Bo Diddley



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JANICE'S BLUES ALLEY PRESENTS

Bo Diddley



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Bo Diddley



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bo-diddley.comBo-diddley.com
Wikipedia -- Bo DiddleyWikipedia -- Bo Diddley
Mississippi Writers and Musicians Hall of FameMississippi Writers and Musicians Hall of Fame


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Born Ellas Otha Bates McDaniel on Dec 30, 1928 in McComb, MS. Died Jun 2, 2008 in Archer, FL

He only had a few hits in the 1950s and early '60s, but as Bo Diddley sang, "You Can't Judge a Book by Its Cover." You can't judge an artist by his chart success, either, and Diddley produced greater and more influential music than all but a handful of the best early rockers. The Bo Diddley beat � bomp, ba-bomp-bomp, bomp-bomp � is one of rock & roll's bedrock rhythms, showing up in the work of Buddy Holly, the Rolling Stones, and even pop-garage knock-offs like the Strangeloves' 1965 hit "I Want Candy." Diddley's hypnotic rhythmic attack and declamatory, boasting vocals stretched back as far as Africa for their roots, and looked as far into the future as rap. His trademark otherworldly vibrating, fuzzy guitar style did much to expand the instrument's power and range. But even more important, Bo's bounce was fun and irresistibly rocking, with a wisecracking, jiving tone that epitomized rock & roll at its most humorously outlandish and freewheeling.

Before taking up blues and R&B, Diddley had actually studied classical violin, but shifted gears after hearing John Lee Hooker. In the early '50s, he began playing with his longtime partner, maraca player Jerome Green, to get what Bo's called "that freight train sound." Billy Boy Arnold, a fine blues harmonica player and singer in his own right, was also playing with Diddley when the guitarist got a deal with Chess in the mid-'50s (after being turned down by rival Chicago label Vee-Jay). His very first single, "Bo Diddley"/"I'm a Man" (1955), was a double-sided monster. The A-side was soaked with futuristic waves of tremolo guitar, set to an ageless nursery rhyme; the flip was a bump-and-grind, harmonica-driven shuffle, based around a devastating blues riff. But the result was not exactly blues, or even straight R&B, but a new kind of guitar-based rock & roll, soaked in the blues and R&B, but owing allegiance to neither.

Diddley was never a top seller on the order of his Chess rival Chuck Berry, but over the next half-dozen or so years, he'd produce a catalog of classics that rival Berry's in quality. "You Don't Love Me," "Diddley Daddy," "Pretty Thing," "Diddy Wah Diddy," "Who Do You Love?," "Mona," "Road Runner," "You Can't Judge a Book by Its Cover" � all are stone-cold standards of early, riff-driven rock & roll at its funkiest. Oddly enough, his only Top 20 pop hit was an atypical, absurd back-and-forth rap between him and Jerome Green, "Say Man," that came about almost by accident as the pair were fooling around in the studio.

As a live performer, Diddley was galvanizing, using his trademark square guitars and distorted amplification to produce new sounds that anticipated the innovations of '60s guitarists like Jimi Hendrix. In Great Britain, he was revered as a giant on the order of Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters. The Rolling Stones in particular borrowed a lot from Bo's rhythms and attitude in their early days, although they only officially covered a couple of his tunes, "Mona" and "I'm Alright." Other British R&B groups like the Yardbirds, Animals, and Pretty Things also covered Diddley standards in their early days. Buddy Holly covered "Bo Diddley" and used a modified Bo Diddley beat on "Not Fade Away"; when the Stones gave the song the full-on Bo treatment (complete with shaking maracas), the result was their first big British hit.

The British Invasion helped increase the public's awareness of Diddley's importance, and ever since then he's been a popular live act. Sadly, though, his career as a recording artist � in commercial and artistic terms � was over by the time the Beatles and Stones hit America. He'd record with ongoing and declining frequency, but after 1963, he'd never write or record any original material on par with his early classics. Whether he'd spent his muse, or just felt he could coast on his laurels, is hard to say. But he remains a vital part of the collective rock & roll consciousness, occasionally reaching wider visibility via a 1979 tour with the Clash, a cameo role in the film Trading Places, a late-'80s tour with Ronnie Wood, and a 1989 television commercial for sports shoes with star athlete Bo Jackson.



