Diddley, Bo definition of Diddley, Bo in the Free Online Encyclopedia.

Diddley, Bo, 1928–, pioneering African-American rock-and-roll singer, guitarist, and songwriter, b. near McComb, Miss., as Otha Ellas Bates. He and his cousin, Gussie McDaniel, who raised him and whose last name he adopted, moved to Chicago when he was five. He studied violin, received his first guitar in 1940, and acquired the nickname "Bo Diddley" (probably from the single-stringed folk instrument called a diddley bow). Within a decade he was performing in South Side clubs, often playing a unique rectangular electric guitar. Diddley became known for his pounding signature beat (bom ba-bom bom, bom bom; later an essential component of rock music) and for his guitar effects, jive talk, and strutting onstage style. He reached a wider audience with the release (1955) of his first record, containing "Bo Diddley" and "I'm a Man." He had a number of other hits, but is perhaps most important for his powerful influence on generations of rockers, e.g., Chuck Berry Berry, Chuck (Charles Edward Anderson Berry) (bĕr`ē), 1926–, American rock music guitarist, singer, and songwriter, b.
..... Click the link for more information. , Little Richard Little Richard, 1935–, American musician and singer, b. Macon, Ga., as Richard Wayne Penniman. One of the first rock musicians in the 1950s, he recorded "Tutti Frutti," "Long Tall Sally," and "Good Golly Miss Molly." Since then, he has turned to religion.
..... Click the link for more information. , Buddy Holly, Jimi Hendrix Hendrix, Jimi (James Marshall Hendrix), 1942–70, African-American rock guitarist, b. Seattle, Wash. Hendrix, in his short musical career, was known for an innovative and extremely influential guitar style that involved the explosive, yet often sensitively
..... Click the link for more information. , the Rolling Stones Mick Jagger (Michael Phillip Jagger), 1943–; guitarists

Brian Jones (Lewis Brian Hopkin-Jones), 1944–69,

Keith Richards or Richard 1943–, and

Ron Wood
..... Click the link for more information. , and Bruce Springsteen Springsteen, Bruce Frederick, 1949–, American singer, guitarist, and songwriter, nicknamed "The Boss," b. Long Branch, N.J. Springsteen established himself as a singer and songwriter, as well as a stage showman, while playing in bands in cities along the shore
..... Click the link for more information. . He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.

Bibliography

See G. R. White, Bo Diddley: Living Legend (1998).

Diddley, Bo (b. Otha Ellas McDaniel) (1928– ) musician; born in McComb, Miss. A guitarist, he was a street-corner gospel and blues singer before beginning his recording career in 1955 for Chess Records. He became one of the earliest black stars of rock 'n' roll, making numerous television appearances and touring widely through the mid-1960s. Although his popularity as a recording artist dipped thereafter, he remained a celebrated rock pioneer and concert artist and was inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.