sensed Bo Diddley wanted to perform and handed him a microphone. That was the first time Bo Diddley performed publicly since his stroke and heart attack.
On June 2, 2008, Bo Diddley died at the age of 79 of heart failure at his home in Archer, Florida Garry Mitchell, a grandson of Diddley and one of more than 35 family members at the musician's home when he died at about 1:45 a.m. EDT (0545 GMT), said his death was not unexpected. "There was a gospel song that was sung and he said 'wow' with a thumbs up," Mitchell told Reuters, when asked to describe the scene at Diddley's deathbed. "The song was 'Walk Around Heaven' and in his last words he stated that he was going to heaven."
Cover versions and tributes
The Bo Diddley beat has been used by many other 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 (see above) ("Hey Little Girl"); Johnny Otis ("Willie and the Hand Jive"); George Michael ("Faith"); Normaal ("Kearl van stoahl"); The Strangeloves ("I Want Candy"); Ace Frehley ("New York Groove"); Primal Scream ("Movin' on up"); 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)".The Who's "Magic Bus" also is based upon the distinctive "Bo Diddley Beat". His own songs have been frequently covered. The Clash recorded "Mona" during the London Calling sessions. The Animals and Bob Seger both recorded "The Story of Bo Diddley". The Who, The Remains and The Yardbirds covered "I'm a Man", and The Woolies, George Thorogood and Juicy Lucy had hits with "Who Do You Love", which was also covered by Quicksilver Messenger Service, Patti Smith and The Jesus and Mary Chain, and was a concert favorite of The Doors. Chris Isaak covered "Diddley Daddy" on his third album, Heart Shaped World. Diddley's "Road Runner" was also frequently covered in concert by bands including Humble Pie and The Who, and on Aerosmith's album Honkin' on Bobo. Guru Guru - a popular Krautrock band - performed "Bo Diddley" on their live album Essen 1970, though the track cuts off rather abruptly at the twelve-minute mark. Both Eric Clapton and Creedence Clearwater Revival covered "Before You Accuse Me". Velvet Underground drummer Maureen Tucker counts Diddley as one of her chief influences and covered "Bo Diddley" on her solo album, Life in Exile After Abdication. Tom Petty has played "I Need You Baby (Mona)" in concert, and even performed it with Diddley himself in 1999.
In 1963, Buddy Holly's version of "Bo Diddley" provided him with a top-ten posthumous hit in the UK, peaking at No. 7 in the summer of that year. The B-side of Holly's 1958 hit, "Oh Boy", namely "Not Fade Away" (written in part by Holly under the pseudonym Charles Hardin [he was christened Charles Hardin Holley]) also featured the classic Bo Diddley beat and inspired The Rolling Stones 1964 version, which was their second UK release (peaking at No. 7 in the UK early in 1964) and their first release in the United States.
Muddy Waters' "Mannish Boy" (originally "Manish Boy") was an adaptation of Bo Diddley's "I'm a Man" and also an answer song, the title being Muddy Waters' take on his younger rival. Tiny Letters recorded a song called "song to Jerome Green," about Bo's maraca player. "Say Man" was Bo Diddley's only Top 40 hit. David Lindley recorded a tribute song entitled "Pay Bo Diddley". The Jesus and Mary Chain covered "Who Do You Love" on their 12" "April Skies" in 1987 and in the same year recorded a tribute song "Bo Diddley is Jesus" on a 2x7". Elliott Murphy used both his name and beat in his song "Bilbao Bo Diddley". Ronnie Hawkins recorded and covered "Hey Bo Diddley", "Bo Diddley" and "Who Do You Love" during his many recording sessions, including those with his backing band of the time, The Hawks, who later became known as The Band. The Finnish rock/blues band Max on the Rox also covered "Who Do You Love" in their second album, Rox II.
Diddley was also very popular by proto-punk musicians and later in the punk scene. For example both the New York Dolls and The Lurkers recorded their own version of his song "Pills", and Diddley was the opening act on The Clash's first U.S. tour.
Bo Diddley's song "Who Do You Love" can be heard in the intro credits to the movie La Bamba.
He also appeared on a 2003 episode of the sitcom According to Jim entitled "Bo Diddley".
He also had a small role as a pawnbroker in the 1983 film Trading Places, starring Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd.
Appeared in George Thorogood's "Bad To The Bone" video. The song "Bad To The Bone" itself is a re-work of Diddley's "I'm A Man."
Historic marker
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.
Discography
Bo Diddley (1958)
Go Bo Diddley (1959)
Have Guitar Will Travel (1960) [1]
Bo Diddley in the Spotlight (1960)
Bo Diddley Is a Gunslinger (1960) (Checker 2977) Album Cover
Bo Diddley Is a Lover (1961)
Bo Diddley's a Twister (1962)
Bo Diddley (1962)
Bo Diddley & Company (1962)
Surfin' with Bo Diddley (1963)
Bo Diddley's Beach Party (1963)
Bo Diddley's 16 All-Time Greatest Hits (1964)
Two Great Guitars (with Chuck Berry) (1964)
Hey Good Lookin' (1965)
500% More Man (1965)
The Originator (1966)
Super Blues (with Muddy Waters & Little Walter) (1967)
Super Super Blues Band (with Muddy Waters & Howlin' Wolf) (1967)
The Black Gladiator (1970)
Another Dimension (1971)
Where It All Began (1972)
Got My Own Bag of Tricks (1972)
The London Bo Diddley Sessions (1973)
Big Bad Bo (1974)
20th Anniversary of Rock & Roll (1976)
I'm a Man (1977)
Ain't It Good To Be Free (1983)
Bo Diddley & Co - Live (1985)
Hey...Bo Diddley in Concert (1986)
Breakin' Through the BS (1989)
Living Legend (1989)
Rare & Well Done (1991)
Live at the Ritz (with Ronnie Wood) (1992)
This Should Not Be (1993)
Promises (1994)
A Man Amongst Men (1996)
Moochas Gracias (with Anna Moo) (2002)
Dick's Picks #30 (1972 5-song Live Session with The Grateful Dead) (2003)
God Bless Him
Take Care All