+Darrin Baker Just like Ginger Rodgers, she did everything Fred Astaire did, but did it backwards while looking forward, and in hills. She didn't play an instrument at the same time though.
I am a singer and worked opposite Bo Diddley on a gig in Washington DC in 1970. He was a wonderful and comical man. I am glad that I had the opportunity to meet him. God bless his spirit.
+Allan Ostermann Some might laugh at this statement but I stand firmly by it....what you see here is the kicking fetus of Heavy Metal being born. Bo was a pioneer and a complete badass.
+Allan Ostermann Nunyun Bizz' statement is spot on. He cranked those Fenders up until the power tubes were frying. And that droning sweet rolling thunder that poured forth was indeed the amino acid genesis of Heavy Metal baby!
My mom saw The Doors, Iron Butterfly, The Supremes, a ton of Motown acts, and many others when she was a teenager in the mid to late 60s and she said that hands down, the best show she ever saw was Born Diddley in '66. She said his voice was so powerful, it was as loud as the sound coming out of the speakers. She said it was the most energetic performance she ever saw.
His “riffs” were original, but there are clips available showing Chuck Berry and others poking fun at the Diddley style. Primitive but original. Bo used a capo and open tuning to change keys. He was movin and groovin too, not a simple accomplishment. More interesting was his choice of guitar,Gretsch. He designed both this one and the rectangular “cigar box” and had them custom built. Probably the first in rock to do that. The only missing element here is Jerome Greene, maraca man extraordinaire. Bo had a man that played maracas in the band. They broke the mold when Bo arrived.
Great comment. Also, Gretsch makes a “BillyBo” model, shaped like the one Bo’s playing here. It’s a tribute to Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top and of course Bo Diddley.
3 men in tuxedos, 3 women in long gowns, all singing, dancing and playing instruments live and driving those teenage girls crazy. Show 1 person who could do all that today. Talent, class, skill, soul etc
I met Bo in the late 70's he was the nicest guy you'd ever want to meet..never know he was the legend that he was...he talked to me for an hour..then played his set..came down off stage and sat with me again! he said "Boy what you drinkin'? I said beer..he said to the bar tender..get this boy a pitcher of beer..and Bo payed for it! I asked him questions about Jimmy Page and Robert Plant..he said I know them boys them and the Rolling Stones..they are really nice boys...He was the coolest guy..I'm 61 now but I'll never forget Bo Diddley and his kindness to me!
you should see the clip of him fully dressed for the stage with his guitar frying some chicken on a hot plate im assuming backstage at a show total boss
Dude played the guitar as a PERCUSSION instrument.. completely novel approach and a totally unique sound that set the bar for everything after it… Bo is a true Maverick
That's it. Bo Diddley has been underrated and not often enough included in the group of rock 'n' roll pioneers. At a concert with Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, and others I attended he brought the house down! We weren't only movin' with his music -- we were entranced. And I've since thought that Bo Diddley more than any other evoked some sense of African music into rock 'n' roll. And maybe that is his percussive factor on the guitar, as you importantly point out. And then he influenced the many other genres mentioned which followed. 🎶🪘🎶🎸🎶
I really love that the "backup singers" are front and center. Those three ladies are just absolutely killing it.... plus they look like take no shit from noone. And Norma Jean Wofford singing, dancing and playing guitar (in goddamn heels!) is more bad ass than most punk rockers. Just in case you want to hear her guitar sound, listen to the end when Bo stops playing. One of best performances in rock history in my opinion.
That was actually Peggy Jones. She returned briefly to help Bo get his backing band together after Norma Jean left to start a family. You can see Norma Jean here. Looks quite different and rarely sang. ruclips.net/video/5yipVhZfcIw/видео.html
Diddley included women in his band: Norma-Jean Wofford, also known as The Duchess; Gloria Jolivet; Peggy Jones, also known as Lady Bo, a lead guitarist (rare for a woman at that time).
I agree with you. The "back up" girls are usually the backbone of the show. Bo Didley, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker and others inspired many players. Jimi Hendrix turned up in the mid-sixties and that was that.
Yes the amps back in those days were designed with big headroom so they stayed clean and didn’t distort at high volumes. I can hear he has those amps cranked up so loud that the power tubes are saturating and you’re starting to hear that growling sound. This must have been like heavy metal back in those days. And the way he uses his guitar almost like a percussive instrument, that droning horrendous growling clang clang clang. I just love this shit to death. Bo Diddley was a total badass.
@@garyhawkesford2253 Yeah, it's primitive. It is monotonous rhythmically and harmonically. He was no Beethoven. That doesn't mean that it can't be enjoyed.
Primitive Yes! That's what Rock And Roll is. That's why Wild Thing,Gloria,Pushin' Too hard, Satisfaction beat some Jackass that can play every note on their instrument,but can't put 3 together that sound like music.
Saw him in 1996 at an airport in North Carolina! Went over and said Hello. He was such a great person, asked me to sit and chat. Gotta tell ya', this man was the real deal, no B.S. no overbloated ego, totally down to earth and full of Rock & Roll. Got his autograph and got on my plane. Never forget that!!!
Saw him in the Village in 1966. His set was a half-assed two song performance, no moves, no expression, no act. He didn’t want to be there and he made no effort to hide it.
@@grindfreakmike5754 Listen to the song 'We're Gonna Get Married' by Bo Diddley. Definitely hear some proto-punk elements in that song. Bo Diddley is king.
