I was a friend of Bo Diddley. I worked for . Eastern Airlines and . Bo would fly up from Pensacola, Florida to . Atlanta, . Ga and have a layover of 2 hours until his . New . York flight would arrive... . Bo flew in twice a month for a rock & roll show every 2nd week in . New . York. This was in the late 70's.. 1979. Bo was sitting in the gate area by himself and . I recognized him. I walked up and asked if he was . Bo . Diddley and he was surprised that I recognized him. I asked if . I could join him... he said yes. I would take my lunch hour with . Bo and take him to the . Airline employee cafeteria where there was a buffett. We became friends. I visited him at his farm in . Florida. He told me . I could visit it anytime.... i did several times. His farm was the farm his dad worked as a sharecropper for the farms owner when . Bo was a boy. . Bo said he purchased the farm and gave it to his father as a gift from the money he made in blues/rock and roll. R. I. P. . Bo diddley... you were great! And a very nice, humble man.
Thanks Fil for bringing up the legendary Bo Diddley! Back in the late 1980s, I saw Bo perform at a small theater in suburban New Jersey. The show had not been promoted well, and only 50 or so people came out, barely filling the first two rows. After the first few numbers, Bo paused to speak to the audience. You could tell that he was pretty mad because the promoter had dropped the ball, but Bo was not about to stop the show or let his fans down. He said, "There ain't more than about 50 of us here, but tonight we're gonna rock this house like there's 50,000. Because I ain't up here imitating nobody. I AM The Originator!" And he proceeded to do exactly that for the next two hours. After the show, he invited the whole audience to come backstage, and that's how I got to meet Bo Diddley. It was one of the most memorable nights of my life.
Bo Diddley, like Tony Iommi, created his sound due to a 'deficit'... extremely fat fingers. He had difficulty shaping chords so he found a simpler key to play in and to compensate for unintentional muting he developed a heavy right hand. He taught himself to make use of that muting by refining it rather than try to fight it and so the Chunk-a-Chunk rhythm was born... Source: a conversation with the Man himself in 1980 and expounded on an interview he once did.
When I was a little girl, the first guitar playing that completely caught my attention was Bo Diddley's. I was enamoured with his playing style. Time has not diminished my opinion.
I think people forget, when " Rock and Roll " Elvis / Beatles / ect, fist hit the scene, our parents, teachers, everybody over 40 hated the sound and the message it was sending. My Dad worked at the Airport in Miami when the Beatles Landed, I watched them come down the stairway from the plane. My Dad had his windshield smashed ( new car ), in the riot that took place. That was it around my house for Rock and Roll. But he did come around, he helped me buy my first guitar, a 3 pickup from Sears. We had alot of great memories, but I have to say, when he put his pride aside and helped me to get that guitar is something I will never forget. RIP Dad
I'll put this out there. The moves the backup singers are doing with their hips as they shimmy forward is more provocative than anything Elvis ever came up with.
Bo Diddley brought Rock and Roll Rhythm & Blues to the world on November 20, 1955, when he performed on The Ed Sullivan Show. One of the coolest - and important - live performances ever!
There is another part of this story. Bo was to perform "Sixteen Tons", instead he performed "Bo Diddley". This resulted being banned from the Ed Sullivan Show. He was the first of many to be banned. A short list includes: Elvis Presley, The Rolling Stones and Buddy Holly. What a great group to be a member of the "banned"!
@@spike7356 Bo Diddley saw a playlist onset at the Ed Sullivan Show. The list said Bo Diddley; Bo Thought that meant the song title - it meant Bo Diddley the performer is up next.
I was going to say, that Fil should check out that Ed Sullivan performance, but you beat me to it. ...This one here is definitely mid '60's after Bo was already established.
When I bought my first guitar as a sophmore in high school back in '08 one of the very first things i played on my own was the Bo Diddley beat for hours on open E. Great pick tonight! Cheers from Denver, Colorado
You had to move when you heard Bo Diddley. Did he ever make a song without that beat? Those women are beyond cool. Another great American artist relatively under-appreciated.
Norma Jean Wofford was Bo Diddley's second female guitarist, replacing Peggy Jones (a.k.a. Lady Bo). When Jones left the band, disappointed fans asked Bo Diddley what had become of her. In response, he hired Wofford, nicknamed her "The Duchess", taught her to play rhythm guitar, and told male admirers that she was his sister. In reality, they were not related. Wofford played guitar and sang alongside Gloria Morgan and Lily "Bee Bee" Jamieson as the Bo-ettes. Wofford was known for skintight stage clothes, and appeared on several of Bo Diddley's album covers. In 1966, Wofford married (becoming Norma-Jean Richardson), and left the band to raise a family in Florida
Had the pleasure of meeting Bo at a festival in McComb Mississippi on his 60'th birthday. He was living "cool". He played Sleepwalker, a lot of songs that were tender and resting on melody and nothing I have seen on video has captured the range he showed during that performance. He played for hours and covered so many genres, the only thing he didn't play was "Who Do You Love" I was front row tapping rhythm on the stage. He never slowed down, he was "Bo Diddley" and poured sweat in his suit. After the last note he was "Ellas McDaniel" again and he collapsed in the arms of two roadies as he left the stage, he was the Man … and was mortal again.
About 10 years before this show, BD was on Ed Sullivan. He was told to play Sixteen Tons, not his signature song, because Sullivan thought the lyrics were too suggestive. He said basically yes sure Mr Sullivan no problem. He ended to play Bo Diddley anyway. Sullivan was not pleased.
Elvis Costello did pretty much the same thing when he was on Saturday Night Live. He and his band started one song, they got about 10 seconds in, Elvis stopped the band abruptly, and they charged full throttle into Radio Radio, which was basically "flipping the bird" at corporate media and the powers-that-be. It was one of the best musical moments I've ever seen on television. Phil, you should do an analysis of *that one*!
The Doors were also "banned for life" by Ed Sullivan for not changing the words to "Light My Fire". Sullivan didn't like the use of the word "higher" ("Girl we couldn't get much higher") because of its association with drug use. Jim Morrison agreed to modify the line, but then sang it as recorded anyway. Afterwards a furious Ed Sullivan went up to him and said he would never play the Sullivan show again. Morrison reportedly looked at him and said something along the lines of: "That's Ok, we already did the Sullivan show."
I love explosive moments in rock and roll history and Bo's appearance on the Ed Sullivan show as part of the "Rhythm and Roll" tour is right up there, a barrage of beat, a primal thunder that would scare the shit out of anyone over the age of 40 and blow the minds of every kid watching!
In 1957 (I think) when Buddy Holly was on the Ed Sullivan show, Buddy went against Ed's request to not play Oh Boy and went on anyway. Ed cut the sound to Buddy's guitar and we missed a bad ass guitar solo. Ed wasn't to be messed with. Bo knew what to do!
He was a force. Completely innovative. Once upon a time I thought he was a bit of a one trick pony. I couldn’t have been more wrong. He recorded a funk album in the early seventies that was great.
This performance of Bo Diddley come from "The Big T.N.T. Show" a concert that featuring top acts of the time period and filmed at Moulin Rouge club in Los Angeles, California on November 29, 1965 actor David McCallum introduce the acts. superb analysis on Bo Diddley and rundown on the time period of the mid 1960's Bo definitely had that energy when he performed. thanks for this one on Bo Diddley!
