Bo Diddley, R.I.P.

Bo Diddley: One of rock's foundational figures has passed on.

Bo Diddley (a.k.a. Ellas McDaniel), the toughest of the original '50s rock and rollers (ain't a damn thing kitsch about him), the cat who made self-aggrandizing lyrics sound incredibly cool, the man with the square guitar who stroked some of the most vicious tones out of a six-string ever to singe your ear hairs, the dude who had a badass rhythm (paradoxically both rumbling and bouncy) named after him, the guy with the powerful life force who toured into his late 70s, the author of one of the most covered, witty and ominous songs ever (“Who Do You Love?”), the creator of a sound and propagator of an attitude that influenced hundreds of great bands, died today of heart failure at age 79.

What a tremendous body of work and rewarding legacy Bo Diddley left. Respect.

Bo tearing shit up

“Roadrunner” & “Mona”

“Bo Diddley”