What great comments! Now let me share some I hope you'll find interesting. I went to a dance club dance - lol - in 1957, while a sophomore in high school. I was told somebody named Bo Diddley would be playing. Never heard of him. He was essentially a trio then, like the picture on his first album. One guy playing one snare drum, and the other playing maracas. Later I went on to play in a pretty good pop band, had one national and several regional hits. Thought the Beatles were the best. HOWEVER, I have NEVER experienced anything like that night hearing Bo live, up close. I'm positive it was the single most INCREDIBLE experience I've ever had. This massive, jungle-like rhythm simply devoured the room. People were going CRAZY! It was the beat, the rhythm, that possessed something way, way beyond magic. I HAD to learn to play his style. Some secrets: He tuned his guitar to a E chord, then muffled the sound a bit with his left hand. I used a piece of surgical tubing under the strings near the bridge to get the same effect. He had many more variations than you see on this show. He would play harmonics and straight chords at the octave fret and so much more. I bought every album, and you guys are right, they were never as good as live. "Don't sing Bo, just play," I would scream! Now think of this. He is playing lead, rhythm and bass at the same time, and all he is doing is strumming!! He didn't need ANYBODY else, not the girls, the bass or the drummer, in my opinion. There has never been anyone like him! Thank you, thank you, Ellas McDaniel (better known as Bo Diddley) and rest in peace.
He is certainly on of the essential roots of rock and roll. An incredible entertainer with the sound and creativity to back it up. It's a shame he doesn't get the recognition he deserves.
Yo, DE EDWARD - It's cool hearing these stories about Bo in the early days, and about all his innovations. It must've been INSANE to see him in the fifties, especially when you didn't have a clue what to expect! I was ten in '57, and of course I'd never been to a rock show, but some years later I'd become obsessed. I can feel/see what you're talking about at that show, he must've blown the roof off the place! Damn!
Yes ! It's all here in that relentless driving beat !!! The coloured folks in America had all this great stuff together early on but for a long time White America didn't want to know. !!!! The Blues only really came up after the Stones ,Peter Green,and and John Mayall etc took it back to them. !!!!
@@peteraustin370 It all came from Black America, people don't realize that a lot of what we enjoy today and have so much enriched culture has came from Black Americans. We take it for grated cause we have ulterior motives to why people want to keep their contributions hidden but you will soon realize that Black America is America.
I always thought that he looked like this sort of nerdy bookworm type person with the hair and glasses done the way they were, but then he picks up the guitar, starts playing, singing and dancing and suddenly he turns into one of the coolest people you've ever seen. What a legend
@@daveconleyportfolio5192 . . . or a Black Buddy Holly? (Or maybe Buddy was trying to be a "white Bo" -- after all, he used that beat on "Not Fade Away" . . .)
This man has never been given credit that he was due. And I cannot believe Norma is playing the guitar in heels while singing and dancing. I had the rare and great opportunity of seeing Bo Diddley in 2005 in a tiny Park in Poughkeepsie New York where there was only like 200 people. I had such a great time I was right up there center stage and dancing and these two little girls came up and they asked me to teach him how to dance so I did. Have to crowd was just sitting down how can you sit down to this kind of music or when he plays The blues? At that concert he had a signature cigar box guitar. I don't remember if you guys remember but 2005 gas was over $3 a gallon so he changed the lyrics to one of his songs, about how we can't even see our relatives because gas is so expensive he was amazing and he was so old but he could still Rock and he could still play those blues.
The music is great, no doubt about it. What's encouraging and inspiring about this show: The kids really get the music and the rhythm. The kids just go cracy, clapping, cheering, dancing sitting on their chairs. They enjoy the joy of the music. Black and white. Unite, united. Bo Diddley's music, and especially his signature rhythm, was and is loved all over the world. I think, great music, like the music of Bo Diddley, connects people from different cultures or countries: At least they have one thing in common: The love for Bo Diddley's music.
It hit the audience so hard, it was like they almost didn't even know how to dance to it, they just reacted to what they were feeling. Bo still does that today....
The man basically built a career on the back of a single riff, but it was brilliant and way ahead of its time. It's proto-heavy metal/funk/punk all in one, love it...
People who dislike this have no soul, literally, figuratively and metaphorically speaking!!! The shots of Norma Jean Wofford singing, dancing and playing guitar alone is AWESOME!!!
00:00- 02:01 is the most badass stage performance EVER. Never ever in music history any musician or band entered the stage in a more badass way and performed in a more badass way than Bo Diddley (and the three ladies!) in this video. Never.
Totally electrifying...you're right on! The great Bo Diddley RIP lived near here and is buried about 30 minutes from here. This tape is precious to rock and roll history and all of history@!!!
DUDE WAS A FRAUD to lift blacks. stop acting like u guys don't know. he was the milli vanilli of his day. But don't feel too bad there are lots of pretenders in the phony pretend fraud music industry today. lip syncing and taking naive crowds money all over America.
This man was one of the biggest influences for the English Beat, if not the most important. Almost all the groups played his songs and tried to get the beat if his guitar sound. The Stones, The Animals, Who, Mody Blues, The Nashville Teens, The Kinks, The Sorrows, Manfred Man, Them, The Shadows, The Mind Benders and many others made a song with his beat. The Pretty Things took their name of one of his songs. He made possible the transition from Blues to Rock.
I agree with most of what you said yet in regards to The Moody Blues. Between Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry there was guitar Rock N'Roll....along with Buddy Holly, Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis too. ❤❤❤
ermmm...Buddy Holly? I'm gonna tell you,,,, Holly and the Crickets recorded the song in Clovis, New Mexico, on May 27, 1957, the same day the song "Everyday" was recorded.[1] The rhythmic pattern of "Not Fade Away" is a variant of the Bo Diddley beat, with the second stress occurring on the second rather than third beat of the first measure, which was an update of the "hambone" rhythm, or patted juba from West Africa
It's 1965, and nobody had seen the power of the electric guitar unleashed like Bo. The teenaged audience appropriately shakes and screams, the only response to an event like this.
Bo was no doubt a genius, but compare the first tune's chugging, droning single chord vamp to Fred Mcdowell's "shake em on down"- that chugging, percussive rhythm comes from the blues and african music both. Bo is the intersection of blues and country- Bo was a great fan of country music. By combining the two, he invented his own style of music, which we now know as rock and roll.