I saw Bo Diddley live, many years ago. I met him and his band. They autographed a book I have on the Rolling Stones, when the Rolling Stones first stated out. A great analysis video. May Bo Diddley rest in peace. Cheers, Fil!
One of the founders and greatest influences in Rock and Roll. That driving rythym is so primal it makes you want to listen to it over and over again. Such a unique and inventive man . Got to see him a year before he passed and he still rocked it that night. Not many artists get a music beat or genre named after them. Great analyses, Fil.
Amazes me how much a young "Brit" is able to contribute to our understanding of American pop music culture. Insights that never occurred to me yet are spot-on. Or maybe it's the cultural distance that enables him to do so.
Just as mathematics is recognized as the language of nature, we can also include music as well. Bo and all the great pioneers of early rockn' roll, brought a new vibrant energy to the music scene, and the head banging began in this area as well. You cannot sit still and listen to Bo Diddley. His music transcends all cultures and skin color. Rock on Bo!!
Fil, what a thrill!!! True story: In 1970 when I was living in Boston, I had a Blues band named Legend, and we were very fortunate to be the back-up band for Mr. Bo Didley on a week of performances around the Boston area. He was so dynamic and funny and he loved our drummer Carlos “Bozzo” Vasquez Miranda R.I. P. Hard to believe that I performed with him, and also, John Lee Hooker two music legends.
Good one Fil!....Bo Diddley what an influencer he was! And I truly have not listened to enough of his music but I've certainly grew up on the artist that he influenced....✌❤🤘
I've heard the music but I've never seen him perform before and realized he was such a showman. I liked how he walked on stage to the ladies singing, Hey Bo Diddley. You should copy that bit. Heyyyyy Filllll Heyyyyy Filllll.
I could have been one of those kids in the audience for Bo, as I used to cut school to go to early rock shows and loved the early black performers. I'm 76 yrs. old now, and these shows inspired me to have a career in R&R in my twenties and thirties, so this is really 'old home week' for me as a viewer. I also loved Mickey and Sylvia years before this, cause Sylvia was "the 1st" black woman with a guitar that I ever saw on US TV in about 1956. Only Les Paul and Mary Ford had that signature image before that.
Originally filmed 29 November 1965 at the Moulin Rouge club in Los Angeles California for the Big TNT show, which was a sequel to the T.A.M.I. show from the previous year...
About 40% of "Happy Trails", a mostly live-performance album by Quicksilver Messenger Service, is jamming on "Mona" and "Who Do You Love?" both written by Ellis McDaniel aka Bo Diddly. George Thorogood is also a fan. I did not know until watching this video that he had some James Brown footwork. Thanks, Fil.
I thought I should scroll thru the comments before saying my piece, and found you have said just what I wanted to say! A long-time fan of QSM, and yes, I did know at the time it was the Bo Diddley beat they were using. I'm proud I can say I had already bookmarked this particular vid quite a while back.
@@flamencoprof Thank you for the reply. I bought my CD copy of Happy Trails at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003 when my daughter was visiting colleges in 2003. It would take me all day to list the artists who have covered Bo Diddly songs.
@@bagoquarks I have an LP I bought a bit later, the first I heard wasn't mine. Standard listening process: - Put record on. Lie down. Do not speak until finished. Get up. Turn record over. Lie down. Do not speak until record ends with a wish of Happy Trails to return you to reality. Oops, a bit far from Bo there!
@@flamencoprof And we must give a song writing credit to Dale Evans, a.k.a. Mrs. Roy Rogers, for the title song. Wandering afield from Bo, there is another American cultural thread running through Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, and a lot of 1950s black and white TV westerns. Thanks for your comment. " ... A brand new house on the road side, and it's a-made out of rattlesnake hide ... "
I do believe that is the 1st time I have seen a background singer play an instrument other than a tambourine. Buddy Holly did a good cover of the song "Bo Diddley".
I saw Bo Diddley several times in 1965 - incredible sight and sound. All of a sudden you were hit by a wall of sound and the amazing rythym. You're not quite right on the social history - by 1965 'oldies' were used to foot-stomping, screaming teenagers (there had been several years of the Beatles, Stones et al). I also recall that the audiences in England for Bo were predominately young middle aged and middle class . Bo, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee, Little Richard, Fats Domino, etc were quite rightly revered in '65 as 'founding fathers' of modern popular music. It was a really golden age and the following year England won the World Cup .....
As a musician, performer and music teacher, and someone who was alive at to see this original performance (although not a adult musician then) I am quite impressed by your musical analysis and commentary. Especially in how your positive and passionate presentation reveals detail and nuance to musicians and non-musicians alike. You have one of my favorite channels! Great job! (and yes... my parents were mortified that I loved this music! lol! Yet years later, by the time I was performing, they enjoyed it as well.)
Fil another great analysis. The give-away on year are the "black" tolex and black knobs on the Fender amps. 1965 was the first year Fender featured black face with the #'s on the knobs as shown in video. Now to Bo... back in 1979 we get a call from an agent wanting to know if we had a date open. A couple flew Bo Diddley up from Florida to play at their wedding and our band backed Bo up. He says "5 minutes should do it for rehearsal." Plays 2 songs and says OK that's it. Well our drummer calls out an LP cut "Doin' the Jaguar" and Bo says "You know that?" The drummer kicks it off and we played for about 45 minutes. After, Bo says "Man I played songs I've never done live before - you cats had me working hard" The wedding was fun and as people say Bo Diddley was one of the nicest people I've met. We stayed in touch until his passing. That job opened up the doors for us to be called to back up other legends.
@Brad zybola good to hear from you! I was wondering how you've been doing. I'm hangin in there too. Taking things one day at a time. Building some guitars and trying to make time to practice too. My parents were teens during the 50's and I was born in '59, so I was lucky like you and had the opportunity to listen to and actually see guys like Bo Diddley. Even saw Jerry Lee Lewis bangin on his piano keys! What an awesome time for music! I watched Don Kirshners show and the Midnight Special with Wolfman Jack. I can remember waiting all week to see what bands they would have on. I kinda miss those days. Hope all goes well with you and ya have a great summer! Take care!👍😎🎸🎶
@Brad zybolano...I haven't seen either. I wish I could come up with a song. I can come up with a good drum beat and some cool guitar riffs, every so often. Song writing is a tough one! Maybe someday I'll get the hang of it!👍😎🎸🎶
@Brad zybola lol...I try to stay away from tv as much as possible! It's hideous lately!😂 It's amazing what you can do with a little tape machine, too. Back in the day, I used to make songs with a 4 track Tascam recorder. Had a lot of fun...sound quality on those wasn't great, but it was fun for sure. Btw...it's always good to hang out with people who are more talented. It makes you strive to be better. I used to jam with older guys, who had way more experience than me. I learned so much on a short period of time! Keep up the song writing!👍😎🎸🎶
Lucian Higginbotham . Yes indeed! Fil, I hope you are planning on doing one on Howlin’ Wolf soon. This clip would definitely be my choice.. Hubert Sumlin is awesome on this!!! th-cam.com/video/ZJJWjFktQ34/w-d-xo.html
The famous Bo Diddley riff! His first guitar was a cigar box guitar! He later moved on to his famous box guitar. I've been making and selling cigar box guitars forever! He's such an inspiration! My guitars were featured at the international Salvador Dali Museum in December in 2018, I was chosen as "Emerging Artist of 2019" wish I could put one in your hands Fil!
