Who Do You Love?
Words such as legend, pioneer and ground-breaking are relatively frequently applied to musical figures and pieces of work. But few can truly claim these epaulets with more authority than the incomparable Bo Diddley, who has sadly just left us to join that great blues train in the sky at the ripe age of 79. For Bo Diddley was a man who arguably did more to make the world-changing transition in music from Blues and R’n’B to fully-fledged Rock’n’Roll than any other, and has influenced virtually everyone who has picked up a guitar to write rock music since the mid-1950s.
His legacy is that profound. And yet, it is only in his later years that his true worth to musical culture was really given the wide recognition it deserved, and as Diddley himself would often complain, this recognition, though welcome, did not put any bucks back into his savings, money and royalties that he always claimed he never received, despite his importance and lengthy recording career. For Diddley rose up at a time when exploitation in the music industry, especially of black musicians, was at its height. Segregation still reigned, and while white acts from Buddy Holly to Elvis, and especially their managers, exploited the new Rock’n’Roll sound, many black artists struggled for recognition and rights to the music they created. As Diddley himself said, “I’ve never got paid.
A dude with a pencil is worse than a cat with a machine gun”. But later recognition, including Hall of Fame induction, Grammies and other awards did come his way, and one thing that was never in doubt was the reverence with which other musicians held this great bluesman. And yet his style, so distinctive and powerful, was also relatively simple, or that is how it appeared. The chugging rhythm that he developed and made his own is a deceptively simple and yet equally elaborate approach. His records often featured no chord change at all, a style that brings a drive and excitement to the rhythm that would usually be created by the harmony. And then there is his voice, so big and gruff, so booming, and with lyrics which have an over-whelming authority to them. ON classic song “Who Do You Love?” he taunts the listener and provides boast after boast, toasting and roasting with a swagger that would cause even the biggest ego in the rap game to wilt under its onslaught.
It was his style that provided the sound around which everyone from the Beatles and Rolling Stones, to the Doors and the Who, and more recently even the White Stripes have built their own efforts. And that is only the tip of the iceberg. Indeed it is impossible to do the man’s influence justice in words alone, and the best way to appreciate him is of course in the music he has left behind. One of my own favourite offerings is the 1961 album “Bo Diddley Is A Gun-Slinger”, a brilliant offering from stat to finish. Not to mention the cover artwork with Bo, you guessed it, dressed as a gun-slinger.
But from the driving funk of the title track, through the guitar wall-of-sound of “Do the Crawdaddy” and the slower groove of “Better Watch Yourself”, it is a prime example of the Diddley trademark, but also highlighting the sheer breadth of his talent. Tributes will undoubtedly and correctly now pour in for Diddley, who kept a busy touring schedule right up until his death, and his legacy and place in musical history is secured. In all of these words, however, the magical ingredient, the sheer electricity of the man’s music will not come out. There are no words for it.
The only way to find it is to listen to the music itself, and revel in the fact that there is so much to explore. Sadly missed, there remains only one real question. Who do you love? Just like the famous Nike ads said. Bo knows.
His legacy is that profound. And yet, it is only in his later years that his true worth to musical culture was really given the wide recognition it deserved, and as Diddley himself would often complain, this recognition, though welcome, did not put any bucks back into his savings, money and royalties that he always claimed he never received, despite his importance and lengthy recording career. For Diddley rose up at a time when exploitation in the music industry, especially of black musicians, was at its height. Segregation still reigned, and while white acts from Buddy Holly to Elvis, and especially their managers, exploited the new Rock’n’Roll sound, many black artists struggled for recognition and rights to the music they created. As Diddley himself said, “I’ve never got paid.
A dude with a pencil is worse than a cat with a machine gun”. But later recognition, including Hall of Fame induction, Grammies and other awards did come his way, and one thing that was never in doubt was the reverence with which other musicians held this great bluesman. And yet his style, so distinctive and powerful, was also relatively simple, or that is how it appeared. The chugging rhythm that he developed and made his own is a deceptively simple and yet equally elaborate approach. His records often featured no chord change at all, a style that brings a drive and excitement to the rhythm that would usually be created by the harmony. And then there is his voice, so big and gruff, so booming, and with lyrics which have an over-whelming authority to them. ON classic song “Who Do You Love?” he taunts the listener and provides boast after boast, toasting and roasting with a swagger that would cause even the biggest ego in the rap game to wilt under its onslaught.
It was his style that provided the sound around which everyone from the Beatles and Rolling Stones, to the Doors and the Who, and more recently even the White Stripes have built their own efforts. And that is only the tip of the iceberg. Indeed it is impossible to do the man’s influence justice in words alone, and the best way to appreciate him is of course in the music he has left behind. One of my own favourite offerings is the 1961 album “Bo Diddley Is A Gun-Slinger”, a brilliant offering from stat to finish. Not to mention the cover artwork with Bo, you guessed it, dressed as a gun-slinger.
But from the driving funk of the title track, through the guitar wall-of-sound of “Do the Crawdaddy” and the slower groove of “Better Watch Yourself”, it is a prime example of the Diddley trademark, but also highlighting the sheer breadth of his talent. Tributes will undoubtedly and correctly now pour in for Diddley, who kept a busy touring schedule right up until his death, and his legacy and place in musical history is secured. In all of these words, however, the magical ingredient, the sheer electricity of the man’s music will not come out. There are no words for it.
The only way to find it is to listen to the music itself, and revel in the fact that there is so much to explore. Sadly missed, there remains only one real question. Who do you love? Just like the famous Nike ads said. Bo knows.
posted by Twelve Bar at 12:40 AM
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