Bo Diddley

The Originator

by Erika Cox

Bo Diddley’s emphasis on hard driving rhythms and even a harder edgy guitar sound heavily influenced Rock and Roll music. His guitar techniques heavily influenced many Rock and Roll guitarists that followed especially in the 1960’s.

Bo Diddley was born Otha Ellas Bates on December 30, 1928 in McComb, Mississippi. He later changed his name to Ellas McDaniel after his mother’s cousin, who was his adoptive mother. His stage name Bo Diddley has been stated as having several meanings, one meaning is that it was taken from a Southern slang meaning “nothing at all”, so the meaning of the name Bo Diddley would be “he ain’t Bo Diddley”.

The next meaning is from a nickname given him when he was a boxer, and the last meaning is from the diddley bow, a one-string instrument used primarily by Southern Black musicians. Perhaps, the name is a combination of all these meanings since all of them seem to fit Bo Diddley.

Diddley was given his first guitar by his sister when he was a kid and he taught himself how to play. He also took violin lessons and played the trombone in his church choir. Bo Diddley was inspired to become a musician when he saw John Lee Hooker perform. At the age of seventeen, he performed in a three-man washboard band.

His career began when he signed with Chess Record’s affiliate label, Checker Records. Chess Records was known for recording some of the most popular Blues artists from the South when many Blues artists would travel north to Chicago and sign and record with Chess Records.

Although, most of his records were Rhythm and Blues songs he greatly influenced many Rock and Roll artists as an influential guitar, using many special effects and other innovations in tone and style.

Bo Diddley used a variety of rhythms in his songs from simple beats to pop ballads. His main focus was rhythm instead of harmony as can be seen in his famous hambone beat, also known as a "shave 'n' a haircut - two bits".

The hambone beat is a style used mainly by street performers who would make a beat by slapping and patting their arms, legs, and chest in a symbolic rhythmic pattern. His songs would have a simple chord pattern where the musicians would play the same chord throughout the entire song.

Bo Diddley also wrote songs and many of his songs were rerecorded by a number of artists in the 60’s, including the Animals, the Who, and the Yardbirds.

Bo Diddley was the first Black artist to appear on the Ed Sullivan show and purposely song two songs performing his popular number one hit “Bo Diddley” to irritate Ed Sullivan, which he did indeed, and was promptly banned from the show. Bo Diddley was definitely a pioneer, breaking through as a cross over artist and influencing many Rock and Roll artists that followed.

Most of Bo Diddley’s songs were humorous with many references to his name in the songs. His songs included many Black traditions including the “dozens” which is a lighthearted insult game and also “toasts and boasts”, which is similar to the bragging style in Rap music.

Bo Diddley has received numerous recgonitions as a pioneer and founding father of Rock and Roll music. In 1986, he was inducted into the Washington Area Music Association Hall of Fame, the following year he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.

In 1996, he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Rhythm and Blues foundation and in the following years he also received a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Grammys. His song, “Bo Diddley” was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame as having historical significance. And since the new millennium, Bo Diddley and his songs have received many more inductions and awards from various Hall of Fames and Associations across the country.

In 2003, he received a tribute by the United States House of Representatives and was described as “one of the true pioneers of Rock and Roll, who influenced many generations”. A True Original.

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Bo Diddley