Bo Diddley

USA, 1955–2008

Pioneer of the syncopated 'Bo Diddley beat'. Direct influence on The Rolling Stones, The Who and generations of rock guitarists.

MusicRoots documents 2 artists who influenced Bo Diddley and 9 artists Bo Diddley influenced in turn. Every connection cites a published source.

Who influenced Bo Diddley?

• Louis Jordan — Diddley named Louis Jordan among the artists who made him want to perform — the jump-blues showman model.
• John Lee Hooker — Hooker's one-chord hypnotic drive is the documented ancestor of the Bo Diddley beat's trance repetition.

Which artists did Bo Diddley influence?

• The 101ers — 'Who Do You Love' sat in the set beside the Berry and Presley covers — the R&B half of the band's rock'n'roll grounding.
• Creedence Clearwater Revival — Named by Fogerty alongside Little Richard as a first model; the rhythmic insistence of CCR's riff writing comes from that side rather than from the blues.
• The Velvet Underground — The other half of the band, away from Cale's avant-garde: a beat repeated until it stops being a beat and becomes a state. 'What Goes On' is the Bo Diddley figure held down for four minutes.
• The Seeds — The Bo Diddley beat is at the hypnotic core of 'Pushin' Too Hard' and the early Seeds sound.
• The Rolling Stones — Stones covered 'Mona' on their debut; the Bo Diddley beat is woven into early Stones recordings.
• The Who — The Who covered 'I'm a Man'; the Bo Diddley beat underlies Townshend's early riffing.
• AC/DC — Bo Diddley's 'I'm a Man' is the acknowledged template behind 'Whole Lotta Rosie' — the primal R&B beat in AC/DC's engine.
• Pink Floyd — Syd Barrett's stated early repertoire was R&B — he named Bo Diddley his single biggest influence.
• Ritchie Valens — Bo Diddley's rhythmic R&B was among the rock'n'roll sounds Valens fused with Mexican folk.