There was always an "entertainment value" with black American music that was somehow - with rare exceptions - never picked up on by most American white performers and almost never by white British performers. Jagger got his dance moves taught to him by members of Ike and Tina's band. It wasn't natural to him. Hendrix, Bo Diddley, George Clinton, etc etc. all had this stage craft as part of their act.
Awesome performance!! You know your good when you have a song and rhythm named after you!! One of the few players whose rhythm playing is so recognizable..🤘🏻
@@goodun6081 I would definitely agree along with many others. I'm a Gov't Mule, Allman Brothers fan and they sure love him. I listened to one of his best of CDs earlier and wow
I saw bo Diddley in concert about 30 yrs ago here in New Zealand, playing with him that night was Chuck berry, Jerry Lee Lewis and the Everly brothers, bloody awesome night of rock n roll, so glad I got to see these guys before they pasted on, cheers fil 😎🤘
Nailed it, both you and Bo. I initially thought that some of the audience couldn't keep time, but I now see that they were trying to do too much, thanks to your insightful analysis. Spot on. I saw Bo play in the 70s in Sydney, and Chuck Berry years before played much the same scenario. They toured alone, and hooked up with working, but unknown bands to back them. (They probably didn't use the same bands all tour). The method was the same for both legends. Play a song, some standard or other, then tell the boys how they should have played it, a few demonstrative riffs and some finger wagging at the drummer, pointing to different parts of his kit, kick drum, snare etc. Once they had been shown the "Bo" (or Chuck) method, both legends took us on a trip that nobody else could, a brilliant evening of their own invention. I have to say that the Bo Diddley gig was no bigger than a club show with maybe two hundred punters, if that. I'm pretty sure we were all wearing that same grin of delight that you get on your face when you watch many of your analysis videos, as we stood mere yards away from Bo's infectious rhythm. Jesus I've been fortunate sometimes............thanks for the video.
“If you pour some music on whatever’s wrong, it’ll sure help out.” Levon Helm Obviously, Bo did just that at this time in history when we were so divided.
Bo Diddley had that special "je ne sais quoi", which means in French (approximately) "I have no idea what the hell it means and I don't care". What we do know is he that gets a crowd going. The women in the crowd know exactly what I'm talking about and, seriously, their reaction, by osmosis, really turns me on. A funny novelty song he made is very much worth hearing. It's my favorite; it's called "Say Man". My favorite lyric in that piece is "You got the nerve to call somebody ugly! Why you so ugly the stork that brought you into the world ought to be arrested!!!".
I see Bo Diddley live at MSG in NYC in 1986. till this day it by far the greatest live performance I have ever seen. The music was so loud that the whole building revibrated with the "Bo Diddley Beat". The fingers on my hands were rattling.
Just left the ChesS Records tour and concert two wks ago in Chicago, gosh wish I could put up the Pics of each of the Heavy Hitters case & gear on display. Bo was a Beast 🪨 🎸 🤘 in his on lane!
Johnny Otis, in his show on KPFA (Berkeley) groused about the 'Bo Diddley beat, because he's used the same basic rhythm in 'Hand Jive', and maybe other songs. There is a tune I heard played on a traditional stringed instrument, which comes close, but is closer, still, to 'Black Betty'. There was also something familiar to the girls in the back, 'ham bone', (at least it is likely, they were the only ones who could follow the rhythm
Thanks especially for choosing this video to analyse. I'm crazy about Bo and John Lee Hooker's playing and play guitar myself. Was lucky enough to see Bo Diddley play in 1989 on a Rock and Roll bill with Chuck Berry & Jerry Lee Lewis. Peace
Happy to say I have seen Bo play at a few different venues - but finally talked wtih him one on one when we bumped into each other on the street in Vancouver.... a great guy and a true trailblazer
WOW,,, i am a white guy 76 years young, I went to the first Major Rock and Roll Shows and also went to smaller shows that Blacks only went to , I can tell you when I first saw Bo Diddley , he was about to come on stage..but I first heard Maracas keeping the Bo Diddley Beat and Bo was back stage playing for a minute ... I could not believe what I was hearing ... it was the most powerful sound I ever heard and I and the whole Theatre went into a frenzy even before he was on stage .. there was no one as exciting as him until Jackie Wilson, Little Richard ,Jerry Lee Lewis , Chuck Berry or James Brown ... so I appreciate that you were objective and kept pointing out that this was over 60 yrs ago and these are the Roots of all who followed so ...Thanks Again for your comments
Fil, your description and assessment Of Bo’s Playing is Spot on. I had not met him when That was filmed. later became close family friend and working with for over 30 years until his passing 13 years ago. His guitar sound Filled enough space for a band by itself. His voice had equal power and When songs began there was no feet in the audience not moving just like in those clips. He was the Real Deal and Still miss him dearly. Thanks🎶 🎷NS🎷
My era; I had a Fender Bassman with four 12s in 1965.... didn’t really need it! Yes the context analysis is all spot on. Bo sure had some James Brown style dance moves too!
When he's holding that guitar and pounding on it and turns to the audience with it at a 45 degree angle at 1:48... you know what's going down, right there!
Most people are aware that literally scores of hit rock songs are based on the Bo Diddley beat. ( My personal favorite is Johnny Otis "Hand Jive" from 1958. Remember it from "Grease" ?) Interesting is to try to relate the origins of this beat to the "Shave and a Haircut, two bits". The "Shave" is a 7-2 rhythm, and the Diddley is a 3-2, which seems like an abbreviation of the "Shave".
It's taken me forever to get around to giving Bo the deep dive he deserves and which I should have afforded his catalog decades ago already. I've known forever how important he and the "Bo Diddley beat" were to rock 'n roll of the 60s and onward, though, and am glad you've taken the time to show ol' Bo the love. He was every bit as nearly unfathomably an important influence as Little Richard and Chuck Berry, a threesome within which I think it appropriate to group him for both musical AND social/cultural reasons. Thanks as always, Fil!
Listen to "Magic Bus" from the Who. It's got that same driving Bo Diddly beat throughout, and it's that rhythm that drives the song. I first heard "Magic Bus" over the PA system in the Western Michigan University Campus Bookstore in 1968, and it totally blew me away. I'd never heard of Bo Diddley before then, but when I first heard him about six months later, I had that sudden 'ah-ha' moment and thought, "So that's the dude you stole this riff from, Pete Townshend! Well done!" Been both a Who and Bo Diddley fan ever since. Bo was great. A true Rock-n-Roll hero.
Fabulous Fil! The great Bo Diddley, what a different choice for analysis. So good to see this one as Bo doesn't seem to get the recognition he deserves. Loved it! As always Thank you.
Thank you so much for this Fil. I am such a HUGE Bo Diddley fan. This is an awesome performance by Bo. I like him better than any guitar player. He can play, sing and dance all while playing. WHAT A DANCER! I was born in 1961 and still to young to be able to have seen Bo in concert. I really missed out by not seeing him in the 80's. I was to busy listening to classic rock. George Thorogood actually turned me onto Bo by all his covers he does of Bo's songs. I just love to watch Bo dance and play. He has some James Brown in him. I love your analysis of all the artists you do. You are super awesome. I can tell you are a fan of these players by your infectious smile. I will say it again you are the best by far on youtube. I thank you and appreciate your knowledge and you are keeping these artists alive. Thank you!
As soon as saw this I hoped you would analyze it. I knew for the era it would be controversial, but you picked up on stuff that flew right by me. Things like women out front, choreography, stage entrance and a woman playing guitar was bold and innovative. Phil thank you so much.
