"I'm just gonna have girls in it. Nobody pays them much attention in the business and many of them turn into sluts just because they want to be on stage. At least I'll be able to direct some of them away from the holes."
—Bo Diddley referring to a new project in his 1979 interview with Dale Andrew White, "The Life and Hard Times of Bo Diddley: an interview with rock-n-roll's "Originator""
Bo Diddley was somethin' else. The more I read up on him, the more interesting he becomes. It was important for him to have women in his bands, which for the late 50s and into the 60s seems pretty ahead of the time. Pictured above in this note-collage is Norma Jean Wofford, "The Dutchess," Diddley's second rhythm guitarist (1962-66) playing "The Cadillac" guitar designed by Diddley.
In my last post I talked a bit about Diddley's stage name, so here is a bit about is birth name and such… Bo Diddley was born Ellas Bates in Magnolia Mississippi on December 30, 1928 (his birthday is coming up). He was however raised by his mother's cousin, Gussie McDaniel. He took her name and you'll see Ellas McDaniel for his writing credits.
As I continue to read about the man, this quote (of a quote) from the Dale Andrew White article is intriguing, (attributed to Richard Robinson, Pop Wire Service) "He's like a character that was too heavy for Walt Disney to handle, got mixed in with Paul Bunyan and Johnny Appleseed, and then run over by R. Crumb."
—Bo Diddley referring to a new project in his 1979 interview with Dale Andrew White, "The Life and Hard Times of Bo Diddley: an interview with rock-n-roll's "Originator""
Bo Diddley was somethin' else. The more I read up on him, the more interesting he becomes. It was important for him to have women in his bands, which for the late 50s and into the 60s seems pretty ahead of the time. Pictured above in this note-collage is Norma Jean Wofford, "The Dutchess," Diddley's second rhythm guitarist (1962-66) playing "The Cadillac" guitar designed by Diddley.
In my last post I talked a bit about Diddley's stage name, so here is a bit about is birth name and such… Bo Diddley was born Ellas Bates in Magnolia Mississippi on December 30, 1928 (his birthday is coming up). He was however raised by his mother's cousin, Gussie McDaniel. He took her name and you'll see Ellas McDaniel for his writing credits.
As I continue to read about the man, this quote (of a quote) from the Dale Andrew White article is intriguing, (attributed to Richard Robinson, Pop Wire Service) "He's like a character that was too heavy for Walt Disney to handle, got mixed in with Paul Bunyan and Johnny Appleseed, and then run over by R. Crumb."
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