Music historian Robert Palmer has described Bo Diddley as "one of the most original and fertile rhythmic intelligences of our time." He will forever be known as the creator of the "Bo Diddley beat," one of the cornerstone rhythms of rock and roll. He employed it in his namesake song, "Bo Diddley," as well as other primal rockers like "Mona." This distinctive African-based rhythm pattern (which goes bomp bomp bomp bomp-bomp) was picked up from Diddley by other artists and has been a distinctive and recurring element in rock and roll through the decades. It can be heard on Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away" (later covered by the Rolling Stones), the Who's "Magic Bus" and Bruce Springsteen's "She's the One." Any account of Bo Diddley's career in music must also mention his rectangular "cigar box" guitar. He designed the uniquely shaped instrument himself, building the first one in 1945 while attending Foster Vocational School in Chicago. Moreover, he is the author of a body of songs—including "Who Do You Love?," "Road Runner," "You Don't Love Me," and "I'm a Man"—that are among the earliest examples of rock and roll close to its source material in rhythm and blues.
Get full artist bio (courtesy of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)

 
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