You so right. Real fact- he was ahead of this time as guitar man, his style of music and chugging sound you can find in a lot of rock group and metal bands, for example: The Rolling Stones, Pretty Thing, Shadows of Knight, Led Zeppelin... I like so much Bo Diddley, he was genius!
@@joshn938 While I mostly agree with your comment, the “rock n roll is a combo of country and blues” idea needs to die. There’s no aspect of rock n roll that specifically connects it to country music, even though they are distantly related. The backbeat (emphasizing the two and four), for an example, was already well and present in blues and other types of black American music since before it was recorded. It just wasn’t being emphasized by a snare drum. Most often, it was reflected in strumming/picking styles (or, on the banjo, in the way the drone string was used), but would also be percussively expressed by a washboard player (see “Washboard Cutout” or “Step It Up and Go” by Blind Boy Fuller). The earliest recorded song which can be called rock n roll is “Airy Man Blues” by Papa Charlie Jackson, recorded all the way back in 1924. In the context of Bo Diddley, there is even less connection between his style and country music - if anything, from the perspective of anyone who thinks country music had an influence on rock, Bo Diddley should be seen as the ultimate factor that killed any country influence going forward, as he doesn’t even use the backbeat, but the clave mutated into a “hambone rhythm” (like that used in fife and drum blues).
When she died in 2005 Bo Diddley said, "Norma-Jean was my first sidekick... We did everything together. She was like family, which was why I told everyone she was my sister. There was no one else like her and I will miss her very much. I hadn't seen Duchess in so many years, but then she surprised me at a show in California last July. I'm so glad we had the chance to spend some time together again before she left this Earth."
How this man could play a guitar, sing, and put the moves on stage he did, is amazing to me. I remember the first time I heard “Bo Diddleys is a gunslinger.” I WAS HOOKED ON BO.
I'm SO glad I got to see Bo Diddley TWICE when he toured Australia in the early 1980's. In many rock-related threads, I see endless praise for Chuck Berry. I make a point of reminding people of the greatness, and huge influence, of Bo Diddley in the rock music world.
The Beatles, the Rolling Stones and even Bob Dylan have all acknowledged Bo Diddley as being a major influence on them, he is, alongside, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Elvis, Jery Lee Lewis and Buddy Holly as one of the founding fathers of Rock n roll.
@@RichardKoenigsberg "Bo Diddley" (the song) was 18 weeks in the Billboard R&B chart, two weeks at No1. The 17th best selling R&B record of 1955, according to Billboard.
@@ianlucas8116 OK, I think I may have been a little frightened of him when I was young. I liked the Moonglows, the TeenQueens, the Jacks, also Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard (wild types). But he seemed somewhat threatening, harsh, not too much melody. He disturbed me a bi. So I guess I didn't pay attention to him early on. Something like Jimi Hendrix later on. Almost a criminal persona, absence of melody.
I saw Bo Diddley in concert at the Santa Monica Civic in Santa Monica, California in 1979 or 1980. I was 23/24. He opened up for The Clash. To my surprise all the punk rockers (which I was myself at that time, and in my late 60's I still am at heart of the punk rock and new wave music of 1976 into 1980) really got into Bo Diddley as well as I did. I was familiar with Bo Diddley's music back in the 60's when I was a kid.
This will not ever lose its power. Bo Diddley found genius and tapped into something that is almost dangerous. I could see this music causing a riot, and I love it.
Guys in my jazz guitar class laughed when I said Bo Diddley was one of my influences. Still, when I would throw Bo on during parties in my apartment, they were the first ones grabbing my Tele and trying to play along.
+Michael Degtyarev Absolutely! Also, you'd have to be dead if the backup singers don't move you! That little "come on dance" alone doe's it for me, thank you!
HEY Bo Diddley ❤ RIP and many thanks for leading the way in rock N'Roll. Rolling Stones saw his gift and also ran with it. Thanks to Chuck Berry too. RIP. They just don't make em like that anymore. Amazing times for music in the 60s. ❤❤❤
The comments here are the best ever. I'm 60yrs old and this is simply the best performance in rock history. John Peel introduced me to the great man way back in 77 when a Punk in N.I. So with "The Fall" instant love affair🔥
Look at the woman on the right playing rhythm guitar. She's keeping up with Bo. So unflappable, so cool. She's got the look that says, Go ahead Bo, whatever you do, you can't lose me.
Don't forget folks, Bo was also sounding like this in 1955 - that's ten years earlier than this video. Nobody to this very day understands just how Bo got some of the guitar tones he used even in the 1950's. Yes he used a Magnatone amp, a mechanical tremolo, and played in an open tuning, but there was much more to it than that. He invented all sorts of gizmos that nobody else had.
All true. He opened a lot of eyes and ears among the young back then. There was nothing quite like him and what he was putting out there. Everything about him said there was a lot more to this life than what one had been led to expect. He was also a very decent fellow to those fortunate to meet him.
@@wa0000 You can find RUclips videos of people explaining or repairing them. Basically a tiny electric motor, geared down, would rhythmically rock a small metal bottle back and forth, causing a small quantity of conductive fluid to wash over a pair of contacts, which shorted the guitar signal to ground intermittently.
![Led Zeppelin - Boogie With Stu [HD] [MP4]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/_wCZOm0k8WQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Norma Jean Wofford sang. Norma Jean Wofford danced. Norma Jean Wofford played the guitar. Simultaneously. IN HEELS. That's pretty impressive.
+Darrin Baker Badder than shit at least
+beatchef Look again, Bo's connected
Oh yeah, a very thin wire which is often very hidden by the compression noise on the video.
+Darrin Baker Just like Ginger Rodgers, she did everything Fred Astaire did, but did it backwards while looking forward, and in hills. She didn't play an instrument at the same time though.
+Darrin Baker she's so fucking BAD ASS! She looks amazing, plays amazing and just dominates the show IMO. Thanks for mentioning her name.
