Bo Diddley

Diddley is dead.

yea I know on my birthday too. June 2nd.

R.I.P.

R.I.P

one of the greatest....

R.I.P

I remember buying a cassette in the early 80s that was a compilation of rock classics released by the MCA label. There was quite a bit of Southern Rock on it, Skynyrd, Rossington-Collins Band, Delaney and Bonnie... I think I may have bought the cassette for Joe Walsh's Rocky Mountain Way. But the one tune that stole the show was recorded 15-20 years before most of the stuff on the cassette. It was Bo Diddley's You Can't Judge a Book By Lookin' at the Cover (MCA owned the Chess masters). What an amazing song! I love the line where he takes a moment to address the listener. "Hear what else I gotta say. You got your radio turned down too low... turn it up!" I think there's a dead spot on the cassette where the tape stretched out from me constantly rewinding back to the beginning of the song.

If you go out searchin' for some good Bo Diddley music to honor the man's memory, make sure you find that song.

Turn it Up! a-billy

A true blues legend... rip Mr. Diddley : (

that band in heaven just keeps gettin' better...

He was scheduled to play the Rockin' 50s Fest in Green Bay last spring, and suffered his stroke just days before that. So I missed out on my chance to see a legend.

Thanks for the tip, Rickabilly. I'm gonna look up that song. I think the only Diddley songs I've got are "Bo Diddley" on a compilation, "Who Do You Love" from the La Bamba soundtrack, and a real gem: Surfin' With Bo Diddley, which was mentioned in the cnn.com article as one of his attempts to expand his audience by branching into other genres. Ahh, whatever. It's still awesome.

read the news earlier today... sounds like he kept rockin' right up to last year... RIP.
Hey Flatheadjack, looks like your birthday got lost in the Bo Diddley beat... Happy Birthday brother, all the best.

they're playin' a bunch of b. diddley in tribute at this online radio station, wbgo, and you can't judge a book by its cover is on now... : )

yea thanks burner1. YEa for my bands next show we are gona play a Bo Diddley song now. dont know which one yet. He its made my bday a little different. Its a bummer he was great.

You Can't Judge a Book By It's Cover sounds a tiny bit like Rock This Town - just the walkin' blues bass line of the intro of RTT, the rest of the song is different. But it has a similar rockin' energy that makes it my favorite of the Chess Diddley sides. That would be an awesome tune for any band to cover

Say Man is a novelty record which features Bo and one of his bandmates, Jerome Green, playing "the dozens" (trading insults) about each other's girls. It was Bo's biggest chart success, but in the long run, may be lesser known than Bo Diddley, Who Do You Love, and other Diddley classics.

Favorite line in that one: "Your girl's so ugly, she done look like she been whooped with an ugly stick!"

I saw Bo a couple of times in concert, and each time he outshone the other "oldies" acts with whom he shared the bill. The first time I saw him, I hung out after the show to get an autograph, only I didn't have anything for Bo to sign. I grabbed a "No Smoking" sign off the wall, and turned it over so he would have a blank canvas to write something. He turned it over, looked at me and said, "No, son, you shouldn't smoke!" and signed his name on the printed side over the fire marshall's. I now had a sign that adorned my room that said "No Smoking - by order of Bo Diddley."

Whenever I was offered a cigarette at a party or a bar, I wouldn't be a self-righteous jerk about it, I'd just say, "I'm sorry. Bo Diddley, one of the coolest cats on the planet, once told me I shouldn't smoke. You go ahead. I'm sticking with Bo on this one."

It was cool seeing him on the Bad to the Bone video, and loved that he was cast in Trading Places as the pawnshop dealer. And if you haven't seen Chuck Berry's Hail Hail Rock-n-Roll, it is a treat to see Chuck and Bo sort out the foolishness that is Little Richard.

Who Do You Love-a-billy

give it a positive spin, Flatheadjack; each year that you have a gig near your birthday, remember to play one for Bo. You'll be keeping his tunes alive.
Enjoy the birthday - one hour left!!

I am sad to hear of BO's passing. I am greatful that I was able to see him last year at the HOUSE of BLUES in Anaheim.

RIP Mr. BO DIDDLEY

My first taste of Bo,was from the La Bamba era.
Another great rock 'n' roller passes on.

Wee Mark.

Sad - and I hate all of the reports calling his famous lick the "shave and a haircut" lick.

They Dont make em like Bo Diddley thesedays
R.I.P
Carbon Cat UK

I just loved the late 50's for the images the songs portray...And the lyrics for "Who do you love" remain one of the alltime greats...."I walked 27 miles of barbed wire...." WOW

Saw Bo several times, got lucky...
tried a couple times to see Chuck Berry live over the years, but he always cancelled.... still would love to see him...just no road trip to MO, but thats prob what it would take..

He was A MAN!!!

I got to see him in 96 at a small rundown Biker bar outside of Chicago in 96. I chatted with him for a bit prior to the show and he was gracious enough to sign a record that I had brought. It's tough living in a house made of rattlesnake skin and using a cobra for a necktie. RIP Bo

He truly was a legend and will be missed. The old Chess records label really had one heck of a roster of artists. I look at his influence in this way...

Without Bo Diddley's "Who Do You Love?" (1956) ...

no Rolling Stones' "Not Fade Away" (1964) ...

Without Rolling Stones' "Stray Cat Blues" (1968)...

no Stray Cats (1979)...

Well, all are conceivable except maybe not the last "Connection".

Hey Captain Jones,

Don't forget Buddy Holly! He actually covered "Bo Diddley", and of course wrote "Not Fade Away". So squeeze him in there around 1957 or 58.

i saw him 3 times in mid 80's in manchester (UK) - got plectrum -(Mannys in NY) plus got him to sign an ep from 1962 with cool cover - he wasn't exactly friendly -more tolerant than anything - of my req for autograph - caught the plectrum when he threw it into crowd.

was excellent first time I saw him -has band from usa called bMT's with him - looked kind of rockabilly cool and did excellent support set - would have bought anything they had ever released but could never find anything - other 2 times were still really good.

Not gonna shortchange Bo, happened too often to him...

My last post shorted him by twenty miles "I walked FORTY-SEVEN miles of barbed wire"

my memory is shot and I'm no singer, hard enough to remember a bridge and turnarounds...

But for the record and the youngns out there...here is how to write a song.

Chords for this song: B A (play barre-chords from the 5th fret upwards)
just change between those chords
Intro: little riff:

e-----------------
B-----------------
G-----------------
D-----------------
A------5-7-5------
E--7-7-------7-7--

then start off with B and A; do lots of leads

Who Do You Love
(Ellas McDaniel) 1956

I walk 47 miles of barbed wire,
I use a cobra-snake for a necktie,
I got a brand new house on the roadside,
Made from rattlesnake hide,
I got a brand new chimney made on top,
Made out of a human skull,
Now come on take a walk with me, Arlene,
And tell me, who do you love?

Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?

Tombstone hand and a graveyard mind,
Just 22 and I don't mind dying.

Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?

I rode around the town, use a rattlesnake whip,
Take it easy Arlene, don't give me no lip,

Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?

Night was dark, but the sky was blue,
Down the alley, the ice-wagon flew,
Heard a bump, and somebody screamed,
You should have heard just what I seen.

Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?

Arlene took me by my hand,
And she said ooowee Bo, you know I understand.

Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?

(c) Arc Music Corp. (BMI)

R.I.P.
Bo was one of the most innovative guitar players ever, and he was truly a legend!
Plus, he played a Gretsch which makes him even cooler!!