Talk:Bo Diddley/Archive 1

Stubbed
I stubbed in a few facts, but haven't time to write anything more ...

Last appearance
I removed, He was last seen on TV in Gainesville, FL (Alachua county). I know I read something about this somewhere, but I don't really recall where. Source? Shiri &mdash; Talk 01:38, Mar 27, 2005 (UTC)

More accurately - Bo Diddley is *credited* with writing the song "Love Is Strange" along with Mickey and Sylvia. This is disputed by blues guitarist Jody Williams, who sued RCA Records for royalties. He claims that Mickey and Sylvia overhead him playing the song and without permission, recorded it. The lawsuit was settled against Williams, but I believe his story is credible. Source: http://www.evidencemusic.com/artists/artist.cfm?artistID=blues337

The name Bo Diddley is also a reversal of the name Diddley Bo(w) which was the name describing a primitive type of musical instrument used in the late 1800's early 1900's. Some think this is the source of Bo's name. Ray Skinner England.

Bo Diddley is scheduled to play a show on Sunday, September 3rd, 2005 at the Bumbershoot Festival in Seattle, WA. http://www.bumbershoot.org/lineup/artist/bo-diddley

some peuple say, tha't bo diddley is even more influential than b.b king and chuck berry.

"The nickname is also linked to the diddley bow, a one stringed instrument used in the south by mainly black musicians in the fields, although this has been proven false, as his fingers were too big for the slide."

This seems incorrect to me: as I understand it, a diddley bow is a one-stringed instrument made by stapling a length of baling wire to a wall, played with a slide. Nothing to do with "out in the fields" as far as I know. One source for this explanation of a diddley bow would be David Dalton's novel, "Been Here And Gone."

J Epstein
 * I can't specifically speak on the "in the fields" thing, but a diddley bow doesn't have to be attached to a wall; you can put a wire on a stick of wood, maybe with a tin can on one end to act as a resonator, and Bob's your uncle -- portable as can be. --Karlos the Jackal 10:36, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Electric guitars have been around since the 1930's. As much as I like Bo, he's far from being one of the first people to play an electric guitar.

he's probably one of the first to play a solidbody electric guitar. and i can't think of anyone before who customized his instruments so extensively —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.125.110.223 (talk) 20:51, 4 December 2007 (UTC)

Copyright
See this web: Bo Diddley

hey, what about the duchess...i thought i could get some infos about her on this page....? anybody knows something about ther? marcel

Diddley's real name...
Crackin' Up from Bo Diddley (alias Otha Ellas Bates but given the surname McDaniel in infancy on adoption by his mother's first cousin Gussie McDaniel), US POP chart #62, 07/1959. Another fake info by Stephan KOENIG???
 * Thanks, Stephan! Sometimes, I see "McDaniels"! Fore sure, it could be something to drink! S.K. unlogged...

Name in the article
Is there any reason for him being referred to as "Bo Diddley" throughout the article, rather than plain "Diddley" (as per Manual of Style) ?

Derek R Bullamore 18:11, 31 January 2007 (UTC)

I don't think the pseudonym "Bo Diddley" is meant to take the form of a conventional name structure (eg first name Bo, second name Diddley). It's more like "The Edge", who is referred to as "The Edge" throughout his entry (not "Edge" or "The"). Drella Melmoth 12:56, 5 August 2007 (UTC)
 * On the other hand, how do you explaing the following song titles: "Diddley Daddy" and "Bo's A Lumberjack"? And what about "Big Bad Bo"? Surely, if he wrote, or allowed songs/albums using either "Bo " or "Diddley", they are valid representations of his name. Steve Pastor 18:27, 6 August 2007 (UTC)

BTW, under Early Life and Career the diddly bow is mentioned as a possible source for his name. The article describes the diddly bow as a two-string instrument, but if you go to the link for diddly bow on wikipedia the instrument is described as one-string. phx June 02, 2008 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.192.47.2 (talk) 19:31, 2 June 2008 (UTC)

The Bo Diddley beat
I came across this concept in the I Want Candy article, where it is mentioned in the lead. The most intelligible explanation of a particular "Bo Diddley beat" in this article is
 * One and two and three and four and one and two and three and four and

which as far as I can see is identical to an ordinary son clave. What makes it "Bo Diddley"? EldKatt (Talk) 19:27, 3 May 2007 (UTC)
 * Bo was quite good at self promotion. This from the article about his appearence on the Ed Sullivan Show, at the time a major showcase for talent - Bo Diddley was asked to sing Tennessee Ernie Ford's hit "Sixteen Tons". But when he appeared on stage, he sang his #1 R&B hit "Bo Diddley." - He sang a song about himself! So why not name a simple rhythm after yourself (or maybe let other people give it your name)? Sure helps keep your name alive. Steve Pastor 20:01, 3 May 2007 (UTC)

