RIP Bo Diddley

[dANdeLION]

music.msn.com/music/article.aspx?news=317054&GT1=7702

[Menolly]

*nod*

I heard this as I was just now out and about, and was going to post myself.

I've seen him perform multiple times since we moved here to Gator Town a decade ago. He was always doing a benefit performance for a local school or something. My favorite was when he appeared with Bobby Mcferrin. The university arranged surprises for Mcferrin, and he would improvise to the surprise. My two favorites were the current nationally ranked gymnist who basically did her floor routine, and Bo Diddley.

Also, I was priviledged many years ago (mid-'80's) to be in Mr. Diddley's Archer home. My first husband was rhythm guitarist for a short time for a band Mr. Diddley's son was getting together, and I tagged along once. A kinder Southern gentleman would be harder to find...

[danlo]

Damm, we loved him out here, he was Sheriff of Los Lunas for a number of years (a little town south of Albuquerque). He'll be missed.

[sgt.null]

youtube.com/watch?v=zBAJXyF1HVc&feature=related

rip

[Lord Mhoram]

A legend.

[onewyteduck]

Thankyou Bo. Rest well!

The Diddley beat
In our opinion
06-04-2008
One by one, the pioneers of rock 'n' roll are passing away, or simply fading out, like so many withered leaves on a family tree. Elvis died too young. Chuck Berry, though 81, remains on tour. Jerry Lee Lewis is still kicking. And now Bo Diddley is gone, the signature sound of his homemade, box-shaped guitar silenced on Monday.

It is a monumental loss. Diddley's influence on guitarists — the hammer that's driven rock music since its inception — is renowned for its groove and originality. With its chunky rhythm, the "Bo Diddley beat" remains as quintessential to rock and rhythm-and-blues music today as do distorted guitars and cranked-up amps. It's no wonder that artists as diverse as Buddy Holly, Bruce Springsteen, U2 and George Michael used Diddley's signature beat in their work.

Without the twin tandem of Berry and Diddley in the 1950s, there would have been no rock-driven guitar heroes of the 1960s and beyond: No Jimi Hendrix, no Eric Clapton, perhaps no Rolling Stones. Rock and R 'n' B owes much of their popularity to the inventiveness of artists such as Diddley.

But don't fret. Dig out the old CDs. Departed pioneers can still be enjoyed. In that way, they'll always be with us, as influential as ever.

www.annistonstar.com/opinion/2008/as-ed ... 3v3837.htm