As we’ve been discussing Rolling Stone‘s “100 Greatest Guitar Songs” list week, a name that remains conspicuously absent is Bo Diddley. (Of course, even if the magazine forgot him, the band of the same name he inspired hasn’t.) In 2007, Blender knew to put him at eight on their “Top 28 Recognizable Guitars” list, and some would say he should’ve been higher. This is why lists are difficult: Where do you place an innovator in relation to his musical children? Regardless, Diddley died today of heart failure at the age of 79. NPR has a well-written obituary. Instead of words, we decided to celebrate the man with some examples of that Bo Diddley beat and what he did best.
“Hey, Bo Diddley” & “Bo Diddley,” 1960′s
“Road Runner, 1972″
Shredding
“I’m A Man”
“Who Do You Love” 45″
Rest in peace, Bo.
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A true musical innovator: In style, technique, rhythm, performance, even designing guitars and developing effects.
There’s a hole in my Mississippi heart today, that won’t soon be filled. So it goes, Mr. Diddley.
One of the best, thats for sure. Bo Diddley always made me smile because he would dance around and play guitar like a mad man let loose form an insane asylum. Oh the good old days of Bo Diddley. He came to Buffalo Once.
Shoulda included the Youtube of the work Bo Diddley is best-remembered for — the Nike Bo Jackson commercial. Bo, you don’t know Diddley!
I liked the AP piece on him as well
“Diddley, like other artists of his generations, was paid a flat fee for his recordings and said he received no royalty payments on record sales. He also said he was never paid for many of his performances.
“I am owed. I’ve never got paid,” he said. “A dude with a pencil is worse than a cat with a machine gun.”
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2008/06/02/ap5070632.html
One of the greats. God rest him.