King of Rythm

He created one of the defining sounds of rock and roll. But BO DIDDLEY, who died last month, felt he never received his due, as he told Elliot Stephen Cohen

In one of the classic mid-60s album tracks, The Story of Bo Diddley by The Animals, singer Eric Burdon narrates the tale of the iconic American musician. Accompanied by a frantic Bo Diddley beat provided by drummer John Steele, guitarist Hilton Valentine, bassist Chas Chandler and organist Alan Price, he related an incident that allegedly occurred when Diddley came to watch them perform in Newcastle back in 1963.

“The doors open one night”, recalls Burdon in mock exasperation, “and in walks in the man himself with Jerome Green his maracca player and the Duchess his go-geous sister. Now, the Rolling Stones and The Merseybeats were standing around digging the music, when I heard Bo Diddley talking to Jerome. He said, ‘What do you think of these guys doing our material?’ Jerome replied, ‘Where’s the bar man? Pu-leeeese, show me to the bar’.

“Bo turned around to the Duchess and said, ‘Hey Duch, what do you think of these young guys?,’ and she said, (Burdon’s voice changes to a wavering falsetto) ‘I don’t know. I only came here to see the changing of the guards, and all that jazz.’ Then Bo Diddley looked up at me with closed eyes and a smile….took off his glasses…and said, (In Burdon’s best Diddley imitation) …

by Elliot Stephen Cohen
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