I have to confess that I have no recollection of Bo Diddley. He may have peaked on the charts before my time, which certainly proves he was a rock pioneer. But since he died this week, I thought I’d scout around and find some of his stuff. First, something I never knew, but found out in his obituary:
Appearing on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in 1955, Mr. Diddley was asked to play “Sixteen Tons,” the song popularized by Tennessee Ernie Ford. Without telling Mr. Sullivan, he played “Bo Diddley” instead. Afterward, in an off-camera confrontation, Mr. Sullivan told him that he would never work in television again. Mr. Diddley did not play again on a network show for 10 years.
Actually, I don’t believe he was the first black, unless it was one of Sullivan’s first shows. Maybe the first black rock and roller. Anyway, through the wonders of youtube, here is that very appearance on the Sullivan show:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wUawLPXyZ0&feature=related[/youtube]
Frankly, I can’t imagine the guy singing “16 tons”. It may be that as a result of Sullivan’s diktat there isn’t much video of Diddley from the late 50s or early sixties. I thought this was sort of fun, Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry duking it out (guitars only) on stage:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9586G04mfw[/youtube]
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