AotD 20210503

Album of the Day:
Bo Diddley – His Best (1997)



Without the influence of Elias McDaniel, many artists (including Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, The Rolling Stones, The Animals, and The Pretty Things) would have sounded very different. This compilation shows us the road from Blues to Rock (with a little Rumba thrown in!) with that signature fuzzy guitar sound and clave rhythm. Thanks, Bo Diddley.

I was going to feature Bo’s third album “Have Guitar, Will Travel” (mostly for the silliness of the cover and its riff on a then-current tv show starring Richard Boone), but I needed to have “Mona” which was the B-side to his 1957 single “Hey! Bo Diddley” and is hard to find on an album. Sorry, I can’t find a YouTube link for this compilation CD.

Here’s nearly an hour of Bo Diddley magic and a primer for ’60s British R&B.




Bonus Material:
The cover of the album that didn’t make the cut:

The clave rhythm aka “Bo Diddley Beat”: