Home / Latest News / Related News / Rock pioneer Bo Diddley dies at age 79News by Category
The Blues Brothers The Blues Brothers Band Dan Aykroyd John Belushi Website News Cast News Fan News Merchandise Movie News Related News Cool Stuff Youtube Videos|
JUN 3 2008
Rock pioneer Bo Diddley dies at age 79
Submitted 1347 days ago by bbcentral
Category: Related News
Bo Diddley: 1928-2008  Return to Related NewsBo Diddley, a founding father of rock 'n' roll whose distinctive "shave and a haircut, two bits" rhythm and innovative guitar effects inspired legions of other musicians, died Monday after months of ill health. He was 79. Diddley died of heart failure at his home in Archer, Fla., spokeswoman Susan Clary said. He had suffered a heart attack in August, three months after suffering a stroke while touring in Iowa. Doctors said the stroke affected his ability to speak, and he had returned to Florida to continue rehabilitation. The legendary singer and performer, known for his homemade square guitar, dark glasses and black hat, was an inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, had a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame, and received a lifetime achievement award in 1999 at the Grammy Awards. In recent years he also played for the elder President Bush and President Clinton. His first single, "Bo Diddley," introduced record buyers in 1955 to his signature rhythm: bomp ba-bomp bomp, bomp bomp, often summarized as "shave and a haircut, two bits." The B side, "I'm a Man," with its slightly humorous take on macho pride, also became a rock standard. The company that issued his early songs was Chess-Checkers records, the storied Chicago-based labels that also recorded Chuck Berry and other stars. Born as Ellas Bates on Dec. 30, 1928, in McComb, Miss., Diddley was later adopted by his mother's cousin and took on the name Ellis McDaniel, which his wife always called him. When he was 5, his family moved to Chicago, where he learned the violin at the Ebenezer Baptist Church. He learned guitar at 10 and entertained passers-by on street corners. By his early teens, Diddley was playing Chicago's Maxwell Street. "I came out of school and made something out of myself. I am known all over the globe, all over the world. There are guys who have done a lot of things that don't have the same impact that I had," he said. Blues Brothers fans will remember him from the Louisiana Gator Boys in the movie "Blues Brothers 2000". Return to Related News |  27 Comments
|  RSS Feeds | 
Share
|
