Bo Diddley, born Elias Otha Bates, was a musician who brought rhythmic and bluesy elements to rock and roll. He worked as a carpenter and mechanic while also performing as a street musician before becoming a regular performer in Chicago clubs. He pioneered a specific beat that has been used by some of rock’s great musicians. He has received numerous accolades from the music world and is regarded as one of rock, R&B, and rockabilly’s most influential musicians. He continued to perform sporadically until his death in 2008.
Bo Diddley is often credited as a pioneer in bringing rhythmic and bluesy elements to rock and roll. Born Elias Otha Bates in 1928, Bo Diddley was raised by a second cousin and sometimes used his surname, McDaniel. The McDaniel family moved to Chicago when Bo Diddley was quite young, and he soon showed a talent for music, first studying the violin and then the guitar.
Diddley combined hard work with a fledgling music career in his late teens. He worked as both a carpenter and a mechanic, but also began working as a street musician, before performing regularly in Chicago clubs in the early 1950s. In the mid-1950s, Elias McDaniel became Bo Diddley, at least while he was performing on stage, and in 1955 he had a real R&B hit with the song “Bo Diddley.”
What Diddley is known for is pioneering a specific beat “One and two and three and four and…” repeated for a second measure. This rhythm draws its inspiration from rumba rhythms and has been used often by some of rock’s great musicians, such as bands such as U2, The Beatles, Bruce Springsteen and The Byrds. His work has directly influenced the early world of rock and especially the late age; has received numerous accolades from the music world. These include induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Rockabilly Hall of Fame and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. By fellow musicians and music organizations and publications, Bo Diddley is regarded as one of rock, R&B and rockabilly’s most influential musicians and has been ranked among Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest Rock Artists.
Most of Bo Diddley’s successful and musically active years occurred from the mid-1950s to the early 1970s. Lui continued to perform sporadically live from the late 1970s onward, including opening work for punk band The Clash. His interests continued to be diverse, and in the 1970s he even worked in Valencia County, New Mexico as a legal officer.
Up until a year before his death on June 2, 2008, Bo Diddley remained active as a musician, making guest appearances upon request. However, about a year before his death, he suffered a stroke and only gave one performance that year, in November of 2007. Diddley remained mostly in Florida for his last year of his life, comforted by his many friends and family. and from his strong Christian belief that he would go to heaven. His death was reported by his family as expected and peaceful.
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