Also known as hambone or "patted juba", it is a traditional west African rhythm. It not hard to believe that it got to Cuba, Haiti, and the US from there. 167.73.110.8 (talk) 21:17, 2 June 2008 (UTC)

Surprised you included "She's a Woman," equally surprised you left out Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away" and the Who's "Magic Bus." —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.22.200.4 (talk) 06:14, 21 December 2008 (UTC)
 * fixed! Sssoul (talk) 11:46, 21 December 2008 (UTC)

Why the Chicago Wikiproject?
(moved from User talk:Speciate page) My question is what category do you feel that he belongs in that warrants WP:WPChi attention. I do not see any categories listed. For us to justify our assessments we need to either ensure that an appropriate category be added to an article or an appropriate category be created to add to an article. I do not see how he belongs in our project. We can not every musician who makes frequent appearances in Chicago in our project. If so, we might end up including every company represented by the many Chicago advertising companies. TonyTheTiger (talk/cont/bio/tcfkaWCDbwincowtchatlotpsoplrttaDCLaM) 20:38, 25 May 2007 (UTC)
 * The article doesn't explain very clearly, but Bo Diddley moved to Chicago in 1934 at around age eight, went to Foster High in Chicago, played violin for the Ebenezer Baptist Church Orchestra under O.W. Frederick in Chicago, got his first guitar in Chicago, renamed his first band after a street in Chicago (Langley Avenue Jive Cats) and played for 10 years in Chicago before getting a recording contract in Chicago with Checker/Chess records in 1955 (and staying with the label for 21 years), and did not really move out of Chicago until the 1970s. Speciate 04:50, 26 May 2007 (UTC)
 * Great work. I would have missed him if you had not known about his life.  Thanks for adding the category so that we can maintain a consistent policy. TonyTheTiger (talk/cont/bio/tcfkaWCDbwincowtchatlotpsoplrttaDCLaM) 14:56, 26 May 2007 (UTC)

first African American on the Sullivan Show?
Not by a long shot. Count Basie was on the 8/29/1948 show. Steve Pastor (talk) 18:05, 27 December 2007 (UTC)
 * Ever hear of Pearl Bailey? September 25, 1955 Steve Pastor (talk) 18:11, 27 December 2007 (UTC)

Louis Armstrong, Lena Horne, Cab Calloway, Eartha Kitt, there's quite a list of blacks who were on before Bo. Steve Pastor (talk) 18:18, 27 December 2007 (UTC)

pictures
i think this article could use some more pictures of a younger Bo insteed of all the pictures of him from after 2005 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 206.130.211.27 (talk) 17:00, 12 May 2008 (UTC)
 * Unfortunately Wikipedia's draconian image use rules pretty much prohibit the uploading of images that weren't personally taken by editors, so it makes sense that more recent images are likely to be available. 68.146.41.232 (talk) 16:37, 2 June 2008 (UTC)

diddley
"diddley squat" is the slang term for money made by carnival workers on the nickle and dime games. If you weren't making any money, you couldn't "make diddley squat". I suspect this is not related to his stage name, though. Pustelnik (talk) 21:07, 2 June 2008 (UTC)

John Lee Hooker reference
"The family moved to Chicago when he was seven. He took violin lessons as a youth, but was inspired to become a guitarist after seeing John Lee Hooker."

He's 11 years younger than JLH, I'm not too sure that he was inspired by him...any chance of a reference? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 78.86.230.62 (talk) 22:38, 2 June 2008 (UTC)

Need Information On His Band Mates
Can someone add to this article or create a new article on those female guitarists?

Peggy "Lady Bo" Jones - http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/2-10-2001-2322.asp

Norma-Jean Wofford, THE DUCHESS - http://www.spectropop.com/remembers/DuchessObit.htm

69.109.249.151 (talk) 02:25, 3 June 2008 (UTC)

Great reference source
Much of the Bo Diddley article is undocumented, and therefore subject to Wikiattack. Fortunately, the NY Times today published a lengthy detailed obituary. I don't have time to mine it for inlne references, but I hope some other folks can. Ben Ratliff, "Bo Diddley, Who Gave Rock His Beat, Dies at 79." New York Times, June 3, 2008, p. A1

Go in peace, Bo Diddley.