Excellent review. You picked up on details from a visual, cultural, musical, and historical perspective that I overlooked. The rhythm and tremolo were enough to make him a legend, but singing and titling songs about himself was the icing on the cake. Saludos!
I'm 69 going on 70. Love your channel. This is excellent. Bo Diddley was great, innovative, original and wonderful. Very well described and analysed. I've been a drummer since 1965. Thanks
"I got a gal who lives on a hill, If she won't love me her sister will," not exactly Shakespeare but it gets the point across. Bo was a boxer early on, that's partly why he's such a great dancer. Then it turned out he had bad eyesight, so he turned to music, and thank God for that. I love his dancing, you could balance a glass of water on his head and he wouldn't spill a drop. And his guitar sound, straight out of Africa, thru the Mississippi Delta and on up to Chi-Town! Beautiful! At the beginning of this, Bo and the other guy are up on that pedestal, then Bo gives the word and they start down the steps. Amazing!
I can dig it. Only thing that seemed to missing was the amp tremolo. Still great. Loved the 'space age' Gretsch's. I wonder if his co-player is tha gal later named Lady Bo ? Saw a GP Pros Reply which had him on a 'bad motor scooter' and waving to the camera with his box guitar on his shoulder then another interview which included Lady Bo a few years later. She favored an SG, which of course i loved. Nice find here !
"Lady Bo" (Peggy Jones) was with Bo Diddley's band for about four years (1957 - 1961, I believe). Norma-Jean Wofford, who appears in the video, was nicknamed "The Dutchess" and was the band's rhythm guitar player from 1962 - 1966.
Thanks for this Fil. This performance by Bo is fantastic on every level. The man was epic. And no one imo has ever quite captured his unique guitar sound.
Great insights about the crowd's reactions. The girls were absorbing the music at an almost frenzied level - so much so that they were off the beat, but batcrap crazy for the rawness and primal punch of the music.
Thanks, Fil! I love your historical approach to the evolution of music genres and styles! I've listened to multigenetational jazz, rock, folk,Mericana my whole life, but as I get older the history is more fascinating to me. I was probably in my fogies when I started to hear how much a decade shared beats, riffs,tunings and styles. I never get tired of hearing and looking for the inter-connectedness in music, and why it draws people together. Thanks for the info!♡♡
I like how Bo Diddly uses those double stop triads in his guitar playing, it was great to see the ladies singing and playing in the band, thanks for covering this legend.
Visually, that’s an amazing front line. Three pretty ladies in long dresses, one playing guitar, all moving together. And that driving sound. Brilliant!
I saw Bo Diddley in the early 1980s when I was in graduate school at WVU in Morgantown, WV. He was playing at a tightly packed, one room bar. As I squeezed past the people standing just inside the door, I saw Bo sitting on a stool in the corner at the front near the entrance. He was just to my left playing his rectangular guitar. It felt surreal standing so close to this legend in such an intimate setting. Great experience.
I’m behind but catching up on your videos! Always impressed with your range of groups and the depth of your information about them. I learn something every time! I was too young to appreciate Bo’s early years so this was a delight to watch for the first time.
Bo Diddly, Bo Diddly, whaddya know! Always liked him and his style of music and playing, That was 54 years ago, wowzer! You hit this analysis out of the park, Fil! Thank you for giving me back so many cherished memories, You Rock /M\.... BTW, .... you are very close to 58 thousand subscribers, Congratulations!
I was fortunate enough to see BoDiddley on his 50th Birthday playing in Melbourne Australia, December 1979 and he still put out that rhythm just like this YT clip. Energy. Pity he didn't still have the chorus line. But I still got up and danced from beginning to the end. Bo Diddly Da' Man, Yes sir! Thanks Wings.
This is awesome Fil! Bo Diddley....what a magnificent musical machine he was! And such an influence to so many guitarist! Phenomenal! His rhythmical sway of playing was in a league of its own! Excellent insight Fil! 😀👌🤘
Thanks for doing this video Phil. It was one of my favorites to watch and listen to that you have done. It was so cool to see the girls rocking out in their seats. Possessed by the devils music I guess. I was fortunate to see him in a small bar in the SF Bay Area in the late 70's. He hadn't missed a beat, and he put on a great show for a small crowd.
"Heeeeeeeey Bo Diddley!" Dang, he was playing loud!!! And I DIG Bo and Norma's guitar!! What make is that? Anyone know? I want one! Cool Fil, thanks Bro
I was a friend of Bo Diddley. I worked for . Eastern Airlines and . Bo would fly up from Pensacola, Florida to . Atlanta, . Ga and have a layover of 2 hours until his . New . York flight would arrive... . Bo flew in twice a month for a rock & roll show every 2nd week in . New . York. This was in the late 70's.. 1979. Bo was sitting in the gate area by himself and . I recognized him. I walked up and asked if he was . Bo . Diddley and he was surprised that I recognized him. I asked if . I could join him... he said yes. I would take my lunch hour with . Bo and take him to the . Airline employee cafeteria where there was a buffett. We became friends. I visited him at his farm in . Florida. He told me . I could visit it anytime.... i did several times. His farm was the farm his dad worked as a sharecropper for the farms owner when . Bo was a boy. . Bo said he purchased the farm and gave it to his father as a gift from the money he made in blues/rock and roll. R. I. P. . Bo diddley... you were great! And a very nice, humble man.
Great story! thanks for sharing. That's so cool , to buy the farm and give it to his father as a gift.
I agree Rick that was one hell of a story about the days! Thanks Jared
Wow those are some precious memories. Thanks for sharing them. I love reading about people’s stories in the comments.
Wow! That's a really great story! You were lucky man! Thanks for sharing.
Instablaster
the way bo diddley walks down the stairs in the beginning is the most gangster shit i've ever seen in my life.
Absolutely..
🤟😎🤙
Thanks Fil for bringing up the legendary Bo Diddley! Back in the late 1980s, I saw Bo perform at a small theater in suburban New Jersey. The show had not been promoted well, and only 50 or so people came out, barely filling the first two rows. After the first few numbers, Bo paused to speak to the audience. You could tell that he was pretty mad because the promoter had dropped the ball, but Bo was not about to stop the show or let his fans down. He said, "There ain't more than about 50 of us here, but tonight we're gonna rock this house like there's 50,000. Because I ain't up here imitating nobody. I AM The Originator!" And he proceeded to do exactly that for the next two hours. After the show, he invited the whole audience to come backstage, and that's how I got to meet Bo Diddley. It was one of the most memorable nights of my life.
Cool!
The beautiful backup singer with the flowing white gown playing guitar and dancing----one of the greatest images I've ever seen. How awesomely cool!!!
The most badass stage entrance in rock music history.
Fuckin' A bro. Way ahead of his time for sure
Bo Diddley, like Tony Iommi, created his sound due to a 'deficit'... extremely fat fingers. He had difficulty shaping chords so he found a simpler key to play in and to compensate for unintentional muting he developed a heavy right hand. He taught himself to make use of that muting by refining it rather than try to fight it and so the Chunk-a-Chunk rhythm was born...
Source: a conversation with the Man himself in 1980 and expounded on an interview he once did.
Did not know that, thanks!
We owe Bo Diddley a huge debt of gratitude. We wouldn't have rock'n'roll without him. Great one again Fil 👍
WAY ahead of his time for sure. And he don't hardly get the credit but he damn sure deserves it
Indeed
When I was a little girl, the first guitar playing that completely caught my attention was Bo Diddley's. I was enamoured with his playing style. Time has not diminished my opinion.