I am a singer and worked opposite Bo Diddley on a gig in Washington DC in 1970. He was a wonderful and comical man. I am glad that I had the opportunity to meet him. God bless his spirit.
you were fortunate indeed.
That is awesome!❤
How great. Can you share any memories of his comedy, joking around? Thanks!
Hey Bo Diddley!!!
Were you singing with him as the Duchess? I saw Bo in Sydney, early '80s and it was great, tho she wasn't touring with him.
Still better than anything in 2021.
huh, better than Taylor Swift?
This has to be one of best videos on RUclips
👍
I’m with you.
👍👍👍👍
yea, it really is Rock & Roll
How great can a musician be? This man invented his own guitar, made sounds NO ONE ever heard. He deserves to name a song after himself!
Allan Ostermann AMEN!
+Allan Ostermann Some might laugh at this statement but I stand firmly by it....what you see here is the kicking fetus of Heavy Metal being born. Bo was a pioneer and a complete badass.
+Nunyun Bizz AGREED
+Allan Ostermann Nunyun Bizz' statement is spot on. He cranked those Fenders up until the power tubes were frying. And that droning sweet rolling thunder that poured forth was indeed the amino acid genesis of Heavy Metal baby!
+Allan Ostermann He named SEVERAL songs after himself: "Bo Diddley," "Hey! Bo Diddley," and "Diddley Daddy."
That's my grandmothers sister playing the guitar lol wow
Really? Really really?? Blimey!
Cool!
How cool is that she must have some cool stuff / Storeys
Dude ……your grandmother's sister is ROCKIN'
Great 👏
My mom saw The Doors, Iron Butterfly, The Supremes, a ton of Motown acts, and many others when she was a teenager in the mid to late 60s and she said that hands down, the best show she ever saw was Born Diddley in '66. She said his voice was so powerful, it was as loud as the sound coming out of the speakers. She said it was the most energetic performance she ever saw.
I loved Iron Butterfly.
Bo Diddley named a song after himself and it’s an absolute banger. That is a true king
Actually, Bo Diddley named SEVERAL songs after himself. These were just two of them.
INDEED.....
lol indeed it's like what Tom Petty said being on stage with Bo "you know, Elvis is King, but Diddley is daddy "
the TRUE pioneer of Rock 'n Roll. He had the moves, the guitar riffs, the stage swagger, the women, and his signature beat.
His “riffs” were original, but there are clips available showing Chuck Berry and others poking fun at the Diddley style. Primitive but original. Bo used a capo and open tuning to change keys. He was movin and groovin too, not a simple accomplishment. More interesting was his choice of guitar,Gretsch. He designed both this one and the rectangular “cigar box” and had them custom built. Probably the first in rock to do that. The only missing element here is Jerome Greene, maraca man extraordinaire. Bo had a man that played maracas in the band. They broke the mold when Bo arrived.
Great comment. Also, Gretsch makes a “BillyBo” model, shaped like the one Bo’s playing here.
It’s a tribute to Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top and of course Bo Diddley.
@@allenkennedy6748
Bring it to Jerome!
I'd say he was one of the pioneers.
@@Johnboy33545 He ISSSSSSS
ONE OF THE PIONEERS, LEGENDS,
LEGENDARY,
TIP OF THE WHIP !!!!!!!!!
3 men in tuxedos, 3 women in long gowns, all singing, dancing and playing instruments live and driving those teenage girls crazy. Show 1 person who could do all that today. Talent, class, skill, soul etc
Maybe JACK WHITE..Maybe..diff times..thank fully!?!
Bruno Mars. Ed Sheehan.
ACDC
Blacc Yungsta easily.
And then came LBJ and the free train and now you know "the rest of the story ".
I met Bo in the late 70's he was the nicest guy you'd ever want to meet..never know he was the legend that he was...he talked to me for an hour..then played his set..came down off stage and sat with me again! he said "Boy what you drinkin'? I said beer..he said to the bar tender..get this boy a pitcher of beer..and Bo payed for it! I asked him questions about Jimmy Page and Robert Plant..he said I know them boys them and the Rolling Stones..they are really nice boys...He was the coolest guy..I'm 61 now but I'll never forget Bo Diddley and his kindness to me!
A girl on guitar- and an electric guitar at that- in 1965? Way ahead of her time
What's her name?
Maybe Norma Jean Wofford but more likely Peggy Jones who was nicknamed 'Lady Bo'
Sexy mama, sexy gretch, sexy backline amps, cool curly cord, she had it together
Some other users here say that she was called "The Duchess".
@@mysticalmargaret6105 This IS Peggy Jones. The actual date is probably around 1960. After 1961 Norma-Jean Wafford, aka "The Duchess" replaced her.
i'm convinced that this man had the most casual swagger of any rock artist to ever exist..
you should see the clip of him fully dressed for the stage with his guitar frying some chicken on a hot plate im assuming backstage at a show total boss
Love that chunky rhythm style. Sounds like a train rollin' down the tracks.
THOSE GIRLS!!! And one of them on guitar! The first two minutes are simply savage,
That beat is just hypnotic. It takes you over. And that footwork he does while he’s playing. It doesn’t get any cooler than this.
Look at how crazy the kids were over this sound he was truly ahead of his time
The only thing square about Bo Diddley was his guitar
@@steveofdeon1322 He does not have to because he is Bo diddley.
Wonder if his dancing inspired James Brown, or vice versa...looks similar.
Like Bob Dylan sang, "She walks like Bo Diddley, and she don't need a crutch."
Probably the coolest clip on RUclips.
Look at him fucking move!!!!
Totally agree.
That era was just iconic times!!!!!
Doodle, I can’t even hear the music and it’s cool!!
I agree. RUclips should shut down and restart....in the real world.
the way bo diddley walks down the stairs in the beginning is the most gangster shit i've ever seen in my life
I always thought and believed Bo Diddley played to another Solar System from this planet.