Bellagio99 (talk) 22:08, 3 June 2008 (UTC)

McDaniel or McDaniels?
On Buddy Holley's Coral Records single of "Bo Diddley", the composer is credited as "E. McDaniels". Little Red Riding Hood  talk  21:34, 17 October 2008 (UTC)

apparent copyright violation
the article appears to be nearly identical to what's on the official Bo Diddley site: here's the lead, and here's the main body of the article. i reckon there are ways to ascertain which site is copied from the other, but i don't know how. who does one contact in a scenario like this? Sssoul (talk) 16:45, 29 November 2009 (UTC)

ps: that site's copyright claim is here: "The website and the organization and layout of the website, including all materials posted by BoDiddley.com and Paid, Inc. are owned and copyrighted by BoDiddley.com" Sssoul (talk) 16:50, 29 November 2009 (UTC)

update: i've posted this as a copyright problem here: WP:Copyright_problems and have asked how to ascertain whether the Bo Diddley site copied this article or vice versa. until that's sorted out, apparently the article shouldn't be edited; i've therefore moved recent constructive changes to the Talk:Bo_Diddley/Temp page. Sssoul (talk) 05:57, 1 December 2009 (UTC)


 * I'm not sure how these issues are dealt with - but as someone who contributed to an earlier version of this article I can confirm that I edited text in from a number of different sources. It looks to me very much like the official site has copied the WP article into its site, rather than the other way round - but obviously that needs to be confirmed.  Ghmyrtle (talk) 07:48, 1 December 2009 (UTC)


 * thanks for the input - i was rooting around a bit in the edit history, and it sure looks like the article evolved from multiple contributors and sources, and that the other site copied it. but as you say that needs to be confirmed.  Sssoul (talk) 08:44, 1 December 2009 (UTC)

After an investigation, it does appear that the www.bodiddley.com website copied the Wikipedia article. First, a check of the internet archive shows Bo Diddley.com was created sometime after June 2007. Previous to that it was a only a registered name. The WP article was created through many edits beginning in May 2005.

Then, a review of the editing history shows the Bo Diddley article was created through a long series of small edits by various editors. For example, the lede paragraph that is duplicated on the website homepage, only first appeared in that form in March 2009. However, it was created by small changes, such as this one in November 2008 which added the quotes around Originator and changed rock 'n roll to rock & roll. And this one in June 2008 which altered some of the key phrasing into its current form.

These kinds of additions indicate the Bo Diddley website was probably copied directly from the Wikipedia article sometime after March 2009. Therefore, it is a reverse copyright violation. I am removing the CV template. Good luck with your editing. — Cactus Writer |   needles  11:35, 1 December 2009 (UTC)


 * thanks very much indeed, Cactus Writer – i'm very glad to hear we're on solid ground here. Sssoul (talk) 15:33, 1 December 2009 (UTC)

Yes,as someone who put in the bits about one version of where the Beat came from, (Bo trying to play a Gene Autry song)it's good to be vindicated. Steve Pastor (talk) 22:40, 1 December 2009 (UTC)


 * User:Sssoul thought that other contributors might be interested in this information. Since the Wikimedia Foundation does not own the copyright to any of the text, it does not pursue licensing violations as an entity, but any Wikipedian is welcome to attempt to address these when encountered. Only substantial contributors to the copied text have the legal right to pursue infringers. The steps to be taken, whether you are a contributor to the article or not, are listed at Mirror. --Moonriddengirl (talk) 18:10, 2 December 2009 (UTC)
 * thank you, Moonriddengirl. i'm very glad this has been sorted out, and you major contributors should feel proud that the man's own official site deems your good work cool, clear and comprehensive enough. but asking them to give due credit does seem fitting, and i hope someone will pursue that.
 * on a related note, i'm removing that clean-up banner. the article does still need work - there's no mention of his 1987/88 tour with Ronnie Wood, for example! - but the problems don't seem to me to warrant a clean-up banner. Sssoul (talk) 18:19, 2 December 2009 (UTC)

the "notable covers" section needs help
the "notable covers" section is a mighty unfortunate mishmash of notable (and not-so-notable) covers, tribute-type non-covers and miscellaneous factoids (Kenny Rogers likes Bo, Bo had some film roles, etc). would anyone else be willing/able to work on pruning the dubious/non-notable bits and rearranging the rest into more sensible sections? thanks Sssoul (talk) 10:04, 1 February 2010 (UTC)
 * update: okay, i've eliminated a bunch of miscellaneous stuff from the section, but it can certainly still use finetuning, copy-editing, etc. Sssoul (talk) 10:40, 7 February 2010 (UTC)

