Ellas Otha Bates, otherwise known as the legendary guitarist Bo Diddley died today. He was 79-years old.
The man who melded rhythm and blues, rock 'n' roll and his distinctive thumping beat wanted to go on tour again. He's got his wish. He has a whole new audience.
What is said about Henry Ford can be said about Bo Diddley. We can't be sure if we are better off for knowing him, but we can be sure that things aren't the same since he was here.
Bo Diddley -
1. Created the "Bo Diddley" beat which became the foundation for rock 'n' roll.
2. Influenced Buddy Holly, Johnny Otis, the Yardbirds, the Strangegloves, Bruce Springsteen, U2 and George Michael.
3. Showed us the electric guitar, tweaked instruments, any number of special effects, dark glasses, a black hat and a menacing look can fit rather nicely with earthy and blues music.
The beat -
4. Taught Bo Jackson that the younger Bo didn't know diddley.
5. Never got what he was 'owed.'
Bo felt he never was financially compensated for the influence he had. "'Well, it's no different from anything else, I guess. I started sumthin'. I just happened to be the first one,' he told the British magazine Uncut in 2005. 'But I never thought it would turn into what it did. Somebody had to be first, and it happened to be me.'"
Do you know diddley?
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