Bo Diddley, one of the greatest blues artists of the 20th Century, has sadly died on June 2nd at the age of 79. Bo was an integral part of the rhythm and blues explosion of the 1950′s and whilst he is oftentimes held with a less somber reverence than some of his contemporaries, this was oftentimes due to his bizarre behaviour and “crazy” onstage persona (Which he sang about frequently, like in the song “Bo Diddley is Crazy“), it is important to remember the originality and the innovation that Bo’s music contained.

For, in those early days of Rock N’ Roll, Bo Diddley came up with a distinctive beat which, inevitably became known as the “Bo Diddley Beat”,  this rhythm is displayed in standout tracks, such as “Who Do You Love” (Covered to great effect by both The Band and The Doors) and “Hey, Bo Diddley” It is a rhythm that was adapted by many artists in the decades to come, as blues became the basis of a whole new era of music. This was accompanied by a distinctive guitar style that made him stand out, in all musical fields. He was a huge influence on The Rolling Stones, Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band, The Kinks, David Bowie and The Who. Some accredited this influence, some didn’t, but it is an indisputable fact once his early recordings are brought into play.

Lyrically, Bo had a unique manner, in a way that was not only unprecedented, but unsurpassed today. No other artist (not even any rapper that I can think of) referenced himself as much as Bo Diddley did.  Albums such as, Bo Diddley is a Gunslinger, Surfin’ With Bo Diddley & Bo Diddley is a Lover for example, contained songs, usually referring to Bo Diddley in some way. I remember as a kid, being played these records, I always thought that he was a novelty artist, as some of the humour in his songs was just so sharp and witty that I figured that he couldn’t have been taken fully seriously.

Obviously, I was an idiot and realised this upon growing up and learning more about the man himself, alongside Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, I always felt that they had an air of craziness about the two of them. A certain darkness that resided underneath the humour. That was Bo’s way, of course, there were many dark themes that existed in Diddley’s music, as in all blues, the genius being, how he took those dark inspirations and transformed them into something very special indeed.

Bo Diddley will indeed be missed, he was touring right up until last year, when a stroke forced him to return to his Florida home. He had been ill since then. It can be so easy to dismiss characters such as Bo when they are alive and there are so few musicians left from this era that it would be great to see more tributes given to the greats who are still with us; Chuck Berry, BB King and Koko Taylor for example, are almost dismissed as being musically redundant these days. The fact of the matter is that, it may be the case that they might not be revolutionising music today, because they did it all decades ago.

In short, Bo Diddley was the man. A true character, the likes of which we will never see again. Those phrases may be bandied around greatly in the case of the passing of a musician, I cannot convey just how sincerely I mean them though. Sleep well Bo, we’ll miss you!