Monday, June 02, 2008

RIP Bo Diddley

It is with great sadness that I note the passing of Bo Diddley. In this day and age of reverence for dropping mad beats, none should forget the man whose signature rhythmic sense was the a foundational pillar of rock'n'roll. Back in the early 80s I had a stack of obscure Bo Diddley albums that dated from the early 60s. His raw, sexually charged playing and thunderous rhythms were a revelation. Bo Diddley was more than a pioneer who inspired early blues based rock, his roaring tone on those early sides easily predated the use of distorted guitars and over driven amps often ascribed to Jimmy Page, the Kinks or a host of other pretenders. The manic energy that his tracks pulsed with was a pure precursor to the garage rock of the Stooges and his influence will continue to live on through the sounds and beats of anyone that picks up a guitar and smashes out an infectious rhythm.



From the description to the video: Bo Diddley... 1966, The Big TNT Show movie, fantastic and iconic guitar hero, with the marvellous Norma-Jean Wofford, aka "The Duchess", on the second square guitar, the amazing Bo-ettes, Lilly "Bee Bee" Jamieson and Gloria Morgan.

8 comments:

LuLu said...

I loved Bo Diddley - he was teh shit.

Chimera said...

Aaaaaahhhhh...damn. Modern music stars have a lot to thank him for -- not just the pelvis-twitching rhythms, but the stage presentations, as well.

Romantic Heretic said...

Sigh.

I hate to see history pass. :(

Frank Frink said...

That's an awesome clip, PSA, and one I messaged to Prole this morning.

Would have posted that myself at ACR earlier if it wasn't for a little health issue with which I'm currently dealing.

Hmmmm... still may post it tonite anyway.

'Teh Shit'. Yeah. He and Howlin' Wolf are the two that always do it for me.

Diddley-diddy-dum,
dum-dum, did-diddely
Diddley, Diddley, Diddley, Diddley, Daaaa-addy

KEvron said...

nice tribute, psa. diddley was SO essential to rock and roll, both in style and substance. a true maverick who remained relevant to this day.

nice, frank! i was gonna go look for that clip, but stopped short when i saw you'd ref'd it. bitchin' number.

KEvron

KEvron said...

oh, yeah: as touched on in the post, diddley was ahead of his time in showing the good grace and sensibilty to bring women players on stage with him. to quote kevin seconds, "not just boy's fun!"

KEVron

Frank Frink said...

KEvron, couldn't find a clip of Bo doing Diddley Daddy, only some Chris Isaak. Although I do likes me some Chris Isaak it just ain't quite the same as what Bo Knows.

The other one would have to be Who Do You Love. What would it be like to 'walk 47 miles of barb wire', 'use a cobra snake for a necktie, have 'a brand new house on the roadside made out of rattlesnake hide'? ;-)

Now come on darling let's take a little walk, and tell me who do you love

David Webb said...

What a loss.

Go back and watch that video again. Those of us who struggle with the guitar can only stare, mouthes agape, at his effortless way with the guitar.

And have you ever seen the like of "The Duchess"?