Bo Diddley, the guitarist who inspired the Rolling Stones, dies

 

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 8:04 AM on 03rd June 2008

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Bo Diddley, the pioneering guitarist who inspired The Beatles and the Rolling Stones, has died aged 79.

 

Last night Sir Mick Jagger, whose band covered Diddley's songs Mona and Crackin' Up, paid tribute to the Mississippi-born musician as an 'enormous force in music'.

 

Diddley died of heart failure yesterday morning at his home in Archer, Florida.

 

Sir Mick said: 'He was a wonderful, original musician who was an enormous force in music and was a big influence on the Rolling Stones.

 

 

Guitar legend: Bo Diddley has died aged 79

'He was very generous to us in our early years and we learned a lot from him. We will never see his like again.'

 

Diddley had a heart attack in August while on tour, three months after suffering a stroke which affected his ability to speak.

 

He had returned to Florida to continue rehabilitation.

 

Diddley, born Ellas Bates, was renowned for his home-made square guitar, dark glasses and black hat.

 

His first single, 1955's Bo Diddley, introduced record buyers to his signature rhythm. The B-side, I'm a Man, also became a rock standard.

 

Many other artists, including The Who, Bruce Springsteen and Elvis Costello, were inspired by Diddley's distinctive rhythm and guitar work.

 

His contribution to music was rewarded in 1999 with a lifetime achievement prize at the Grammy Awards.

 

Diddley was also an inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and had a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame,

 

It is thought the name Bo Diddley came from other youngsters when he was growing up in Chicago.

 

But some experts believe a possible source for the name is a one-string instrument used in traditional blues music called a diddley bow.

 

Diddley's major songs included Say Man, You Can't Judge a Book by Its Cover, Shave and a Haircut, Uncle John, Who Do You Love? and The Mule.

 

His influence was felt on both sides of the Atlantic. Buddy Holly borrowed his classic rhythm for the song Not Fade Away.

 

The Rolling Stones' bluesy remake of Holly's song gave them their first chart single in the U.S. in 1964.

 

The following year, The Yardbirds had a top 20 hit in the U.S. with their version of I'm a Man.

 

Diddley was also one of the pioneers of the electric guitar, adding reverb and tremelo effects.

 

In a 1999 interview he said: 'I came out of school and made something out of myself. I am known all over the globe, all over the world.

 

'There are guys who have done a lot of things that don't have the same impact that I had.'

R.I.P. :(

Bo Diddley Dies at 79

 

Can't believe no one posted about this. it kinda slipped by me. no one gets less credit than they desreve than bo diddley. truly a legend.

Bo Diddley dies at 79

 

Diddley beat

will never stop

Bo Diddley, the influential singer/songwriter often refereed to as "one of the founding fathers of Rock and Roll", died today at age 79 in his Archer, Florida home.

 

According to a spokesperson, the cause was heart failure. The musician had struggled with heart-related problems over the last year, suffering a stroke while on tour in May 2007 and a heart attack in August. Affecting his ability to speak, the stroke prompted Diddley to return to his Florida home for recovery. The spokesperson said that he was surrounded by family and friends when he died. Public and private services are scheduled for this weekend.

Diddley’s music influenced musicians such as Buddy Holly, who borrowed the bomp ba-bomp bomp, bomp bomp rhythm for his song “Not Fade Away.” The Rolling Stones later created a bluesy rendition of the same song as their first chart single in the United States in 1964. Many other artists copied elements of Diddley’s style, such as The Who, Elvis Costello and Bruce Springsteen.

Born in McComb, Mississippi with the name Ellas Bates, the rock pioneer adopted the moniker ‘Bo Diddley’ from some youngsters during the time he spent growing up in Chicago, according to a 1999 interview.

Known for his homemade square guitar, dark glasses and black hat, Diddley was an inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, had a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame, and received a lifetime achievement award in 1999 at the Grammy Awards. In recent years he also played for the elder President Bush and President Clinton. (Associated Press)

Diddley appreciated the honors he received, “but it didn’t put no figures in my checkbook.”

Leaving fans with much more than his musical legacy, Diddley said, “If you ain’t got no money, ain’t nobody calls you honey.”

Never listened to any of his music, but its always tragic when an influential musician dies.

I posted it the other day. You should have used "search".:rolleyes:

 

http://www.coldplaying.com/forum/showthread.php?t=45977&highlight=Bo+Diddley

Oh Mark, always up on the times.

I posted it the other day. You should have used "search".:rolleyes:

 

http://www.coldplaying.com/forum/showthread.php?t=45977&highlight=Bo+Diddley

 

There was no search! :thinking:

 

but in all seriousness, the music world probably stopped when elvis died, and i feel like this one has gone unnoticed. Not everyone knows his name and its a shame because he is one of the founders of rock and roll. RIP

You could have looked manually :rolleyes:

But thats not good enough for us high demand kids.