He was in the player haters club before Ice-T was born.
Yeah, that shiggatty is kind of wild!
Of Course Jarl!!! ,He's the original " Gangster of Love" !!! What are you talkin about????
Hahahhaaaa!!!!!
I WENT TO SEE BO AND JERRY LEE LEWIS IN 1962. JERRY COULDN'T GET OUT OF THE DRESSING ROOM SO WE GOT 3 HOURS OF BO. WHAT A NIGHT !!
Dude played the guitar as a PERCUSSION instrument.. completely novel approach and a totally unique sound that set the bar for everything after it… Bo is a true Maverick
That's it. Bo Diddley has been underrated and not often enough included in the group of rock 'n' roll pioneers. At a concert with Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, and others I attended he brought the house down! We weren't only movin' with his music -- we were entranced. And I've since thought that Bo Diddley more than any other evoked some sense of African music into rock 'n' roll. And maybe that is his percussive factor on the guitar, as you importantly point out. And then he influenced the many other genres mentioned which followed. 🎶🪘🎶🎸🎶
I really love that the "backup singers" are front and center. Those three ladies are just absolutely killing it.... plus they look like take no shit from noone. And Norma Jean Wofford singing, dancing and playing guitar (in goddamn heels!) is more bad ass than most punk rockers. Just in case you want to hear her guitar sound, listen to the end when Bo stops playing. One of best performances in rock history in my opinion.
That was actually Peggy Jones. She returned briefly to help Bo get his backing band together after Norma Jean left to start a family. You can see Norma Jean here. Looks quite different and rarely sang. ruclips.net/video/5yipVhZfcIw/видео.html
I don’t think you’re right on that one that’s Norma Jean
Diddley included women in his band: Norma-Jean Wofford, also known as The Duchess; Gloria Jolivet; Peggy Jones, also known as Lady Bo, a lead guitarist (rare for a woman at that time).
I couldn't agree more!
I agree with you. The "back up" girls are usually the backbone of the show. Bo Didley, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker and others inspired many players. Jimi Hendrix turned up in the mid-sixties and that was that.
Yes the amps back in those days were designed with big headroom so they stayed clean and didn’t distort at high volumes. I can hear he has those amps cranked up so loud that the power tubes are saturating and you’re starting to hear that growling sound. This must have been like heavy metal back in those days. And the way he uses his guitar almost like a percussive instrument, that droning horrendous growling clang clang clang. I just love this shit to death. Bo Diddley was a total badass.
When you can smell them tubes cooking, you know it’s gonna sound good👍🏼
@@dannork1240 Agreed!
Amen Bro 👊
He said himself that the 'Bo Diddley beat' was because he was playing the same part as the drummer.
@@steveofdeon1322 had a brand new house on the roadside too
Bo Diddley is the greatest man to ever play the drums on a guitar
Watching the Duchess in her prime.... what a pleasure. A real pioneering female guitarist. Way ahead of the pack. Bo knew talent when he saw/heard it!
Thank you for introducing " The Duchess"
And very pretty too
You can't possibly be cooler than Bo.
Bill S. no you can't ...
I tried really hard to think of someone cooler, Harvey Keitel is pretty fucking cool. But yeah, Bo wins.
Oh yeah?
Say hello to GG Allin.
It's so simple, so primitive but it beats the shit out of today's music.
PRIMITIVE????
IDIOT 🤔🤔
@@garyhawkesford2253 Yeah, it's primitive. It is monotonous rhythmically and harmonically.
He was no Beethoven. That doesn't mean that it can't be enjoyed.
It is not that easy to play with the way he is muting the strings and the infills.
Primitive Yes! That's what Rock And Roll is. That's why Wild Thing,Gloria,Pushin' Too hard, Satisfaction beat some Jackass that can play every note on their instrument,but can't put 3 together that sound like music.
@@garyhawkesford2253
Primitive is not meant as an insult here.
Best music video ever .
I have to watch this pretty much everyday
Saw him in 1996 at an airport in North Carolina! Went over and said Hello. He was such a great person, asked me to sit and chat. Gotta tell ya', this man was the real deal, no B.S. no overbloated ego, totally down to earth and full of Rock & Roll. Got his autograph and got on my plane. Never forget that!!!
Saw him in the Village in 1966. His set was a half-assed two song performance, no moves, no expression, no act. He didn’t want to be there and he made no effort to hide it.
I envy you.
@@Hammond645 Maybe he had a bad day? Seems like a great guy for the most part : )
This dude was light years ahead of his contemporaries- he blends rock, funk, punk and simple pure back beat blues.
No he predates and defines the first three
Not punk
@@grindfreakmike5754 yes, even Punk
@@grindfreakmike5754 Listen to the song 'We're Gonna Get Married' by Bo Diddley.
Definitely hear some proto-punk elements in that song. Bo Diddley is king.
@@jean-philipperameau4220 wasnt into punk, just a few tunes.
Those 3 ladies are breathtaking
This never gets old, Bo was different, beat was different, having a girl on guitar in his band was different, no same ol same ol here. 😎😎😎
What great comments! Now let me share some I hope you'll find interesting. I went to a dance club dance - lol - in 1957, while a sophomore in high school. I was told somebody named Bo Diddley would be playing. Never heard of him. He was essentially a trio then, like the picture on his first album. One guy playing one snare drum, and the other playing maracas. Later I went on to play in a pretty good pop band, had one national and several regional hits. Thought the Beatles were the best. HOWEVER, I have NEVER experienced anything like that night hearing Bo live, up close. I'm positive it was the single most INCREDIBLE experience I've ever had. This massive, jungle-like rhythm simply devoured the room. People were going CRAZY! It was the beat, the rhythm, that possessed something way, way beyond magic. I HAD to learn to play his style. Some secrets: He tuned his guitar to a E chord, then muffled the sound a bit with his left hand. I used a piece of surgical tubing under the strings near the bridge to get the same effect. He had many more variations than you see on this show. He would play harmonics and straight chords at the octave fret and so much more. I bought every album, and you guys are right, they were never as good as live. "Don't sing Bo, just play," I would scream! Now think of this. He is playing lead, rhythm and bass at the same time, and all he is doing is strumming!! He didn't need ANYBODY else, not the girls, the bass or the drummer, in my opinion. There has never been anyone like him! Thank you, thank you, Ellas McDaniel (better known as Bo Diddley) and rest in peace.
