Ellas Otha Bates McDaniel (December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008), better known as Bo Diddley, was an African-American Blues, R&B and Rock & Roll singer and musician who was mainly prominent in the 1950s and early '60s. He was known as "the Originator" for being one of the first artists to start playing rock and roll. The Beatles and The Rolling Stones cited him as a favorite, and Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton were directly inspired by him.
Perhaps his most famous and lasting contribution was the "Bo Diddley Beat" that's still used by rock artists the world over. He was also well known for designing his own, custom-built electric guitars, most famously his distinctive rectangular Gretsch "Twang Machine" with its instantly recognizable, almost ukelele-like tone color. Rolling Stone ranks him twenty-seventh on their list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.
Born in Mississippi and raised in Chicago, Diddley also lived for some time in Valencia County, New Mexico (where he served as deputy sheriff for a couple years in the '70s), and spent his last years in Gainesville, Florida, where a park/community plaza is named after him. His son was arrested while protesting there in 2011.
Tropes having to do with Bo Diddley:
- Answer Song:
- "Bo Meets the Monster" is one of these to Sheb Wooley's "The Purple People Eater".
- And in the other direction, Muddy Waters' "Mannish Boy" is a response to Diddley's "I'm a Man".
- Badass Boast: "I'm a Man" and "Who Do You Love?"
- Bizarre Instrument / Iconic Item: Mild example of the former in his signature box-shaped guitar.
- Bo Diddley Beat: The Trope Maker and Trope Namer.
- Nerd Glasses: He wore these and managed to make them cool, similarly to Buddy Holly and later Elvis Costello.
- Pun-Based Title: His 1960 album Have Guitar Will Travel is a pun on the Western TV show Have Gun – Will Travel.
- Self-Titled Album: His 1958 debut album Bo Diddley, which naturally enough leads off with his hit Self-Titled Song "Bo Diddley".
- Singer Namedrop: A master of this trope, since his
Breakthrough Hit was called "Bo Diddley" and he mentioned himself in countless other titles and lyrics (one writer joked that he probably even wrote a song called "Bo Diddley is God"). - Spelling Song: "I'm a Man" and "Cadillac".
- Volleying Insults: "Say Man"
- Who's on First?: One of his most well-known songs is named after him, which can lead to much confusion. It even confused Bo Diddley himself: when he appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1955, he was supposed to perform "Sixteen Tons", but he performed "Bo Diddley" instead due to seeing a cue card with his name on it and thinking he was to perform both songs. Sullivan grew furious from the perceived double-crossing and banned him from future appearances on his show.
