Who Is Bo Diddley? Age, Biography, and Wiki
Bo Diddley, born on December 30, 1928, was an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter whose innovative approach to music helped shape rock and roll. He passed away on June 2, 2008, at the age of 79. His unique sound, characterized by its rhythmic beat, has left an indelible mark on the music industry, inspiring countless artists from diverse genres.
| Occupation | Blues Singer |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | December 30, 1928 |
| Age | 79 Years |
| Birth Place | McComb, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Horoscope | Capricorn |
| Country | U.S |
| Date of death | 2 June, 2008 |
| Died Place | N/A |
Popularity
Bo Diddley's Popularity over time
Height, Weight & Measurements
Throughout his life, Bo Diddley was known for his charismatic stage presence and striking appearance. While specific height and weight statistics remain less documented, he was often recognized for his tall and charismatic stature, which contributed to his dynamic performances. As an iconic performer, he often embraced a bold style reflective of his larger-than-life persona.
His use of African rhythms and a signature beat, a simple five-accent hambone rhythm, is a cornerstone of hip hop, rock, and pop music. In recognition of his achievements, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, the Blues Hall of Fame in 2003, and the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame in 2017.
He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Diddley is also recognized for his technical innovations, including his use of tremolo and reverb effects to enhance the sound of his distinctive rectangular guitars.
Family, Dating & Relationship Status
Bo Diddley was married several times during his life. He had a daughter named Ebonee Diddley and was known for his close-knit relationships with his family. Although there are limited public records regarding his romantic relationships, he maintained a reputation as a devoted father and family man.
After his adoptive father Robert died in 1934, when Diddley was five years old, Gussie McDaniel moved with him and her three children to the South Side of Chicago; he later dropped Otha from his name and became Ellas McDaniel.
He was an active member of Chicago's Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church, where he studied the trombone and the violin, becoming so proficient on the violin that the musical director invited him to join the orchestra, in which he played until he was 18.
However, he was more interested in the joyful, rhythmic music he heard at a local Pentecostal Church and took up the guitar; his first recordings were based on that frenetic church music.
Diddley said he thought that the trance-like rhythm he used in his rhythm and blues music came from the Sanctified churches he had attended as a youth in his Chicago neighborhood.
Net Worth and Salary
At the time of his passing in 2008, Bo Diddley had an estimated net worth of around $1.5 million. His wealth primarily stemmed from his prolific career as a musician, which included lucrative album sales, tours, and performances. His songs have remained popular long after his death, ensuring continued royalties and recognition.
Inspired by a John Lee Hooker performance, Diddley supplemented his income as a carpenter and mechanic by playing on street corners with friends, including Jerome Green, in the Hipsters band, later renamed the Langley Avenue Jive Cats.
Green became a near-constant member of McDaniel's backing band, the two often trading joking insults with each other during live shows. In the summers of 1943 and 1944, he played at the Maxwell Street market in a band with Earl Hooker.
By 1951 he was playing on the street with backing from Roosevelt Jackson on washtub bass and Jody Williams, who had played harmonica as a boy but took up guitar in his teens after he met Diddley at a talent show, with Diddley teaching him some aspects of playing the instrument, including how to play the bass line.
Williams later played lead guitar on "Who Do You Love?" (1956).
Career, Business, and Investments
Bo Diddley's career spanned several decades, beginning in the 1950s when he released his first single "Bo Diddley." He was one of the pioneers of rock music, known for his distinctive "Bo Diddley beat" that influenced many artists across genres, including the likes of The Rolling Stones and The Doors.
In addition to music, Bo Diddley was involved in various business ventures, including music publishing and merchandise sales, which further solidified his financial success. He was also known for his efforts in advocating for musicians' rights and was vocal about the importance of artists receiving fair compensation for their work.
The Marquees appeared in talent shows at the Lincoln Theatre, and Diddley, impressed by their smooth vocal delivery, let them rehearse in his studio. Diddley got the Marquees signed to Columbia subsidiary label OKeh Records after unsuccessfully attempting to get them a contract with his own label, Chess.
The OKeh label rivaled Chess in the promotion of rhythm and blues. On September 25, 1957, Diddley drove the group to New York City to record "Wyatt Earp", a novelty song written by Reese Palmer, lead singer of the Marquees. Diddley produced the session, with the group backed by his own band.
They cut their first record, a single with "Wyatt Earp" on the A-side and "Hey Little School Girl" on the B-side, but it failed to become a hit. Diddley persuaded Moonglows founder and backing vocalist Harvey Fuqua to hire Gaye.
Gaye joined the Moonglows as first tenor; the group then moved to Detroit with the hope of signing with Motown Records founder Berry Gordy Jr.
Social Network
Although Bo Diddley himself is not active on social media today, his legacy is celebrated by fans and musicians alike across various platforms. Accounts dedicated to his music can be found on platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, where followers continue to share memories and comments about his influence on the music industry.
In the 1921 story "Black Death", by Zora Neale Hurston, Beau Diddely was a womanizer who impregnates a young woman, disavows responsibility, and meets his undoing by the powers of the local hoodoo man. Hurston submitted it in a contest run by the academic journal Opportunity in 1925, where it won an honorable mention, but it was never published during her lifetime.
Education
Bo Diddley’s early education took place in Chicago, where he was raised after his family moved from Mississippi. While specific details about his formal education are scarce, it’s evident that his musical education came from a combination of self-teaching and absorbing the musical culture around him in his formative years. He honed his craft through performance and collaboration, far surpassing the constraints of traditional education.
On May 13, 2007, Diddley was admitted to intensive care in Creighton University Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska, following a stroke after a concert the previous day in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Starting the show, he had complained that he did not feel well.
He referred to smoke from the wildfires that were ravaging south Georgia and blowing south to the area near his home in Archer, Florida.
The next day, as he was heading back home, he seemed dazed and confused at the airport, and 911 was called, and he was immediately taken by ambulance to Creighton University Medical Center where he stayed for several days. He was then flown to Shands Hospital in Gainesville, where it was confirmed that he had suffered a stroke.
Diddley had a history of hypertension and diabetes, and the stroke affected the left side of his brain, causing receptive and expressive aphasia (speech impairment). The stroke was followed by a heart attack, which he suffered in Gainesville on August 28, 2007.
