Bo Diddley Megapost

Bo Diddley passed away on Monday and a more influential musician they may never have been. While many people cannot name a Bo Diddley song outright, they have without a doubt heard the distinctive beat that Diddley created and that thousands "borrowed" afterward...some in tribute, some because the beat seeps into your brain never to escape...The Diddley Beat is possibly the archetypal rhythm that all of our ancestors at one time sang and drummed to around the fire in a primordial cave.

The best example of the Diddley Beat can be found in the song "Bo Diddley":

Bo Diddley -- Bo Diddley
From the Chess Box collection.

While listening to The Tony Kornheiser Show podcast this week, he did a great tribute to Diddley and played his songs throughout the show. He commented that if you had a Mount Rushmore of Rock, three of the four faces would be Little Richard, Chuck Berry, and Bo Diddley. He added, you could throw Elvis up there if you wanted. I agree. Here are some of the people directly influenced by Bo and the Diddley Beat...as well as some of Diddley's greatest hits...

Greatest Hits [all these songs are from the Chess Box collection]:

Bo Diddley -- I'm a Man

Bo Diddley -- Who Do You Love?

Bo Diddley -- Mona (I Need You Baby)

Bo Diddley -- The Story of Bo Diddley

Bo Diddley -- Road Runner

Bo Diddley -- Bo Diddley 1969

Songs with the Diddley Beat:

Elvis Presley -- (Marie's the Name) His Latest Flame
From the Elv1s 30 #1 Hits collection.

Bruce Springsteen -- She's the One [Live]
From the Hammersmith Odeon, London '75 double live album.

U2 -- Desire [Live]
From the Rattle and Hum live album.

Morrissey -- How Soon Is Now? [Live]
From the Live at Earls Court album.

George Michael -- Faith
From the album of the same name.

KT Tunstall -- Black Horse and the Cherry Tree
From the Eye to the Telescope album.

Primal Scream -- Movin' On Up
From the Screamadelica album.

David Bowie -- Panic in Detroit
From the Aladdin Sane album.

Wayne Fontana -- The Game of Love
From The Very Best of Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders collection.

The Strangeloves -- I Want Candy
From the Nuggets collection.

The White Stripes -- Screwdriver [Live]
From the Walking With a Ghost EP.

The Stooges -- 1969
From The Stooges album.

The Rolling Stones -- Not Fade Away
From the Big Hits (High Tide and Green Grass) collection.

Buddy Holly -- Not Fade Away
From The Buddy Holly Collection.

The Who -- Magic Bus
From The Who: The Ultimate Collection.

Bo Diddley Related Songs & Covers:

The Animals -- The Story of Bo Diddley
From The Complete Animals collection.

Warren Zevon -- Bo Diddley Is a Gunslinger / Bo Diddley [Live]
From the Stand in the Fire live album.

George Thorogood -- Who Do You Love?
From the Live album.

The Zombies -- Road Runner
From the Begin Here album.

And last but not least, we should not forget this:

Buddy Holly Megapost Continued

Here are a couple more Buddy Holly covers to add to the Megapost...tip of the hat to reader Dan who suggested some of these...

Grateful Dead -- Not Fade Away [Live]
This version is the shortest I've found at 3:21 and can be found on Dick's Picks Vol. 2.

Grateful Dead -- Not Fade Away [Live]
This version is a middle of the road performance (in terms of song length) at 9:03 and can be found on Dick's Picks Vol. 17.

Grateful Dead -- Not Fade Away [Live]
This version is the longest that I have found at 19:58 from Dick's Picks Vol. 15.

Jimmy Page -- Rave On
From the No Introduction Necessary album.

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band -- Rave On
From the Uncle Charlie & His Dog Teddy album.

Buddy Holly Megapost

As I've written before, one of my hobbies is collecting baseball cards and while I was going through a couple packs today I came upon this card:


Next year marks the 50th Anniversary of the "Day the Music Died." Each year Clear Lake, Iowa holds their Fifties in February concert in Buddy's honor at the Surf Ballroom where he played his last concert.

These are some of my favorite Buddy songs, with my top special being "Rave On." I would always play that one on the jukebox of my favorite bar during my undergrad years, The Joynt.

Buddy Holly -- Peggy Sue
From the Happy Days Jukebox collection.

Buddy Holly -- Rave On
From the Buddy Holly album.

Buddy Holly -- Dearest
From the Juno soundtrack.

Buddy Holly -- Everyday
From the Buddy Holly Album.

Rogue Wave -- Everyday [Buddy Holly cover]
From the Stubbs the Zombie soundtrack.

Buddy Holly -- Not Fade Away
From the Essential Masters collection.

The Rolling Stones -- Not Fade Away [Buddy Holly cover]
From the Singles Collection: The London Years collection.

The Rolling Stones -- Not Fade Away [Buddy Holly cover]
From the Stripped album.

Buddy Holly -- Oh Boy!
From the Essential Masters collection.

Buddy Holly -- Rock Around with Ollie Vee
From the Essential Masters collection.

Weezer -- Buddy Holly
From the Blue Album.

Rivers Cuomo -- Buddy Holly [Demo]
From the Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo.