Friday Afternoon Stompin’ at the 2022 Birthday of the Incomparable Bo Diddley

by Robert Wilkinson

December 30 is the birthday of Mister Ellas Otha Bates, aka Ellas McDaniel, who was none other than the legendary Bo Diddley! This amazing musician gave the world "the Bo Diddley beat" and influenced countless songwriters and performers. He would have been 93 today.

Bo Diddley (December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008) crashed into the rhythm and blues scene in 1955 with "Bo Diddley," and never looked back. His driving rhythms and signature beat influenced everyone from Buddy Holly to the Rolling Stones to the Grateful Dead, and his songs have been covered by some great talent! It's legend that he so pissed off Ed Sullivan by doing "Bo Diddley" rather than "16 Tons" that Sullivan swore he'd never be back on and said he wouldn't last 6 months. Oh well, so much for Ed as prognosticator! (Given what he did to Buddy Holly, it’s clear Ed wasn’t thinking straight in those days. Or maybe thinking too “straight.”)

We'll begin with that first legendary appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in November 1955 where he performed his signature tune, "Bo Diddley." (This one includes Ed’s fumbled intro about Harlem and people dancing in the streets lets you know where he was at. And he really didn’t like that Bo Diddley beat…..)

Live in 1960, here's Bo in a smokin’ live tight delivery of "Road Runner."

We now go to a video clip from the 1964 TAMI show! Here’s our birthday boy cranking out “Hey Bo Diddley”

I also found a 1965 live performance of Bo Diddley of "Bo Diddley."

Written around the same time he was hanging out with Chuck Berry, who wrote "You Can't Catch Me," here's that song's twin, written and performed live by Bo Diddley on Shindig! in 1965, accompanied by Lady Bo (Peggy Jones) on rhythm guitar, cranking out "You Can't Judge a Book by Its Cover" (Her hair is VERY big!)

For those who don’t know, Peggy Jones (July 19, 1940 – September 16, 2015) was the first female rock guitarist featured in a band. While with Bo Diddley’s band, she also had her own band and was a multi-instrumentalist on other projects with Eric Burdon, James Brown, and Sam & Dave.

Live in 1965 on Hollywood A Go Go, here’s Bo live (with Lady Bo front and center!) performing ”Let the Kids Dance,” “Bo Diddley,” and “Let Me Pass”

Here's Bo live playing his box guitar at the Sevilla Expo in 1992 backed by Dave Edmunds, Steve Cropper, and a great horn section! We'll begin with the "B" side of "Bo Diddley," his monster hit "I'm A Man." The latter is one of the most covered songs in history. Here's the original of "I'm A Man."

I found the entire 13+ minute show! Here's Bo, Steve, and Dave cranking out "Bo Diddley," "I'm A Man," and "Who Do You Love."

To give you a sense of just how many he influenced, we'll begin with a 1965 audio-only track of Jimi Hendrix doing "I'm A Man," and live on Shindig! in 1965, an amazing electrifying performance of the Yardbirds featuring Jeff Beck doing "I'm A Man," with Jeff's guitar work somewhere north of incredible! For another treat, here are the Yardbirds in 1967 with Jimmy Page playing a much different kind of lead on “I’m A Man”

Live at the Hammersmith Apollo, Roger Daltrey and Jeff Beck live doing "I'm a Man"

As “I’m Alright” was a huge part of the Stones’ set list, here’s the 1963 original by Mister Bo Diddley! From his album Bo Diddley’s Beach Party, the iconic “I’m Alright.” And from the tour which produced Got Live If You Want It, the Rolling Stones live cranking out “I’m Alright.”

In a curious find, it seems Bo ripped himself off with “I’m Alright,” since he did this earlier “version” which is both similar and different to “I’m Alright.” From 1959, Bo Diddley cranking up “She’s Alright.”

From the 1972 London Rock and Roll Festival, Bo Diddley cranks it out with “Road Runner” and “Mona”

Last year I had a great clip of Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley live on The Old Grey Whistle Test in 1972 but this year it’s disappeared.

From 1973, Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley live

Also in 1973, a dynamic performance with great camera work of his live performance of "Hey Bo Diddley."

Last year I had 22 minutes of rare live footage from ABC TV in 1974, but it’s disappeared. Also gone is the 60 minute 1985 video Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley’s All Star Jam.

However, I found this 40 minute audio set from 1974! Bo Diddley & Cookie Vee Live in Sydney – 1974.

A great 1987 live performance in the Karlsson, Stockholm Sweden, of Bo doing "Mona." Here's Buddy Holly's 1957 version of "Mona," and here is an audio-only clip of the Rolling Stones live at London’s Camden Theatre in 1964 doing "Mona."

Here's a live 1999 performance at the Fillmore in SF by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers backing Bo Diddley doing "Mona." We'll close this with a great live outdoor performance by Quicksilver Messenger Service in 1969 at Sonoma State of "Mona."

Don't know when this was shot, but it's very rare footage of Bo cranking in a live performance of his second single "Diddley Daddy." Here's the original 1955 single on Checker Records of "Diddley Daddy."

Also from 1955, the audio-only studio version of his third single “You Pretty Thing”

Here's his fourth single on Checker, "Diddy Wah Diddy."

From 1961, the studio single of “Pills”

Recorded between 1955 and 1958, here’s his first album on Chess Records with all the early hits, including “Pretty Thing” and the monster hit “Who Do You Love”! Bo Diddley's First Album

For our final big Bo Diddley number we have the original 1956 studio version of his fifth single which he wrote to up the ante on Muddy Waters' "Hoochie Coochie Man." Here's the iconic "Who Do You Love?" This has been covered by more bands than I can count, so here are a few!

First, George Thorogood's audio-only version of "Who Do You Love?" which we’ll follow with an audio-only track of Jim Morrison and the Doors doing "Who Do You Love?"

This one's a great find! From December 1973 at the Winterland Ballroom, 20 minutes by one of the hardest rocking Bay area bands, Quicksilver Messenger Service, doing an amazing live performance of "Who Do You Love?" Here's an audio-only 1968 30 minute live performance by Quicksilver on KSAN AM of "Who Do You Love?

From 1988 in Tokyo, a great live performance of Bo Diddley and Ron Wood doing “Who Do You Love”

For our encore, here’s a treat! It’s the Animals with Eric Burdon on lead vocals in the studio version of “The Story of Bo Diddley”

In a strange twist, Bo also co-wrote the Mickey and Sylvia hit, "Love Is Strange." (Mickey gives us prototypical guitar licks in this obviously live performance on The Steve Allen Show.) Here's the Buddy Holly version of "Love Is Strange."

ps - In a great score, friend of the site Steve Taylor came up with this 40 minute gem! Bo Diddley - Off the Record

So thanks for the rhythm and blues, Mister Ellas McDaniels. You brought rock and roll one of its primary beats, and taught us how to shake it and shake it well! When that beat starts, it's impossible not to hit the dance floor. "Hey Bo Diddley..."

© Copyright 2022 Robert Wilkinson

from Aquarius Papers - Global Astrology https://ift.tt/GwAOFMP
via IFTTT