-- Richie Unterberger of All Music Guide.
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LINKSYEARTITLE
1957Bo Diddley
1959Go Bo Diddley
1959Have Guitar, Will Travel
1960Bo Diddley In The spotlight
1961Bo Diddley Is A Gunslinger
1961Bo Diddley Is A Lover
1962Bo Diddley
1962Bo Diddley & Company
1962Bo Diddley�s A Twister
1962Hey, Bo Diddley
1963Bo Diddley�s Beach Party{Live}
1963Surfin� With Bo Diddley
1964Two Great Guitars {w/ Chuck Berry}
1965Hey, Good Looking
1965500% More Man
1965Let Me Pass
1966The Originator
1967Boss Man
1967Road Runner
1967Bo Diddley�s 16 All-Time Greatest Hits
1968Super Blues
1970The Black Gladiator
1971Another Dimension
1972Where It All Began
1973The London Bo Diddley Sessions
1974Big Bad Bo
1989Live At The Ritz
1989Pay Bo Diddley
1990The Chess Box
1991Rare And Well Done
1992Who Do You Love
1992Bo�s Guitar
1992Live: {Fan Club}
1994Live: {Triple X}
1994Promises
1995The Mighty Bo Diddley
1996A Man Amongst Men
1996Mona
1997His Best
1998Road Runner {Live}
2003Eddy Mitchell Presents: Bo Diddley
2004Tales From The Funk Dimension 1970-73: Drive By Bo
2005Vamp
2005In Concert: Live
2007You Can�t Judge A Book By The Cover
2007The Definitive Collection


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1957 Bo Diddley

01. Bo Diddley
02. I'm A Man
03. Bring It To Jerome
04. Before You Accuse Me
05. Hey! Bo Diddley
06. Dearest Darling
07. Hush Your Mouth
08. Say Boss Man
09. Diddley Daddy
10. Diddy Wah Diddy
11. Who Do You Love?
12. Pretty Thing


1959 Go Bo Diddley

01. Crackin' Up
02. I'm Sorry
03. Bo's Guitar
04. Willie And Lillie
05. You Don't Love Me (you don't care)
06. Say Man
07. The Great Grandfather
08. Oh Yeah
09. Don't Let It Go
10. Little Girl
11. Dearest Darling
12. Clock Strikes Twelve


1959 Have Guitar, Will Travel

01. She's Alright
02. Cops And Robbers
03. Run Diddley Daddy
04. Mumbling Guitar
05. I Need You Baby (Mona)
06. Say Man
07. Nursery Rhyme
08. I Love You So
09. Spanish Guitar
10. Dancing Girl
11. Come On Baby



1960 Bo Diddley In The spotlight

01. Roadrunner
02. Story Of Bo Diddley
03. Scuttle Bug
04. Signifying Blues
05. Let Me In
06. Limber
07. Love Me
08. Crawdad
09. Walkin' And Talkin'
10. Travelin' West
11. Deed And Deed I Do
12. Live My Life


1961 Bo Diddley Is A Gunslinger

01. Gun Slinger
02. Ride On Josephine
03. Doing The Crawdaddy
04. Cadillac
05. Somewhere
06. Cheyenne
07. Sixteen Tons
08. Whoa Mule (shine)
09. No More Lovin'
10. Diddling
11. Working Man
12. Do What I Say


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1961 Bo Diddley Is A Lover



1962 Bo Diddley



1962 Bo Diddley & Company



1962 Bo Diddley's A Twister



1962 Hey, Bo Diddley

01. Hey, Good Looking
02. Mush Mouth Millie
03. Bo Diddley's Hootnanny
04. London Stomp
05. Let's Walk Awhile
06. Rooster Stew
07. La-La-La
08. Yeah Yeah Yeah
09. Rainman
10. I Wonder Why
11. Brother Bear
12. Mummy Walk


1963 Bo Diddley's Beach Party{Live}

01. Memphis
02. Gun Slinger
03. Hey! Bo Diddley
04. Old Smokey
05. Bo Diddley's Dog
06. I'm All Right
07. Mr. Custer
08. Bo's Waltz
09. What's Bugging You?
10. Roadrunner