He is certainly on of the essential roots of rock and roll. An incredible entertainer with the sound and creativity to back it up. It's a shame he doesn't get the recognition he deserves.
Yo, DE EDWARD - It's cool hearing these stories about Bo in the early days, and about all his innovations. It must've been INSANE to see him in the fifties, especially when you didn't have a clue what to expect! I was ten in '57, and of course I'd never been to a rock show, but some years later I'd become obsessed. I can feel/see what you're talking about at that show, he must've blown the roof off the place! Damn!
Hey Bo Diddley! He be lovin' dem ladies, too!
Great comment, great story 💯
DE EDWARD Greer: Thank you so much for your very interesting story about Bo (Ellas McDaniel)...
Stones, ZZ Top, George Thorogood ... leads right back here.
+ DOC FEELGOOD INMMATES IN ENGLAND AND MANY MORE !
From Bo to Zappa. Tells me your opinion carries weight.
Yes ! It's all here in that relentless driving beat !!! The coloured folks in America had all this great stuff together early on but for a long time White America didn't want to know. !!!! The Blues only really came up after the Stones ,Peter Green,and and John Mayall etc took it back to them. !!!!
@@peteraustin370 It all came from Black America, people don't realize that a lot of what we enjoy today and have so much enriched culture has came from Black Americans. We take it for grated cause we have ulterior motives to why people want to keep their contributions hidden but you will soon realize that Black America is America.
The ORIGINAL MASTER!!!!
Bo Diddley didn't just showcase women in his band, he showcased Black women. This is rock heroism.
This guy danced and played guitar simultaneously, absolute machine!
I always thought that he looked like this sort of nerdy bookworm type person with the hair and glasses done the way they were, but then he picks up the guitar, starts playing, singing and dancing and suddenly he turns into one of the coolest people you've ever seen. What a legend
If Clark Kent were black and didn't bother changing out of his street clothes before kicking Brainiac's ass.
@@daveconleyportfolio5192 . . . or a Black Buddy Holly? (Or maybe Buddy was trying to be a "white Bo" -- after all, he used that beat on "Not Fade Away" . . .)
@@jazzmanchgo ; Exactly.
That driving rhythm is unmistakable. A true founder of rock and roll.
50+ years later, this is still great music. and it will still be great 50 years from now.
Indeed!
I can watch this over and over forever. Timeless!
"I got a girl who live on a hill if she don't love me her sister will". Brilliant
now in 2021---- I got a girl who live on a hill
I sure hope she on the pill
I miss BO DIDDLEY,,, we will not see another like him in our time,,,
👍👍👍👍
Bo Diddley: THE MOST UNDERRATED ROCK 'N' ROLL GREAT OF ALL TIME. Without him and Chuck Berry: THERE IS NO ROCK N' ROLL.
This man has never been given credit that he was due. And I cannot believe Norma is playing the guitar in heels while singing and dancing. I had the rare and great opportunity of seeing Bo Diddley in 2005 in a tiny Park in Poughkeepsie New York where there was only like 200 people. I had such a great time I was right up there center stage and dancing and these two little girls came up and they asked me to teach him how to dance so I did. Have to crowd was just sitting down how can you sit down to this kind of music or when he plays The blues? At that concert he had a signature cigar box guitar. I don't remember if you guys remember but 2005 gas was over $3 a gallon so he changed the lyrics to one of his songs, about how we can't even see our relatives because gas is so expensive he was amazing and he was so old but he could still Rock and he could still play those blues.
That intro. That riff. It’s all menace and a primal beauty.
Shut up. Racism is just evil.
The bar was a lot higher back then. Talent and class.
The guy played one chord the whole time lol
They dressed to the nines back in the day.
The music is great, no doubt about it.
What's encouraging and inspiring about this show: The kids really get the music and the rhythm. The kids just go cracy, clapping, cheering, dancing sitting on their chairs. They enjoy the joy of the music.
Black and white. Unite, united.
Bo Diddley's music, and especially his signature rhythm, was and is loved all over the world.
I think, great music, like the music of Bo Diddley, connects people from different cultures or countries: At least they have one thing in common: The love for Bo Diddley's music.
imagine 130 infantry soldiers singing this in cadence, running thru city streets
It hit the audience so hard, it was like they almost didn't even know how to dance to it, they just reacted to what they were feeling. Bo still does that today....
I met Bo Diddley in Minneapolis around 1979 after a show, he was as "real" in a smile as only Bo Diddley could be...
BO Diddley and crew wrecked that stage,Black Rock and roll respect
Met him in Gainesville Fl. Top shelf guy across the board. The world was a better place with him in it.
The man basically built a career on the back of a single riff, but it was brilliant and way ahead of its time. It's proto-heavy metal/funk/punk all in one, love it...
This. Never. Gets. Old.
Never has one chord ever sounded THIS AWESOME
A cuanto tempo animação total
People who dislike this have no soul, literally, figuratively and metaphorically speaking!!! The shots of Norma Jean Wofford singing, dancing and playing guitar alone is AWESOME!!!
Hmm. Are you sure that's Norma Jean? I thought it was Peggy Jones (who later became known as Lady Bo).
@@OldDrummerNewTricks yes that’s Norma Jean Wofford “The Duchess”. Peggy Jones had left the band by this time.