True Rock and Roll, it's what everything else was built on. Pure music.
This is beyond cool - You pack in so much history and spot-on analysis in your videos. Well done !!!
I think people forget, when " Rock and Roll " Elvis / Beatles / ect, fist hit the scene, our parents, teachers, everybody over 40 hated the sound and the message it was sending. My Dad worked at the Airport in Miami when the Beatles Landed, I watched them come down the stairway from the plane. My Dad had his windshield smashed ( new car ), in the riot that took place. That was it around my house for Rock and Roll. But he did come around, he helped me buy my first guitar, a 3 pickup from Sears. We had alot of great memories, but I have to say, when he put his pride aside and helped me to get that guitar is something I will never forget. RIP Dad
Your dad was cool! What a nice memory 👍
I'll put this out there. The moves the backup singers are doing with their hips as they shimmy forward is more provocative than anything Elvis ever came up with.
Yep!
That’s where Elvis got it from. Watching Black Musicians in the South.
Oh, yeah. We were all being too genteel to notice. Surprised they were allowed on TV at the time. Glad they were.
Especially during the first part of the second song - flat-out erotic.
@@jimfritz2087 You think women are more provocative than men?
Bo Diddley brought Rock and Roll Rhythm & Blues to the world on November 20, 1955, when he performed on The Ed Sullivan Show. One of the coolest - and important - live performances ever!
There is another part of this story. Bo was to perform "Sixteen Tons", instead he performed "Bo Diddley". This resulted being banned from the Ed Sullivan Show. He was the first of many to be banned. A short list includes: Elvis Presley, The Rolling Stones and Buddy Holly. What a great group to be a member of the "banned"!
@@spike7356 Bo Diddley saw a playlist onset at the Ed Sullivan Show. The list said Bo Diddley; Bo Thought that meant the song title - it meant Bo Diddley the performer is up next.
I was going to say, that Fil should check out that Ed Sullivan performance, but you beat me to it. ...This one here is definitely mid '60's after Bo was already established.
You did a great job with the historical context. Great review.
When I bought my first guitar as a sophmore in high school back in '08 one of the very first things i played on my own was the Bo Diddley beat for hours on open E. Great pick tonight! Cheers from Denver, Colorado
You had to move when you heard Bo Diddley. Did he ever make a song without that beat? Those women are beyond cool. Another great American artist relatively under-appreciated.
Norma Jean Wofford was Bo Diddley's second female guitarist, replacing Peggy Jones (a.k.a. Lady Bo). When Jones left the band, disappointed fans asked Bo Diddley what had become of her. In response, he hired Wofford, nicknamed her "The Duchess", taught her to play rhythm guitar, and told male admirers that she was his sister. In reality, they were not related. Wofford played guitar and sang alongside Gloria Morgan and Lily "Bee Bee" Jamieson as the Bo-ettes.
Wofford was known for skintight stage clothes, and appeared on several of Bo Diddley's album covers.
In 1966, Wofford married (becoming Norma-Jean Richardson), and left the band to raise a family in Florida
What happened to Lilly bee bee jaimeson.? Is she still alive?
Had the pleasure of meeting Bo at a festival in McComb Mississippi on his 60'th birthday. He was living "cool". He played Sleepwalker, a lot of songs that were tender and resting on melody and nothing I have seen on video has captured the range he showed during that performance. He played for hours and covered so many genres, the only thing he didn't play was "Who Do You Love" I was front row tapping rhythm on the stage. He never slowed down, he was "Bo Diddley" and poured sweat in his suit. After the last note he was "Ellas McDaniel" again and he collapsed in the arms of two roadies as he left the stage, he was the Man … and was mortal again.
Bo Diddley = The Guvnor, Norma-Jean Wofford, = The Duchess, simply superb....................
About 10 years before this show, BD was on Ed Sullivan. He was told to play Sixteen Tons, not his signature song, because Sullivan thought the lyrics were too suggestive. He said basically yes sure Mr Sullivan no problem. He ended to play Bo Diddley anyway. Sullivan was not pleased.
Elvis Costello did pretty much the same thing when he was on Saturday Night Live. He and his band started one song, they got about 10 seconds in, Elvis stopped the band abruptly, and they charged full throttle into Radio Radio, which was basically "flipping the bird" at corporate media and the powers-that-be. It was one of the best musical moments I've ever seen on television. Phil, you should do an analysis of *that one*!
The Doors were also "banned for life" by Ed Sullivan for not changing the words to "Light My Fire". Sullivan didn't like the use of the word "higher" ("Girl we couldn't get much higher") because of its association with drug use. Jim Morrison agreed to modify the line, but then sang it as recorded anyway. Afterwards a furious Ed Sullivan went up to him and said he would never play the Sullivan show again. Morrison reportedly looked at him and said something along the lines of: "That's Ok, we already did the Sullivan show."
I love explosive moments in rock and roll history and Bo's appearance on the Ed Sullivan show as part of the "Rhythm and Roll" tour is right up there, a barrage of beat, a primal thunder that would scare the shit out of anyone over the age of 40 and blow the minds of every kid watching!
In 1957 (I think) when Buddy Holly was on the Ed Sullivan show, Buddy went against Ed's request to not play Oh Boy and went on anyway. Ed cut the sound to Buddy's guitar and we missed a bad ass guitar solo. Ed wasn't to be messed with. Bo knew what to do!
He was a force. Completely innovative. Once upon a time I thought he was a bit of a one trick pony. I couldn’t have been more wrong. He recorded a funk album in the early seventies that was great.
This performance of Bo Diddley come from "The Big T.N.T. Show" a concert that featuring top acts of the time period and filmed at Moulin Rouge club in Los Angeles, California on November 29, 1965 actor David McCallum introduce the acts. superb analysis on Bo Diddley and rundown on the time period of the mid 1960's Bo definitely had that energy when he performed. thanks for this one on Bo Diddley!
David McCallum, back then you knew him as "Ilya Kuryakin" on "The Man From U.N.C.L.E., now you know him as "Ducky" on NCIS! He's still around.
I saw Bo Diddley live, many years ago. I met him and his band. They autographed a book I have on the Rolling Stones, when the Rolling Stones first stated out. A great analysis video. May Bo Diddley rest in peace. Cheers, Fil!
He is dead. Not resting.
One of the greatest black blues singer of all time rest in peace great one 🙏💔
He was incredible! My favorite hall of fame guitarist. A true legend
One of the founders and greatest influences in Rock and Roll. That driving rythym is so primal it makes you want to listen to it over and over again. Such a unique and inventive man . Got to see him a year before he passed and he still rocked it that night. Not many artists get a music beat or genre named after them. Great analyses, Fil.
I was hoping you'd get around to Bo Diddley.
Thanks, Fil! 😊
The Bo Diddley sound was a monsterous influence on Rock & Roll
YEAH, MAN!
Amazes me how much a young "Brit" is able to contribute to our understanding of American pop music culture. Insights that never occurred to me yet are spot-on. Or maybe it's the cultural distance that enables him to do so.
Ty Fil for going back and getting that VIBE CHUNKY ROCK !!
Just as mathematics is recognized as the language of nature, we can also include music as well. Bo and all the great pioneers of early rockn' roll, brought a new vibrant energy to the music scene, and the head banging began in this area as well. You cannot sit still and listen to Bo Diddley. His music transcends all cultures and skin color. Rock on Bo!!
