{Bo Diddley poster}


"The Story Of BO DIDDLEY...":

home
history 1928-1955
career 50s / 60s / 70s / 80s / 90s / 00s
70th birthday tributes page 1 / 2 / 3
hot news
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discography 45s / lps / comps / misc
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lady bo page 1 / 2 / 3
jerome green
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photo gallery page 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5
guestbook & forum
lyrics
mean machine
"originator radio"
rare bo
reading
rocklove review
visitors' comments
dedication
links

Enquiries:


Margo Lewis or Faith Fusillo
Co-Managing Partners, The Estate of Bo Diddley
Talent Source Management
105 Shad Row - Second Floor
Piermont, NY 10968
USA

T: 212-730-2701

F: 845-359-4609

E: info@talentsourcemanagement.com

www.talentsourcemanagement.com

You may also contact:

Talent Consultants International (TCI)
email@tciartists.com

www.tciartists.com


BO DIDDLEY - The Originator

A Celebration of his unique contribution to Popular Music.

"Where It All Began..."



{Webmaster with Bo Diddley Guitar}
David Blakey (Webmaster) and BO DIDDLEY's custom-built electric guitar, backstage at the 8th Annual Ritzville Blues Fest in Ritzville, WA on Saturday July 14th 2001. (Photo courtesy of Debby Hastings.)

My love of BO DIDDLEY and his music go back to around 1964 when, as a 12 year old fan of The Rolling Stones and living in England, I first began to hear the Stones, The Pretty Things, The Animals etc. praising the records of American performers such as BO DIDDLEY, Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters, Little Walter and Howlin' Wolf. Intrigued in the first instance that men could possess such strange names (to my ears) as "Muddy Waters" and "The Howlin' Wolf", I also soon noticed that all of the above's records came out on the same labels: Chess/Checker Records in the States, and on Pye International in the UK. The release of "Hi-Heel Sneakers" by Tommy Tucker and "Rescue Me" by Fontella Bass the following year, cemented a love affair with the recorded history of the Chess/Checker/Argo/Cadet labels that exists to this day.

I finally got to see BO DIDDLEY perform live for the first time at a small club called Dingwall's on George Street, Kingston upon Hull, in the north of England. It was the evening of Saturday April 30th 1983. It was to be a poignant date for, although none of us packed into that club knew it at the time, it was the night that Muddy Waters died. BO DIDDLEY gave a performance that had me walking on air for literally weeks afterwards. I remember feeling so elated that I was alive and living on the planet at the same time as a man with such an awesome talent to entertain. Despite the boastful albums, song titles, and lyrics, he remains at large a very dignified and essentially a simple man, too easily overlooked in a world so caught up by the ephemeral. The abiding image I have of him is of Chuck Berry pulling him back onto the stage in the movie of the 1972 London Rock'n'Roll Festival, to reluctantly take the plaudits and the cheers of the huge Wembley Stadium crowd. Eventually, after much persuading from Chuck, he raises a very reluctant arm in salute. Look beyond the exaggerated boasts of so many of his song titles and you'll find a humorous, good-natured and unpretentious man, whom Dick Clark calls "...one of the nicest people in the business".

{Bo Diddley photo}

BO DIDDLEY-The Originator.... Music lovers everywhere around the world salute you and your unique talents.

"....if it wasn't for him, we'd be back listening to Beethoven!"
(a fan, "Let The Good Times Roll" movie)


In memory of Lynn, my wife and soulmate, who helped me put together everything that you see here and without whom this website simply wouldn't exist.

Dedicated to my mother Joyce, who first taught me the words "Bo Diddley bought his babe a diamond ring, dum di-dum dum, dum-dum", and to the memory of my late father George, who described BO DIDDLEY as "...the greatest showman I've ever seen".

Chicago!{tapdancer animation}


(c) Copyright David Blakey 1998-2018. All Rights Reserved. No images on this website may be stored or reproduced in any way without the written permission of the copyright holder. Extracts from this publication may be copied for educational purposes only. No extracts may be copied and used for commercial purposes without the written permission of the copyright holder.