1963 Surfin' With Bo Diddley

01. What Did I Say?
02. White Silver Sands
03. Surfboard Cha Cha
04. Surf, Sink Or Swim
05. Piggy Back Surfers
06. Surfer's Love Call
07. Twisting Waves
08. Wishy Washy
09. The Hucklebuck
10. Ol' Man River
11. Oops He Slipped
12. Low Tide


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1964 Two Great Guitars {w/ Chuck Berry}

01. Liverpool Drive
02. Chuck's Beat
03. When The Saints Go Marching In
04. Bo's Beat
05. Fireball
06. Stay Sharp
07. Chuckwalk
08. Stinkey


1965 Hey, Good Looking



1965 500% More Man



1965 Let Me Pass



1966 The Originator



1967 Boss Man



1967 Road Runner

01. Hey! Bo Diddley
02. Say Boss Man
03. Bring It To Jerome
04. Mona
05. Before You Accuse Me
06. You Can't Judge A Book By It's Cover
07. Roadrunner



1967 Bo Diddley's 16 All-Time Greatest Hits

01. Bo Diddley
02. Bring It To Jerome
03. Hey! Bo Diddley
04. Dearest Darling
05. I'm A Man
06. Diddley Daddy
07. Pretty Thing
08. She's Alright
09. You Can't Judge A Book By It's Cover
10. Road Runner
11. Say Man
12. I'm Sorry
13. Bo Diddley's A Gunslinger
14. I'm Looking For A Woman
15. Who Do You Love
16. Hush Your Mouth


1968 Super Blues

01. Long Distance Call
02. Who Do You Love?
03. I'm A Man
04. Bo Diddley
05. You Can't Judge A Book By It's Cover
06. I Just Want To Make Love To You
07. My Babe
08. You Don't Love Me (you don't care)
09. Studio Chatter
10. Sad Hours
11. Juke



1970 The Black Gladiator



1971 Another Dimension



1972 Where It All Began



1973 The London Bo Diddley Sessions

01. Don't Want No Lying Woman
02. Bo Diddley
03. Going Down
04. Make A Hit Record
05. Bo-Jam
06. Husband-In-Law
07. Do The Robot
08. Sneakers Ona Rooster


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1974 Big Bad Bo



1989 Live At The Ritz



1989 Pay Bo Diddley



1990 The Chess Box

Disc 1
01. Bo Diddley
02 I'm A Man
03. You Don't Love Me (you don't care)
04. Diddley Daddy
05. Pretty Thing
06. Bring It To Jerome (alt.)
07. Bring It To Jerome (master)
08. Diddy Wah Diddy
09. I'm Looking For A woman
10. Who Do You Love?
11. Down Home Special
12. Hey! Bo Diddley
13. Mona
14. Say Boss Man
15. Before You Accuse Me
16. Say Man
17. Hush Your Mouth (alt.)
18. The Clock Strikes Twelve
19. Dearest Darling
20. Crackin' Up
21. Don't Let It Go
22. I'm Sorry
23. Mumbling Guitar
24. The Story of Bo Diddley
Disc 2
01. She's All Right
02. Say Man (alt)
03. Roadrummer
04. Spend My Life With You
05. Cadillac
06. Signifying Blues
07. Deed And Deed I Do
08. You Know I Love You
09. Look At My Baby
10. Aztec
11. Ride On Josephine
12. Back Home
13. Pills
14. (Untitled Instrumental)
15. I Can Tell
16. You Can't Judge A Book By It's Cover
17. Who May Your Lover Be?
18. The Greatest Lover In The World
19. 500% More Man
20. Ooh Baby
21. Bo Diddley 1969





1991 Rare And Well Done

01. She's Alright
02. Heart-O-Matic Love
03. I'm A Man
04. Little Girl
05. She's Fine, She's Mine
06. Bo Meets The Monster
07. I'm Bad
08. Blues Blues
09. Rock & Roll
10. No More Lovin'
11. Cookie-Headed Diddley
12. Moon Baby
13. I Want My Baby
14. Please Mr. Engineer
15. We're Gonna Get Married
16. I'm High Again


1992 Who Do You Love



1992 Bo's Guitar

1992 Live: {Fan Club}

01. He's A Hell Of A Man
02. Don't Handle The Merchandise
03. Get Up, Get Down
04. Bad Dad
05. Can I Put My Finger On It?