Yes I agree, the ladies do a fantastic job of backup singing. What a great sound by the great Bo Diddley a true icon.
I am sorry. I have no soul...
@@HHH-yy3cy We all feel really sorry for you, having no soul.....nor taste....no personality.
Has there ever been anyone as cool as Bo Diddley?
Chuck Berry in his prime was mighty good...and he did the duck walk!...and Little Richard in his prime in the 50's was pretty crazy good...and unique.
Don't care what ANYBODY says..we had the coolest music ever back then!
Thank you for all the memories Bo!
Soundtrack of my youth 🎼🖤
Black woman, playing guitar on TV, with Bo Diddley, in 1965. what a woman she must have been
I'll say she was. You can't get any cooler than the Duchess.
00:00- 02:01 is the most badass stage performance EVER. Never ever in music history any musician or band entered the stage in a more badass way and performed in a more badass way than Bo Diddley (and the three ladies!) in this video. Never.
I agree. Not over the top, but rather confidently. The staging of this is genius.
Totally electrifying...you're right on! The great Bo Diddley RIP lived near here and is buried about 30 minutes from here. This tape is precious to rock and roll history and all of history@!!!
Spacemen 3 révolution
for an early 60's standard it was badass
DUDE WAS A FRAUD to lift blacks. stop acting like u guys don't know. he was the milli vanilli of his day. But don't feel too bad there are lots of pretenders in the phony pretend fraud music industry today.
lip syncing and taking naive crowds money all over America.
Those three young lady's had it going on beautiful and talented.
they are fabulous - so classy
This man was one of the biggest influences for the English Beat, if not the most important. Almost all the groups played his songs and tried to get the beat if his guitar sound. The Stones, The Animals, Who, Mody Blues, The Nashville Teens, The Kinks, The Sorrows, Manfred Man, Them, The Shadows, The Mind Benders and many others made a song with his beat. The Pretty Things took their name of one of his songs. He made possible the transition from Blues to Rock.
I agree with most of what you said yet in regards to The Moody Blues.
Between Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry there was guitar Rock N'Roll....along with Buddy Holly, Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis too. ❤❤❤
ermmm...Buddy Holly?
I'm gonna tell you,,,,
Holly and the Crickets recorded the song in Clovis, New Mexico, on May 27, 1957, the same day the song "Everyday" was recorded.[1] The rhythmic pattern of "Not Fade Away" is a variant of the Bo Diddley beat, with the second stress occurring on the second rather than third beat of the first measure, which was an update of the "hambone" rhythm, or patted juba from West Africa
@@GOLDENFLYWARRIOR Need to add Scotty Moore and his Memphis sound to that list of early rock n roll influence's.
Dude had a heavy metal guitar tone in 1965. Props.
Tons of awesome rhythm riffing. That first song is metal.
Maybe the most "RAW" of any performance I've seen. LOVE IT !
This gives me goosebumps even today ... I can't even imagine what the teenagers in the audience felt at the time.
It's 1965, and nobody had seen the power of the electric guitar unleashed like Bo. The teenaged audience appropriately shakes and screams, the only response to an event like this.
Song goes back to the 1950s…that’s what is amazing…
He was ahead of his time! IMO he was the one who invented that chugging sound you here in a lot of metal bands today!
Yes. They don't sing about that "Bo Diddley beat" for no reason...
Bo was no doubt a genius, but compare the first tune's chugging, droning single chord vamp to Fred Mcdowell's "shake em on down"- that chugging, percussive rhythm comes from the blues and african music both. Bo is the intersection of blues and country- Bo was a great fan of country music. By combining the two, he invented his own style of music, which we now know as rock and roll.
You so right. Real fact- he was ahead of this time as guitar man, his style of music and chugging
sound you can find in a lot of rock group and metal bands, for example: The Rolling Stones,
Pretty Thing, Shadows of Knight, Led Zeppelin... I like so much Bo Diddley, he was genius!
@@joshn938 While I mostly agree with your comment, the “rock n roll is a combo of country and blues” idea needs to die. There’s no aspect of rock n roll that specifically connects it to country music, even though they are distantly related. The backbeat (emphasizing the two and four), for an example, was already well and present in blues and other types of black American music since before it was recorded. It just wasn’t being emphasized by a snare drum. Most often, it was reflected in strumming/picking styles (or, on the banjo, in the way the drone string was used), but would also be percussively expressed by a washboard player (see “Washboard Cutout” or “Step It Up and Go” by Blind Boy Fuller). The earliest recorded song which can be called rock n roll is “Airy Man Blues” by Papa Charlie Jackson, recorded all the way back in 1924. In the context of Bo Diddley, there is even less connection between his style and country music - if anything, from the perspective of anyone who thinks country music had an influence on rock, Bo Diddley should be seen as the ultimate factor that killed any country influence going forward, as he doesn’t even use the backbeat, but the clave mutated into a “hambone rhythm” (like that used in fife and drum blues).
The greatest riff in rock and roll !
I don’t get goosebumps when I listen to new music… but for a very very few 🙏🏼 This is Gold
👍👍👍👍
This is the most badass thing of all time.
When she died in 2005 Bo Diddley said, "Norma-Jean was my first sidekick... We did everything together. She was like family, which was why I told everyone she was my sister. There was no one else like her and I will miss her very much. I hadn't seen Duchess in so many years, but then she surprised me at a show in California last July. I'm so glad we had the chance to spend some time together again before she left this Earth."
Amen Bo
Aye! That Diddley beat! Get it! I love Bo Diddley and the Duchess.
How this man could play a guitar, sing, and put the moves on stage he did, is amazing to me. I remember the first time I heard “Bo Diddleys is a gunslinger.” I WAS HOOKED ON BO.
The original Prince
In 1959 I was 7yrs old. Turned on my brand new transistor radio and Bo Diddley came on and blew my mind. Huge turning point in my life.
