Rock and roll is one of the most important genres in the history of modern music. The signature guitar styles, drum rhythms, and powerful electric sound allowed this genre to singlehandedly change the way that music was created, presented, and performed. Rock and roll techniques and styles are present in almost every single genre on the radio today, and the traditional rhythms helped to form the basis for other styles of music. Bo Diddley was a rock and blues legend who was so intriguing that he spent over 60 years on the road playing his songs. Born in Mississippi, Diddley rose to fame in the blues town of Chicago. Without his musical contributions, it is very likely that today’s music, regardless of genre, would not sound the way it does; it might not even exist at all. He was one of the original rock and roll musicians that helped to create the songs and beats that are used in a lot of popular music to this day. His career showcases his influence and his individual musical style that set him apart from every other musician of his time. His music influenced the careers of many future rock legends and inspired people all over the country to pick up an instrument, or get up and dance. He has been referred to as a “founding father of rock and roll” (Kemp) and is credited with creating the genre that changed music forever. Through the time frame of his career, his influence and individual style, and his specific musical techniques, Bo Diddley’s music and power live on.
During the height of his career, throughout the 1950’s and 1960’s, and into the 1970’s, there were major societal and historical changes that happened as a result of the Civil Rights Movement. Since he was an African American man, Bo Diddley’s music reflected his position within the world at the time that African Americans were being segregated in society, forced to fight for their rights to live as human beings. He was born in 1928 in McComb, Mississippi, and was raised in Mississippi as a child (Kemp). His family moved to Chicago in 1934, when they could no longer handle the Depression-era American South, and many other black families did the same thing (The Independent). In fact, so many African American families fled the American South that this time was referred to as the “Great Migrations” (Hughes 113). This was a tough place to be an African American family because of the harsh treatment and segregation that created popular ideology. By the time he began to create music and join multiple bands, he was working low-paying jobs and struggling to get by on the little money he had (Ratliff). Unfortunately, in many of the urban cities, this was a reality for a lot of the poor, minority families. Bo Diddley’s third wife, Kay Reynolds, was young and white, and this was seen as a major taboo in the South where he came from (Ratliff). In choosing a white woman for his bride, he faced many of the prejudice and racist ideologies that had been present in America during the first half of the twentieth century. He went through many of these types of personal experiences that shaped the way he experienced his life and created his music. Many of the “original pioneers of rock and roll” were African Americans (Chideya). Rock and roll music helped to bridge the gap for these artists to reach between the races. African American artists were reaching white audiences, and in turn many white performers and musicians were using African American styles in their own music. Thus, the music allowed people to create a common bond that united everyone, regardless of their race. White rock musicians developed an admiration for “black urban blues styles” and began to incorporate them in their own music (Feld 31). In addition, many white labels were opening their doors to African American musicians (Feld 33) and giving them more equal treatment within the music world due to society’s desire for more rock and roll.
Bo Diddley gave Americans their “first exposure to rock and roll” when he appeared on the Ed Sullivan show in November of 1955 (History.com). This historic moment is iconic because he angered Sullivan. He was supposed to play a cover song, but he misinterpreted this and ended up playing his own song instead, prompting Sullivan to become so mad he told him he was never allowed to come back (History.com) and that he would never amount to anything. He told him, “you’re the first black boy that ever double-crossed me” (The Independent). At this time, white men ran Hollywood and the entertainment business, and there was a significant racial division that was in place within the entertainment and music business. Throughout his career, Bo Diddley and the other black members of his band faced much more racism. Once, they were swimming in a pool during a tour stop at a Las Vegas casino, and after they got out the pool was shut down to replace the water (The Independent). The Ed Sullivan incident turned out to have the opposite effect, however, as Americans got their first taste of rock and roll and wanted