I guess I thought Bo Diddley would live forever, just like his influence on rock and roll music. A wave of sadness instantly hit me yesterday when I heard of his death. Like bluesman Robert Johnson before him, he was one of the tremendously influential African-American musical pioneers who never really received their due, especially where financial reimbursement was concerned. Without Bo (aka Ellas McDaniel) and his famous "Bo Diddley beat", rock as we know it would be a whole lot different.
I became aware of Bo Diddley's music in 1969 via the psychedelic S.F. band, Quicksilver Messenger Service. They covered Diddley's tunes Who Do You Love? and Mona on their Happy Trails LP, reinventing them somewhat in a cosmic swirl that was grounded by that infectious signature beat. I was intriqued by the mysterious and seemingly sinister lyrics: "I got 47 miles of barbed wire/I use a cobra snake for a necktie/I got a brand new house by the road side/Made from rattlesnake hide/I got a brand new chimney up on top/Made from a human skull/Now come on, baby, take a walk with me now/And tell me, who do you love?" Small wonder Diddley never achieved the record sales of Little Richard or Chuck Berry.....he was weird, wild, and way out there before it was cool.
And that guitar! He invented his own cigar-box styled guitar and experimented with new effects like reverb, echo, and distortion. He even played the guitar with his teeth and behind his back long before Jimi Hendrix mesmerized the world with the same tricks at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967. Besides Hendrix, Diddley inspired and influenced rock legends Buddy Holly, Eric Clapton, The Rolling Stones, The Doors, The Grateful Dead, and so many more. "Not Fade Away" by Buddy Holly is now a classic, covered by a vast number of bands. I heard the Dead play it many times, with the endearing call-and-response refrain, "you know our love will not fade away".
Our love won't fade away for you and your contributions to the music we love, Mr. McDaniel. Rest in peace.
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