The Bo Diddley beat used by other artists
This section moved here as it has been flagged for over a year. There are Original Research and referencing concerns. Also, the presentation as a list is unhelpful as it doesn't put the material into a context that explains it usefully for readers. Instead of deleting the material I have moved it here for editors to consider if they wish to work the material into the article.  SilkTork  *YES! 21:51, 8 May 2010 (UTC)

The Bo Diddley beat has been used in compositions by many other artists, including:
 * Buddy Holly "Not Fade Away"
 * The Rolling Stones "Please Go Home" and "Not Fade Away"
 * The Who "Magic Bus"
 * Elvis Presley "His Latest Flame"
 * Bruce Springsteen "She's the One"
 * U2 "Desire"
 * The Jesus and Mary Chain "Bo Diddley Is Jesus"
 * Stevie Ray Vaughan "Willie the Wimp"
 * Shirley & Company "Shame, Shame, Shame"
 * The Smiths "How Soon Is Now?"
 * Roxette "Harleys and Indians (Riders in the Sky)"
 * Aerosmith "Sweet Emotion"
 * Billy Joel "Don't Ask Me Why"
 * Dee Clark, a former member of the Hambone Kids (see above) "Hey Little Girl"
 * Johnny Otis "Willie and the Hand Jive"
 * George Michael "Faith"
 * Normaal "Kearl van Stoahl"
 * Elton John "Billy Bones and the White Bird"
 * The Strangeloves "I Want Candy"
 * Ace Frehley "New York Groove"
 * KT Tunstall "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree"
 * Primal Scream "Movin' on Up"
 * Tom Petty "A Mind with a Heart of Its Own''
 * David Bowie "Panic in Detroit"
 * Robert Wyatt "Heaps Of Sheeps"
 * Joan Jett and the Blackhearts "Be Straight"
 * The Pretenders "Cuban Slide", "Break Up the Concrete"
 * The Police "Deathwish"
 * The Guess Who "Follow Your Daughter Home"
 * Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders "Game of Love"
 * The Supremes "When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes"
 * Jefferson Airplane "She Has Funny Cars"
 * The White Stripes "Screwdriver"
 * The Byrds "Don't Doubt Yourself, Babe"
 * Medicine Show "Lucy, Go Lightly"
 * The Stooges "1969"
 * Husker Du "Hare Krishna"
 * Hamilton Bohannon "Disco Hop"
 * "Weird Al" Yankovic "Party at the Leper Colony"
 * Guns N' Roses "Mr Brownstone"
 * Green Day "Castaway"
 * Pat Benatar "Love Is a Battlefield"
 * Sha Na Na "Born to Hand Jive" (from the soundtrack of the musical Grease)
 * Allman Brothers Band "No One to Run With"
 * The Miracles "Mickey's Monkey"
 * Nick Lowe "I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass"
 * The Saints "Swing for the Crime"
 * The Electric Prunes "Get me to the World on Time"
 * Mickey Jupp "Joggin'" "The Ballad of Billy Bonney"
 * The Clash "Rudie Can't Fail"
 * Tenpole Tudor "There Are Boys"
 * Eels "My Beloved Monstrosity"
 * The Beat Farmers "Big Big Man"
 * The Fall "Bo Demmick", "Diceman"
 * Diane Renay "Watch Out, Sally"
 * The Mars Volta "Day of the Baphomets"
 * The Black Eyed Peas "Electric City"
 * Toto "Rosanna"
 * Los Bravos "Bring a Little Lovin'"
 * The Trashmen "Bird Diddley Beat"
 * Amr Diab "Nour El Ain"
 * The La's "Feelin"
 * Sublime "Caress Me Down"
 * Love and Rockets "Yin and Yang and the Flowerpot Man"
 * Maciej Maleńczuk "Miasto Krakoff"

A number of artists have also based hit records around the "I'm a Man" riff, including:


 * The Nashville Teens "Tobacco Road"
 * The Sweet "Blockbuster"
 * David Bowie "The Jean Genie"

"The Originator"
This needs a reference. Rothorpe (talk) 20:01, 16 February 2011 (UTC)