more. Through this appearance, he was able to show the white audiences what the African Americans were capable of, and influence many white musicians as well as black musicians to create their own rock and roll music. Growing up in the South clearly left an influence on him and his work, and his image and identity were shaped by these historic times. He incorporated “postwar black American vernacular culture” in his music (Ratliff). He was able to identify himself within the terms of the Civil Rights Movement because of the underlying message that many rock and roll musicians took on in their songs. Many other rock and roll legends were in the same position, such as Little Richard and Chuck Berry; they were African American musicians who could share their stories through rock and roll. Bo Diddley incorporated his African American heritage into his music by creating his signature rhythms based on the African traditional drum sound. These drum beats were influenced by the drum rhythms that were used by African slaves who were transported to the Americas: since slaves were not allowed to have real drums, they used their own bodies to slap out the rhythms (The Independent). This is a nod to the roots of the African American people today, showcasing their important ties to their own history and their respect for the experiences of their ancestors. During the 1960’s and 1970’s, people began to become more radical as a society with such movements as the sexual revolution. This is evident within Diddley’s songs, in which he uses slang terms, sexual references, wit, and cockiness (Ratliff). They were “both playful and radical” (Ratliff). His onstage persona also reflected the identity he had created due to the prejudice and racism-filled past of his people. Many of the elements of this persona, including the stories and toasts from his onstage character, are traditional elements of African culture that his ancestors would have carried down (Hughes 114). It was clearly very important for many of the African American musicians at the time to incorporate their own heritage into their work because of the need to preserve the African American race and identity. In addition, Bo Diddley’s stage name itself is a major part of his African American identity. The name comes from the term “diddley bow,” which was an instrument that the poor of the deep South created when they could not afford a real instrument (George-Warren and Levine). The instrument was created by hammering nails into a plank of wood and attaching wires to the nails (George-Warren and Levine). The diddley bow was most commonly used in African American communities and homes, as these were the people who were the poorest in the area and could not afford to have nice instruments like the wealthy white families. By taking this as his name, Diddley was paying homage to his heritage every time he stepped onstage or recorded a track under this name.
Bo Diddley was a large influence in the music world, and came to inspire some of the greatest rock bands and acts of all time, including the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, and Eric Clapton. His signature beat was used for many popular songs, including Buddy Holly’s “Not Fade Away” and “Magic Bus” by the Who (Kemp). Other legendary musicians who have used Diddley’s rhythmic style in their songs include Bruce Springsteen, U2, and Jimi Hendrix (Ratliff). The Beatles, one of the biggest and most well-known bands of all time, were also influenced by Bo Diddley. In 1964, when they came to America, John Lennon stated that he was mostly excited to see Bo Diddley while they were there (The Independent). Currently, there are at least 1,800 recorded covers of Bo Diddley songs (The Independent). In the 1960’s, many of Diddley’s songs were covered by big British bands, including the Rolling Stones and the Yardbirds, which gave him a considerable leap in his legacy (Kemp). In fact, during a slower point in his career, when he did not have any hit songs out and was searching for ideas, the Rolling Stones became extremely popular in Britain and covered many of his songs at their concerts (Ratliff). One of these covers was “Mannish Boy,” which Bo Diddley co-wrote with other rock and roll legend Muddy Waters (Feld 31). This brought him back to the spotlight and revived his career for the time being. He even toured with the Rolling Stones in 1963 (Ratliff). It was not just his music that created such a long-lasting influence: his stage presence and skill as a performer were unmatched at the time. He had a “larger than life personality” (Chideya) when it came to the stage and he created an entire persona for his performances. In fact, he was so entertaining on stage that it is said that Elvis Presley, the king of stage presence himself, borrowed many of Diddley’s moves (Ratliff). He is also said to have influenced Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin, who incorporated this type of on-stage persona and mystique in his own performances (Chideya).
