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Copyright © 2002-2004
by James P. Hauser except where otherwise noted.  All rights reserved.

The Blues and Rock 'n' Roll Connections

of

Bo Diddley

The wildest early rock 'n' roll performance ever recorded on film has just got to be Bo Diddley strumming away on his guitar while he sings, dances, and gyrates all over a stage graced by three sexy African-American women, with one of them--known as "The Duchess" and rumored to be Bo's sister--bending the strings on her own guitar in a way that would make any red-blooded male's mouth water.  I'm not sure whether it was part of the T.A.M.I. show or the TNT show, but it was absolutely awesome stuff!  If rock 'n' roll was ever a threat to "the American way", this was the proof caught on film.  Luckily, few white American fathers ever saw it.  Otherwise, rock 'n' roll would have been outlawed for sure.

Diddley built his brand of rock 'n' roll on a solid foundation of the blues.  He got hooked on the blues as a young teen after hearing John Lee Hooker's classic "Boogie Chillen", and went on to form a band which included maraca man Jerome Green and the fine blues harmonica player Billy Boy Arnold.  (Arnold eventually struck out on his own to record blues hits such as "I Wish You Would" and "I Ain't Got You".)

Bo hit the big time when he was signed to record for Chess, a label whose roster included Chicago blues masters such as Howlin' Wolf and Sonny Boy Williamson.  At Chess, he wrote and recorded a long string of classic rock songs including "Bo Diddley", "Who Do You Love", and "Mona (I Need You Baby)".  He also recorded "You Can't Judge a Book by Looking at the Cover", a song composed by the great bluesman Willie Dixon.  Outstanding blues musicians including Dixon, Otis Spann, Lester Davenport, and Lafayette Leake accompanied Diddley on many of the great tracks he recorded for Chess.  Bo even teamed up with Muddy Waters and bluesharp master Little Walter for an album titled Super Blues.  He also recorded the album Super Super Blues Band with Waters and Howlin' Wolf.

Bo was a huge influence on the British Invasion bands including The Who, The Rolling Stones, and The Animals.  When a reporter asked The Beatles what they wanted to see on their first trip to America, they responded with two names: Muddy Waters and Bo Diddley. The Pretty Things, a great Invasion band that (unfortunately) had little success in the USA, even named themselves after one of Diddley's songs.

Bo also influenced American musicians and bands such as Buddy Holly, The Doors, and Bruce Springsteen.  At one time, Springsteen regularly performed a medley of his Diddley-influenced "She's the One" and "Mona" which could blow the roof off a nuclear power plant.

Bo never had the kind of chart success enjoyed by Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and Fats Domino, but his contributions to early rock 'n' roll rank alongside theirs.

More of Bo Diddley's rock 'n' roll connections:

Below is a list of Bo Diddley's songs which have been recorded by rock musicians and bands.

"Bo Diddley" - The Animals, Buddy Holly, Ronnie Hawkins

"I'm a Man" - Jimi Hendrix, The Yardbirds, Iggy Pop, The MC5, Doctor Feelgood

"Pills" - New York Dolls

"Who Do You Love" - The Band; Eric Clapton; The Doors; The Grateful Dead; Golden Earring; Ronnie Hawkins; Hamilton, Joe Frank, and Dennison

"Mona (I Need You Baby)" - The Troggs, Humble Pie, Quicksilver Messenger Service

"Before You Accuse Me" - Eric Clapton, Creedence Clearwater Revival

"Roadrunner" - The Animals, Pretty Things

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