Bo Diddley just came in and kicked the hell out of that audience. The Bo-ettes were so sexy and talented. This is such good stuff.
Wonder if Bo was "F"ing them all???
I'm SO glad I got to see Bo Diddley TWICE when he toured Australia in the early 1980's.
In many rock-related threads, I see endless praise for Chuck Berry.
I make a point of reminding people of the greatness, and huge influence, of
Bo Diddley in the rock music world.
I keep coming back to this , its very impressive
Recognized, but never given his full deserving credit. A pioneer, and could rock a cemetery!
The Beatles, the Rolling Stones and even Bob Dylan have all acknowledged Bo Diddley as being a major influence on them, he is, alongside, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Elvis, Jery Lee Lewis and Buddy Holly as one of the founding fathers of Rock n roll.
He wasn't a founder. He was several years after the beginning.
@@RichardKoenigsberg His first hit was in 1955.
bUT HE WAS NOT IN THE LIMELIGHT AT THAT TIME. Tell me what his "hit" was in 1955.
@@RichardKoenigsberg "Bo Diddley" (the song) was 18 weeks in the Billboard R&B chart, two weeks at No1. The 17th best selling R&B record of 1955, according to Billboard.
@@ianlucas8116 OK, I think I may have been a little frightened of him when I was young. I liked the Moonglows, the TeenQueens, the Jacks, also Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard (wild types). But he seemed somewhat threatening, harsh, not too much melody. He disturbed me a bi. So I guess I didn't pay attention to him early on.
Something like Jimi Hendrix later on. Almost a criminal persona, absence of melody.
Still brilliant after all these years
Saw boddley in person at daytona beach middle 60's awesome
A true original ... a musical genius ... one of the founding fathers of R&R .... take your pick.
The guitar and footwork are priceless!
I saw Bo Diddley in concert at the Santa Monica Civic in Santa Monica, California in 1979 or 1980. I was 23/24. He opened up for The Clash. To my surprise all the punk rockers (which I was myself at that time, and in my late 60's I still am at heart of the punk rock and new wave music of 1976 into 1980) really got into Bo Diddley as well as I did. I was familiar with Bo Diddley's music back in the 60's when I was a kid.
he was a huge influence on all rock music that came after....especially the english punk sound
The man was ahead of his time, clearly a genius
Clearly
This will not ever lose its power. Bo Diddley found genius and tapped into something that is almost dangerous. I could see this music causing a riot, and I love it.
that is industrial grade rock&roll! long live rock,long live Bo!
Joe Flip I couldn't agree more :D :D
Too strong for home use, absolute.
The legendary "Bo Diddly" beat.🎸🎸🎵🎼🎶
To me this is pure rock n roll. I love the sound of his guitar.
Guys in my jazz guitar class laughed when I said Bo Diddley was one of my influences. Still, when I would throw Bo on during parties in my apartment, they were the first ones grabbing my Tele and trying to play along.
RayVision3D Nowadays, you say that you like Bo Diddley and they say, "Who?!?"
only the real ones will get the rhythm
You've got to be paralyzed if that guitar don't make you move.
+Mustafa D. I'm 66 and it sure does move me. Except for that one hip.
+jojo bobo Same age bro. Sorry to hear about the hip.
+Michael Degtyarev Absolutely! Also, you'd have to be dead if the backup singers don't move you! That little "come on dance" alone doe's it for me, thank you!
+MrSixinfrog I'm hip.
Mitya Tarasov woah that's intense.
HEY Bo Diddley ❤
RIP and many thanks for leading the way in rock N'Roll. Rolling Stones saw his gift and also ran with it. Thanks to Chuck Berry too. RIP. They just don't make em like that anymore. Amazing times for music in the 60s. ❤❤❤
The comments here are the best ever. I'm 60yrs old and this is simply the best performance in rock history. John Peel introduced me to the great man way back in 77 when a Punk in N.I. So with "The Fall" instant love affair🔥
I think you are right about this performance!
@@johnduckworth474 🤛
Gosh. Wow. Fantastic. Both Bo, and Norma Jean. All of them. Wonderful stuff.
norma jean wofford plays every single note BO plays here while still doing the back up dances. that woman RIPPED!
Look at the woman on the right playing rhythm guitar. She's keeping up with Bo. So unflappable, so cool. She's got the look that says, Go ahead Bo, whatever you do, you can't lose me.
saw BO DIDDLY live at the Esquire Show Bar in Montreal in 1967 OH WHAT A NIGHT! PARTY PARTY ALL NIGHT
Don't forget folks, Bo was also sounding like this in 1955 - that's ten years earlier than this video. Nobody to this very day understands just how Bo got some of the guitar tones he used even in the 1950's. Yes he used a Magnatone amp, a mechanical tremolo, and played in an open tuning, but there was much more to it than that. He invented all sorts of gizmos that nobody else had.
All true. He opened a lot of eyes and ears among the young back then. There was nothing quite like him and what he was putting out there. Everything about him said there was a lot more to this life than what one had been led to expect. He was also a very decent fellow to those fortunate to meet him.
Could you please say a bit more about his "mechanical tremolo"?
@@wa0000 You can find RUclips videos of people explaining or repairing them.
Basically a tiny electric motor, geared down, would rhythmically rock a small metal bottle back and forth, causing a small quantity of conductive fluid to wash over a pair of contacts, which shorted the guitar signal to ground intermittently.
@@sophiemilton5939 Thanks. I get it now: The DeArmond 601 Tremolo Control, also used by Duane Eddy -- on ' Rebel-Rouser'.
Man, the rumble of those Gretsch guitars through 4 Fender Bassman's!
Even after the 1000th time, it still brings tears to my eyes when I see this!!
The girls dancing at 5:13 are pure joy :_)
i used to have anal sex with norma jean from 1965 to 2005
So much ahead of his time. The intertwined guitar sounds and riffs are true forefathers for Sonic Youth and all that kind.