My favorite song by Bo Diddley is Bo Diddley on his album Bo Diddley.
I dig "Say Man" & "Signifying Blues."
Fil, what a thrill!!! True story: In 1970 when I was living in Boston, I had a Blues band named Legend, and we were very fortunate to be the back-up band for Mr. Bo Didley on a week of performances around the Boston area. He was so dynamic and funny and he loved our drummer Carlos “Bozzo” Vasquez Miranda R.I. P. Hard to believe that I performed with him, and also, John Lee Hooker two music legends.
Good one Fil!....Bo Diddley what an influencer he was! And I truly have not listened to enough of his music but I've certainly grew up on the artist that he influenced....✌❤🤘
Hey True That Shit. ✌️
One of the greatest for sure✌🤘
I've heard the music but I've never seen him perform before and realized he was such a showman. I liked how he walked on stage to the ladies singing, Hey Bo Diddley. You should copy that bit. Heyyyyy Filllll Heyyyyy Filllll.
😂
I could have been one of those kids in the audience for Bo, as I used to cut school to go to early rock shows and loved the early black performers. I'm 76 yrs. old now, and these shows inspired me to have a career in R&R in my twenties and thirties, so this is really 'old home week' for me as a viewer. I also loved Mickey and Sylvia years before this, cause Sylvia was "the 1st" black woman with a guitar that I ever saw on US TV in about 1956. Only Les Paul and Mary Ford had that signature image before that.
Originally filmed 29 November 1965 at the Moulin Rouge club in Los Angeles California for the Big TNT show, which was a sequel to the T.A.M.I. show from the previous year...
About 40% of "Happy Trails", a mostly live-performance album by Quicksilver Messenger Service, is jamming on "Mona" and "Who Do You Love?" both written by Ellis McDaniel aka Bo Diddly.
George Thorogood is also a fan.
I did not know until watching this video that he had some James Brown footwork. Thanks, Fil.
I thought I should scroll thru the comments before saying my piece, and found you have said just what I wanted to say!
A long-time fan of QSM, and yes, I did know at the time it was the Bo Diddley beat they were using. I'm proud I can say I had already bookmarked this particular vid quite a while back.
@@flamencoprof Thank you for the reply. I bought my CD copy of Happy Trails at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003 when my daughter was visiting colleges in 2003. It would take me all day to list the artists who have covered Bo Diddly songs.
@@bagoquarks I have an LP I bought a bit later, the first I heard wasn't mine. Standard listening process: -
Put record on.
Lie down.
Do not speak until finished.
Get up.
Turn record over.
Lie down.
Do not speak until record ends with a wish of Happy Trails to return you to reality.
Oops, a bit far from Bo there!
@@flamencoprof And we must give a song writing credit to Dale Evans, a.k.a. Mrs. Roy Rogers, for the title song. Wandering afield from Bo, there is another American cultural thread running through Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, and a lot of 1950s black and white TV westerns. Thanks for your comment.
" ... A brand new house on the road side, and it's a-made out of rattlesnake hide ... "
Bo loved country and western and also westerns on tv. Typical Americana.
I do believe that is the 1st time I have seen a background singer play an instrument other than a tambourine. Buddy Holly did a good cover of the song "Bo Diddley".
I saw Bo Diddley several times in 1965 - incredible sight and sound. All of a sudden you were hit by a wall of sound and the amazing rythym. You're not quite right on the social history - by 1965 'oldies' were used to foot-stomping, screaming teenagers (there had been several years of the Beatles, Stones et al). I also recall that the audiences in England for Bo were predominately young middle aged and middle class . Bo, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee, Little Richard, Fats Domino, etc were quite rightly revered in '65 as 'founding fathers' of modern popular music. It was a really golden age and the following year England won the World Cup .....
As a musician, performer and music teacher, and someone who was alive at to see this original performance (although not a adult musician then) I am quite impressed by your musical analysis and commentary. Especially in how your positive and passionate presentation reveals detail and nuance to musicians and non-musicians alike. You have one of my favorite channels! Great job! (and yes... my parents were mortified that I loved this music! lol! Yet years later, by the time I was performing, they enjoyed it as well.)
Thanks!
Fil another great analysis. The give-away on year are the "black" tolex and black knobs on the Fender amps. 1965 was the first year Fender featured black face with the #'s on the knobs as shown in video. Now to Bo... back in 1979 we get a call from an agent wanting to know if we had a date open. A couple flew Bo Diddley up from Florida to play at their wedding and our band backed Bo up. He says "5 minutes should do it for rehearsal." Plays 2 songs and says OK that's it. Well our drummer calls out an LP cut "Doin' the Jaguar" and Bo says "You know that?" The drummer kicks it off and we played for about 45 minutes. After, Bo says "Man I played songs I've never done live before - you cats had me working hard" The wedding was fun and as people say Bo Diddley was one of the nicest people I've met. We stayed in touch until his passing. That job opened up the doors for us to be called to back up other legends.
🐾🎶 Wow 🎶🐾
I saw Bo about thirty years ago on New Years Eve in N.Y. Great fun. He was watching my girlfriend and I dancing.
The best thing about music...it breaks down all barriers! I saw him twice and loved every minute if it! Awesome stuff Fil!👍😎🎸🎶
@Brad zybola good to hear from you! I was wondering how you've been doing. I'm hangin in there too. Taking things one day at a time. Building some guitars and trying to make time to practice too. My parents were teens during the 50's and I was born in '59, so I was lucky like you and had the opportunity to listen to and actually see guys like Bo Diddley. Even saw Jerry Lee Lewis bangin on his piano keys! What an awesome time for music! I watched Don Kirshners show and the Midnight Special with Wolfman Jack. I can remember waiting all week to see what bands they would have on. I kinda miss those days. Hope all goes well with you and ya have a great summer! Take care!👍😎🎸🎶
@Brad zybolano...I haven't seen either. I wish I could come up with a song. I can come up with a good drum beat and some cool guitar riffs, every so often. Song writing is a tough one! Maybe someday I'll get the hang of it!👍😎🎸🎶
@Brad zybola lol...I try to stay away from tv as much as possible! It's hideous lately!😂 It's amazing what you can do with a little tape machine, too. Back in the day, I used to make songs with a 4 track Tascam recorder. Had a lot of fun...sound quality on those wasn't great, but it was fun for sure. Btw...it's always good to hang out with people who are more talented. It makes you strive to be better. I used to jam with older guys, who had way more experience than me. I learned so much on a short period of time! Keep up the song writing!👍😎🎸🎶
@Brad zybola sounds like a good idea! Take care!👍😎🎸🎶
Here we go! Another Chess Records artist Fil!! Muddy, Chuck, and now Bo!! He's got the Bo Diddley beat!! 🎸🎸🎸🎸
Lucian Higginbotham . Yes indeed! Fil, I hope you are planning on doing one on Howlin’ Wolf soon.
This clip would definitely be my choice.. Hubert Sumlin is awesome on this!!!
th-cam.com/video/ZJJWjFktQ34/w-d-xo.html
@@sammack1564 great clip! Hubert is working it!! Chess records my favorite label!! I bought a Chuck Berry box in 1988. That was the beginning for me!!
