Without Ellas B. McDaniel, it is likely we wouldn’t have rock ‘n’ roll — or at least rock ‘n’ roll as we know it.
McDaniel — better know as Bo Diddley — died this morning. He created a signature sound that has been a staple of musicians across the rock spectrum, from Buddy Holly and the Rolling Stones to The Clash, Bruce Springsteen, Bow Wow Wow and others. The Animals, Yardbirds, Jimi Hendrix, John Hammond Jr., the Flaming Groovies and others covered his songs.
The New York Times said that Diddley in the late 1950s,
along with Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis and a few others — helped reshape the sound of popular music worldwide, building it on the templates of blues, southern gospel and rhythm and blues. His original style of R&B influenced generations of musicians. And his Bo Diddley syncopated beat — three strokes/rest/two strokes — became a stock rhythm of rock ’n’ roll.
I saw Diddley play back in the late ’70s during a free show at a small venue in Hershey Park. My friend Rich and I were at the park as part of a sophomore class (I think) trip and heard the rock pioneer was going to be playing. The show was sparsely attended, but that mattered little. Diddley did not disappoint and, in the process, expanded my appreciation of rock music’s origins that I carried with me as I continued to explore music.
When Bo Diddley come to town,
The streets get empty and the sun go down,
Sheriff’s standing in the doorway,
You know he’s so scared to say.“Bo Diddley’s a Gunslinger” (1960)
Hank Kalet 