1994 Live: {Triple X}

01. He's A Hell f A Man
02. Don't Handle The Merchandise
03. Get Up, Get Down
04. Bad Dad
05. Can I Put My Finger On It?


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1994 Promises

01. Promises
02. Kids Don't Do It
03. Hear What I'm Saying
04. I'm Gonna Get Your Girlfriend
05. She Wasn't Raped



1995 The Mighty Bo Diddley

01. Ain't It Good To Be Free
02. Bo Diddley Put The Rock In Rock & Roll
03. Gotta Be A Change
04. I Don't Want Your Welfare
05. Mona, Where's Your Sister
06. Stabilize Yourself
07. I Don't Know Where I've Been
08. I Ain't Gonna Force It On You
09. Evil Woman
10. Let The Fox Talk


1996 A Man Amongst Men

01. Bo Diddley Is Crazy
02. Can I Walk You Home
03. Hey Baby
04. I Can't Stand It
05. He's Got A Key
06. A Man Amongst Men
07. Coatimundi
08. That Mule
09. Kids Don't Do It
10. Oops! Bo Diddley


1996 Mona

01. Hey! Bo Diddley
02. Roadrunner
03. Say Boss Man
04. Bring It To Jerome
05. Somebody Beat Me
06. I'm Sorry
07. Little Girl
08. Mona
09. You Can't Judge A Book By It's Cover
10. Tonight Is Ours


1997 His Best

01. Bo Diddley
02. I'm A Man
03. You Don't Love Me (you don't care)
04. Diddley Daddy
05. Pretty Thing
06. Bring It To Jerome
07. I'm Looking For A Woman
08. Who Do You Love?
09. Hey! Bo Diddley
10. Mona
11. Before You Accuse Me
12. Say Man
13. Dearest Darling
14. Crackin' Up
15. The Story Of Bo Diddley
16. Roadrunner
17. Pills
18. I Can Tell
19. You Can't Judge A Book By It's Cover
20. Ooh Baby


1998 Road Runner {Live}



2003 Eddy Mitchell Presents: Bo Diddley

01. Here Tis
02. My Babe
03. Willie And Lillie
04. Crackin' Up
05. Don't Let Go
06. Roadrunner
07. Bo Diddley
08. You Can't Judge A Book By It's Cover
09. Hush Your Mouth
10. Hey! Bo Diddley
11. Say Boss Man
12. I know


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2004 Tales From The Funk Dimension 1970-73: Drive By Bo

01. Elephant Man
02. Black Soul
03. Funky Fly
04. I Don't Like You
05. Shut Up Woman
06. Bad Moon Rising
07. Pollution
08. The Shape I'm In
09. Down On The Corner
10. Bad Side Of The Moon
11. Go For Broke
12. I've Had It Hard
13. Bad Trip
14. Hey Jerome
15. Infatuation
16. Take It All Off
17. Bo Diddley-Itis
18. Bite You
19. Hit Or Miss
20. Stop The Pusher


2005 Vamp

01. Intro/Bo Diddley
02. Doctor Jekyll
03. Everleen
04. I Don't know Where I've Been
05. You Can't Judge A Book By It's Cover
06. Roadrunner
07. I'm A Man
08. Mona


2005 In Concert: Live



2007 You Can't Judge A Book By The Cover

01. Intro/Bo Diddley Vamp
02. Doctor Jekyll
03. Everleen
04. I Don't Know Where I've Been
05. You Can't Judge A Book By It's Cover
06. Roadrunner
07. I'm A Man
08. Mona
09. Bo Diddley
10. I'm A Man
11. Diddley Daddy
12. Pretty Thing
13. I'm Looking For A Woman
14. Diddy Wah Diddy
15. Who Do You Love
16. I'm Bad
17. Cops And Robbers
18. Down Home Special


2007 The Definitive Collection

01. Bo Diddley
02. I'm A Man
03. You Don't Love Me (you don't care)
04. Diddley Daddy
05. Pretty Thing
06. Bring It To Jerome
07. I'm Looking For A woman
08. Who Do You Love?
09. Hey! Bo Diddley
10. Mona
11. Before You Accuse Me
12. Say Man
13. Dearest Darling
14. Crackin' Up
15. The Story Of Bo Diddley
16. Roadrunner
17. Pills
18. I Can Tell
19. You Can't Judge A Book By It's Cover
20. Ooh Baby


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