I've never seen Bo play anything other than his trademark Gretsch box guitar. This was cool! Thanx Fil!!
great analysis, Bo is the father in the efects and pedals, and father of many styles, Bo is the King
The famous Bo Diddley riff! His first guitar was a cigar box guitar! He later moved on to his famous box guitar. I've been making and selling cigar box guitars forever! He's such an inspiration! My guitars were featured at the international Salvador Dali Museum in December in 2018, I was chosen as "Emerging Artist of 2019" wish I could put one in your hands Fil!
Kind of a shameless sales pitch there, RMB......
I don't sell them they are works of art
@@RMGCBG , " I've been making and selling cigar box guitars forever". A quote from your previous comment. It's cool, but at least own up to it.
good 'un thanks, never want to take away from the real genius here. Fil
There was always an "entertainment value" with black American music that was somehow - with rare exceptions - never picked up on by most American white performers and almost never by white British performers. Jagger got his dance moves taught to him by members of Ike and Tina's band. It wasn't natural to him. Hendrix, Bo Diddley, George Clinton, etc etc. all had this stage craft as part of their act.
Awesome performance!! You know your good when you have a song and rhythm named after you!! One of the few players whose rhythm playing is so recognizable..🤘🏻
I wonder who inspired Bo besides George of course? I would say probably the most recognizable of them all
@@jamesgordonakacrazylegs8222 , Elmore James was definitely an influence on Bo Diddley.
@@goodun6081 I would definitely agree along with many others. I'm a Gov't Mule, Allman Brothers fan and they sure love him. I listened to one of his best of CDs earlier and wow
You're good. Not your good.
Dr. Evil thanks Dr Evil you’re the best
I saw bo Diddley in concert about 30 yrs ago here in New Zealand, playing with him that night was Chuck berry, Jerry Lee Lewis and the Everly brothers, bloody awesome night of rock n roll, so glad I got to see these guys before they pasted on, cheers fil 😎🤘
Cool!
That had to have been an evening of pure bliss!!
Oh man,what a show that must've been
Nailed it, both you and Bo. I initially thought that some of the audience couldn't keep time, but I now see that they were trying to do too much, thanks to your insightful analysis. Spot on. I saw Bo play in the 70s in Sydney, and Chuck Berry years before played much the same scenario. They toured alone, and hooked up with working, but unknown bands to back them. (They probably didn't use the same bands all tour). The method was the same for both legends. Play a song, some standard or other, then tell the boys how they should have played it, a few demonstrative riffs and some finger wagging at the drummer, pointing to different parts of his kit, kick drum, snare etc. Once they had been shown the "Bo" (or Chuck) method, both legends took us on a trip that nobody else could, a brilliant evening of their own invention. I have to say that the Bo Diddley gig was no bigger than a club show with maybe two hundred punters, if that. I'm pretty sure we were all wearing that same grin of delight that you get on your face when you watch many of your analysis videos, as we stood mere yards away from Bo's infectious rhythm. Jesus I've been fortunate sometimes............thanks for the video.
“If you pour some music on whatever’s wrong, it’ll sure help out.”
Levon Helm
Obviously, Bo did just that at this time in history when we were so divided.
I love your videos. I'm a sixty years old lady who grew up in Memphis and you're really jogging my memory! Thank you for what you do 😃
Thanks!
Bo Diddley had that special "je ne sais quoi", which means in French (approximately) "I have no idea what the hell it means and I don't care". What we do know is he that gets a crowd going. The women in the crowd know exactly what I'm talking about and, seriously, their reaction, by osmosis, really turns me on. A funny novelty song he made is very much worth hearing. It's my favorite; it's called "Say Man". My favorite lyric in that piece is "You got the nerve to call somebody ugly! Why you so ugly the stork that brought you into the world ought to be arrested!!!".
Bo Diddley is also in the book on the Rolling Stones I have, when the Rolling Stones first started out.
I see Bo Diddley live at MSG in NYC in 1986. till this day it by far the greatest live performance I have ever seen. The music was so loud that the whole building revibrated with the "Bo Diddley Beat". The fingers on my hands were rattling.
Just left the ChesS Records tour and concert two wks ago in Chicago, gosh wish I could put up the Pics of each of the Heavy Hitters case & gear on display. Bo was a Beast 🪨 🎸 🤘 in his on lane!
The beat that started a million hips a shakin'
Johnny Otis, in his show on KPFA (Berkeley) groused about the 'Bo Diddley beat, because he's used the same basic rhythm in 'Hand Jive', and maybe other songs. There is a tune I heard played on a traditional stringed instrument, which comes close, but is closer, still, to 'Black Betty'. There was also something familiar to the girls in the back, 'ham bone', (at least it is likely, they were the only ones who could follow the rhythm
Thanks especially for choosing this video to analyse. I'm crazy about Bo and John Lee Hooker's playing and play guitar myself. Was lucky enough to see Bo Diddley play in 1989 on a Rock and Roll bill with Chuck Berry & Jerry Lee Lewis. Peace
Happy to say I have seen Bo play at a few different venues - but finally talked wtih him one on one when we bumped into each other on the street in Vancouver.... a great guy and a true trailblazer
WOW,,, i am a white guy 76 years young, I went to the first Major Rock and Roll Shows and also went to smaller shows
that Blacks only went to , I can tell you when I first saw Bo Diddley , he was about to come on stage..but I first heard Maracas
keeping the Bo Diddley Beat and Bo was back stage playing for a minute ... I could not believe what I was hearing ... it was the most powerful
sound I ever heard and I and the whole Theatre went into a frenzy even before he was on stage .. there was no one as exciting as him until Jackie Wilson, Little Richard ,Jerry Lee Lewis , Chuck Berry or James Brown ... so I appreciate that you were objective and kept pointing out that this was over 60 yrs ago and these are the Roots of all who followed so ...Thanks Again for your comments
Fil,
your description and assessment Of Bo’s
Playing is Spot on. I had not met him when
That was filmed. later became close family friend and working with for over 30 years until his passing 13 years ago. His guitar sound Filled enough space for a band by itself.
His voice had equal power and When songs began there was no feet in the audience not moving just like in those clips. He was the Real Deal and Still miss him dearly. Thanks🎶
🎷NS🎷
My era; I had a Fender Bassman with four 12s in 1965.... didn’t really need it! Yes the context analysis is all spot on. Bo sure had some James Brown style dance moves too!
When he's holding that guitar and pounding on it and turns to the audience with it at a 45 degree angle at 1:48... you know what's going down, right there!
Most people are aware that literally scores of hit rock songs are based on the Bo Diddley beat. ( My personal favorite is Johnny Otis "Hand Jive" from 1958. Remember it from "Grease" ?)
Interesting is to try to relate the origins of this beat to the "Shave and a Haircut, two bits". The "Shave" is a 7-2 rhythm, and the Diddley is a 3-2, which seems like an abbreviation of the "Shave".
It's taken me forever to get around to giving Bo the deep dive he deserves and which I should have afforded his catalog decades ago already. I've known forever how important he and the "Bo Diddley beat" were to rock 'n roll of the 60s and onward, though, and am glad you've taken the time to show ol' Bo the love. He was every bit as nearly unfathomably an important influence as Little Richard and Chuck Berry, a threesome within which I think it appropriate to group him for both musical AND social/cultural reasons. Thanks as always, Fil!
I remember seeing him Chuck Berry The Shirelles and Gary u s bonds. It was a rock and roll Revival
Oh yeah! I forgot about Gary U.S.Bonds.
Based on traditional African call and response. The Adam and Eve of rock and roll.
You are so right. Well put.