Bo Diddley was unique to other musicians at the time primarily because he was original. He was known as “The Originator” and was the first person to be categorized under the term “rock n’ roll” (The Independent). He was the first person to use the techniques that made him famous, in this type of genre especially, and the first person to use a rectangular guitar. Until musicians such as Elvis came around, he and a few others were the only ones who were creating this type of sound and coined many of the specific rock and roll rhythms. Technically speaking, Diddley’s music was unique because of his signature beat, the electric guitar and his incorporation of African rhythms. He was also known for his percussive technique of guitar playing. He once stated, “I play drum licks on the guitar” (The Independent). Instead of playing traditional guitar chords and progressions, he would rapidly flick his guitar pick across the strings to create a harder, more drum-like sound (The Independent). Bo Diddley’s unique rhythm and beat was named “the Bo Diddley Beat” (Hughes 113). Spelled out phonetically, this beat appears like this: THUMP-a-THUMP-a-THUMP-a-THUMP-THUMP (George-Warren and Levine). It is a familiar sound to many people due to its popularity in music. This beat has been described as a “cornerstone of rock and pop” (Kemp). His beat consisted of a five-accent rhythm that is used as the basis of many rock, pop, and hip-hop songs today (Kemp). Bo Diddley’s unique electric guitar sound came from his signature rectangular guitar, which set him apart from all of the other musicians of the time. The rectangular guitar was also increasingly significant for the creation and execution of his musical style. This is due to the fact that the rectangular guitar resembled more of a percussion instrument, or a drum, than an actual guitar (Hughes 114). He began to build rectangular guitars at the age of 15, when he built his first one in high school shop class (Hughes 113). This guitar was his trademark, one-of-a-kind symbol and it made him very distinctly unique from every other musician out there. To this day, no one else plays a rectangular guitar.
His musical style can be showcased in the comparison of two of his songs, “Hey Bo Diddley” and “Who do You Love.” Both of these songs contain his signature beat, which is essentially a drum beat that places emphasis on every third beat. This rhythm resembles a traditional African beat that was historically used in many ritualistic chants and performances. In addition, both of these songs do not have any chord changes. This is done so that the attention of the listener is focused on the rhythm instead of the tension between transitions. Since the focus is on the rhythm, the listener gets their excitement and interest from the beat itself. Both of the songs also incorporate Diddley’s soulful vocals, through which he uses his voice in a sort of percussion-like way, since he belts out the lyrics. In “Hey Bo Diddley,” there is no use of bass or cymbals, relying only on the drumming rhythm (Ratliff). The signature Bo Diddley Beat is used on the snare drum and tom-toms, without changing the rhythm to transition between the chorus and verses. In this song, there is no change in tempo, tone, or rhythm between the chorus and verses, and the song remains linear. This is likely done so that the listener stays focused primarily on the beat. In “Who do You Love,” Diddley also utilizes vocal techniques to create a distinct sound. The vocals in this song are in a lower octave than in “Hey Bo Diddley,” matching the different tempo of the song. In this song in particular, a “chicken-scratch” guitar pattern is used that mostly consists of only using three strings on the guitar (Ratliff) instead of chords that use all six strings, like many other rock songs. This song includes more guitar than “Hey Bo Diddley,” but incorporates the same drum beats that only use the snare drum and tom-toms. He uses a lot of echo within these songs and matches it with his booming vocal chords (Ratliff). The echo technique is used in many of his songs and was later used by those who came after him, including some contemporary bands. Heavy distortion was used for the guitar work in the majority of his songs, including both “Hey Bo Diddley” and “Who do You love” (Ratliff). This distortion would become part of the foundation for the sound of rock and roll, as the characteristic of it is that it is something heavy that would make a lot of noise. This was a distinct sound that was unique to rock at the time that Diddley was recording his music. Distortion is used in countless numbers of rock and roll songs as well as other sub-rock genres, especially grunge and heavy rock.
Bo Diddley left behind a musical legacy that is felt throughout every genre, from pop music to hip-hop to heavy rock. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 (Kemp), securing his place in the history of rock. This is one of the highest honors that a musician can get, and serves as the equivalent of getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for an actor. His influence was, and still is, unarguable, his music clearly showcases his individual sound and style, and his historic position in the timeline of the twentieth century helped him to achieve his specific identity and status. During the mid-twentieth century, it was tough to live as an African American person during the struggle for human rights and social equality. Like many of his fellow African American rock and roll associates, he carved out a path that hung on to his African heritage and created a bond of unity among races. He was one of the founding fathers of rock and roll, and was unique in many ways, especially his personal and musical style. From his rectangular guitar to his signature beat and punchy blend of drums and guitar, his music created many of the sounds that are listened to now. He was given countless numbers of honors and achievement awards both at the end of his career and posthumously, showcasing how many people in the world believed his influence was important. His influence will live through the songs of many other bands and musicians who have come after him, using his signature techniques and the genres that his sound created.
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