Song:Hey Bo Diddley
Album:The Definitive Collection
Bo Diddley is a guitar legend despite not having the mass appeal of Chuck Berry. But he was a great live performer. Part of the problem is a lot of his songs, including Hey Bo Diddley, are just variations on his first big hit Bo Diddley. He was born Ellas Otha Bates Dec. 30, 1928 in McComb, MS. He was adopted and raised by his mother's cousin so he took her surname and became Ellas McDaniel when the family moved to Chicago in 1934. He grew up in church and was inspired by John Lee Hooker to take up the guitar. While working as a carpenter, McDaniel was playing on streetcorners and in clubs on Chicago's South Side. In 1954, he formed a band with harmonica player Billy Boy Arnold, bassist Roosevelt Jackson and drummer Clifton James. He recorded a demo of Bo Diddley and Leonard Chess took him into the studio in 1955. It was a #1 R & B hit. The stage name Bo Diddley is apparently the name of a singer that his adoptive mother knew. Hey Bo Diddley was the seventh single and it didn't chart. The Bo Diddley song was based on "hambone" with McDaniel's trademark guitar licks. So he was very limited as a songwriter and that made him a tough sell. But that beat is what made him a legend. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in 1987. This comp is adequate for most music fans. He continued to tour until he suffered a stroke and died on June 2, 2008 at age 79. Here's Bo Diddley performing Hey Bo Diddley and Bo Diddley in the 1966 film The Big TNT Show.
Great pick on Bo, but I have to disagree with your characterization of him as "a very limited songwriter." "Before You Accuse Me," "Love is Strange," I'm a Man," Road Runner," along with a number of other lesser known songs -- from the early days, through the 70s and 80s up to "I Can't Stand It," a low down gritty blues performed with Ron Wood on his last and Grammy nominated CD "A Man Amonst Men" (1996), to name a few -- have nothing in common, except the songwriter himself, the Mighty Bo Diddley.
ReplyDeleteExcept nobody except his rabid fans care about those songs. When it counted, he wasn't versatile enough. A lot of the blame for that could be laid at the feet of Leonard Chess. When Bo Diddley became a hit, they had to record an album very quickly. Like a typical record company owner, Chess wanted more of the same. MeDaniel was a nice guy so that's what he gave him. What do you think would have happened if Chess had tried that with Chuck Berry? And that's why Chuck sold more records and was a much bigger star. Nice guys finish last.
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