Absolutely
Listen to "Magic Bus" from the Who. It's got that same driving Bo Diddly beat throughout, and it's that rhythm that drives the song. I first heard "Magic Bus" over the PA system in the Western Michigan University Campus Bookstore in 1968, and it totally blew me away. I'd never heard of Bo Diddley before then, but when I first heard him about six months later, I had that sudden 'ah-ha' moment and thought, "So that's the dude you stole this riff from, Pete Townshend! Well done!" Been both a Who and Bo Diddley fan ever since. Bo was great. A true Rock-n-Roll hero.
Fabulous Fil! The great Bo Diddley, what a different choice for analysis. So good to see this one as Bo doesn't seem to get the recognition he deserves. Loved it! As always Thank you.
From what I heard, Bo gave Billy Gibbons his Thunderbird Gretsch guitar in the early 70s, and Bo got his trademark box guitar. Also made by Gretsch
Comicozy, "Have you heard?/ What's the word? / Thunderbird!". ZZ Top song.
comicozy87 NOPE! He had the box early sixties!
rockitMiC ah, good to know
Thank you so much for this Fil. I am such a HUGE Bo Diddley fan. This is an awesome performance by Bo. I like him better than any guitar player. He can play, sing and dance all while playing. WHAT A DANCER! I was born in 1961 and still to young to be able to have seen Bo in concert. I really missed out by not seeing him in the 80's. I was to busy listening to classic rock. George Thorogood actually turned me onto Bo by all his covers he does of Bo's songs. I just love to watch Bo dance and play. He has some James Brown in him. I love your analysis of all the artists you do. You are super awesome. I can tell you are a fan of these players by your infectious smile. I will say it again you are the best by far on youtube. I thank you and appreciate your knowledge and you are keeping these artists alive. Thank you!
As soon as saw this I hoped you would analyze it. I knew for the era it would be controversial, but you picked up on stuff that flew right by me. Things like women out front, choreography, stage entrance and a woman playing guitar was bold and innovative. Phil thank you so much.
Excellent review. You picked up on details from a visual, cultural, musical, and historical perspective that I overlooked. The rhythm and tremolo were enough to make him a legend, but singing and titling songs about himself was the icing on the cake. Saludos!
I'm 69 going on 70. Love your channel. This is excellent. Bo Diddley was great, innovative, original and wonderful. Very well described and analysed. I've been a drummer since 1965. Thanks
Thanks!
"I got a gal who lives on a hill, If she won't love me her sister will," not exactly Shakespeare but it gets the point across. Bo was a boxer early on, that's partly why he's such a great dancer. Then it turned out he had bad eyesight, so he turned to music, and thank God for that. I love his dancing, you could balance a glass of water on his head and he wouldn't spill a drop. And his guitar sound, straight out of Africa, thru the Mississippi Delta and on up to Chi-Town! Beautiful! At the beginning of this, Bo and the other guy are up on that pedestal, then Bo gives the word and they start down the steps. Amazing!
I can dig it. Only thing that seemed to missing was the amp tremolo. Still great. Loved the 'space age' Gretsch's. I wonder if his co-player is tha gal later named Lady Bo ? Saw a GP Pros Reply which had him on a 'bad motor scooter' and waving to the camera with his box guitar on his shoulder then another interview which included Lady Bo a few years later. She favored an SG, which of course i loved. Nice find here !
"Lady Bo" (Peggy Jones) was with Bo Diddley's band for about four years (1957 - 1961, I believe). Norma-Jean Wofford, who appears in the video, was nicknamed "The Dutchess" and was the band's rhythm guitar player from 1962 - 1966.
Thx for another great video. I agree with you - I suspect the video predates 1965, possibly by 2 to 4 years.
Thanks for this Fil. This performance by Bo is fantastic on every level. The man was epic. And no one imo has ever quite captured his unique guitar sound.
Only recently started loving Bo myself... It was Bo Diddley that inspired Don Everly's rhythm intro to Bye Bye Love by the Everly Brothers...
"I play guitar like I'm playing drums" Bo Diddley in the PBS Rock & Roll documentary. Another great analysis video Fil!
Great insights about the crowd's reactions. The girls were absorbing the music at an almost frenzied level - so much so that they were off the beat, but batcrap crazy for the rawness and primal punch of the music.
I got to work with Bo back in '87. Much fun!
Thanks, Fil! I love your historical approach to the evolution of music genres and styles! I've listened to multigenetational jazz, rock, folk,Mericana my whole life, but as I get older the history is more fascinating to me. I was probably in my fogies when I started to hear how much a decade shared beats, riffs,tunings and styles. I never get tired of hearing and looking for the inter-connectedness in music, and why it draws people together. Thanks for the info!♡♡
Thanks Marcia!
I like how Bo Diddly uses those double stop triads in his guitar playing, it was great to see the ladies singing and playing in the band, thanks for covering this legend.
I love watching your videos because not only are you super cute, wonderful smile, but your knowledge is impressive. Thank you. ❤❤❤
Visually, that’s an amazing front line. Three pretty ladies in long dresses, one playing guitar, all moving together. And that driving sound. Brilliant!
He also shared more of the spotlight with his supporting musicians.
How could you not have fun watching him jam? Great vid Fil, thanks!
I saw Bo Diddley in the early 1980s when I was in graduate school at WVU in Morgantown, WV. He was playing at a tightly packed, one room bar. As I squeezed past the people standing just inside the door, I saw Bo sitting on a stool in the corner at the front near the entrance. He was just to my left playing his rectangular guitar. It felt surreal standing so close to this legend in such an intimate setting. Great experience.
Bo knows. That was cool loved watching the audience. Thanks Fil you be all right for a white boy
Who you calling "boy"? 😂😂
Thank you for playing the actual performance
I’m behind but catching up on your videos! Always impressed with your range of groups and the depth of your information about them. I learn something every time! I was too young to appreciate Bo’s early years so this was a delight to watch for the first time.
Bo Diddly, Bo Diddly, whaddya know! Always liked him and his style of music and playing, That was 54 years ago, wowzer! You hit this analysis out of the park, Fil! Thank you for giving me back so many cherished memories, You Rock /M\.... BTW, .... you are very close to 58 thousand subscribers, Congratulations!
Thanks Paula!
@@wingsofpegasus Welcome, darlin'
I was fortunate enough to see BoDiddley on his 50th Birthday playing in Melbourne Australia, December 1979 and he still put out that rhythm just like this YT clip. Energy. Pity he didn't still have the chorus line. But I still got up and danced from beginning to the end. Bo Diddly Da' Man, Yes sir! Thanks Wings.
This is awesome Fil! Bo Diddley....what a magnificent musical machine he was! And such an influence to so many guitarist! Phenomenal! His rhythmical sway of playing was in a league of its own! Excellent insight Fil! 😀👌🤘
Thanks for doing this video Phil. It was one of my favorites to watch and listen to that you have done. It was so cool to see the girls rocking out in their seats. Possessed by the devils music I guess. I was fortunate to see him in a small bar in the SF Bay Area in the late 70's. He hadn't missed a beat, and he put on a great show for a small crowd.
"Heeeeeeeey Bo Diddley!" Dang, he was playing loud!!! And I DIG Bo and Norma's guitar!! What make is that? Anyone know? I want one! Cool Fil, thanks Bro
Gretsch. Jupiter thunderbird I think. Gretsch guitars have a lovely bell-like tone.
He was so loud and so deep