Speaking Freely: Bo Diddley

S02 E09
www.newseuminstitute.org
Originally aired on March 25, 2001

[@GreenManalishiUSA]

I got to meet him once, after a concert. It was one of the most amazing and uplifting moments of my life. Bo Diddley didn't imitate anyone. He was (and is) The Originator.

[@bwalk009]

Ed Sullivan, "you'll never work again"! Bo, "you might slow me up but you won't shut me down"! Well done, Bo.

[@goodun6081]

Bo said to Ed Sullivan, "I know too many things----you might slow me down but you ain't going to shut me off". That's a great line.

[@atyourserviceable]

Hey Bo Ill never forget the day you walked into my radio shack store in montreal and felt comfortable with no one hassling you .Was a special day for me and the staff .Be well and stay safe always Dave

[@atyourserviceable]

I am so very sorry to hear that Bo was a good man and a decent human being with class

[@allanrussack2844]

Bo Diddley came to our apartment in Kings Cross, Sydney and played and sang for us and talked in his youthful, but still kind of wise way for 3 hours at 10 am one morning about 1972 or 1973 after we met him the previous night as he got into a black limousine to go to play a concert at the Hordern Pavillion, Sydney. He was funny, said things like “Have no fear, Bo Diddley’s here! And, when my mother was a little girl they had a dance call the Dish-rag, and it was dirty! He got a new guitar case for his square Gretch guitar, with a wide fretboard ( “I got big meat Hooks”), and he gave his old case to my friend, Peter Royal as well as a tape of that music he played for us. Probably all lost over the years now unfortunately. Good memories of a delightful legend. R.I.P. Bo.

[@1blastman]

While my friends were swooning over Bobby Rydell, Paul Anka, Elvis, and Pat Boone, I was digging on Fats Domino, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Frogman Henry, Huey "Piano" Smith and the Coasters, Later I discovered Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Leadbelly and Blind Willie Johnson. Without our vibrant Black musical culture, we'd all be "Cleveland".

[@ron.v]

I have always liked this guy's music ever since it came out. Listening to his high standards makes me respect him so much more. What a guy!

[@nanchanger]

you're old

[@ron.v]

@@nanchanger Hahahahaha, I plead 'guilty as charged.'

[@nanchanger]

@@ron.v for someone to be able to say that they'd have to be close to 80 or 90...

[@ron.v]

@@nanchanger No doubt

[@nanchanger]

@@ron.v he was a good man...

[@thomasberry2198]

His music is just so damn good!!!!!!! Healing Music. Make you wanna get up and dance and sing and shout. Make ya HAPPY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! God, Thank you for making Bo Diddley and Blessing him so much and bringing all his joy and fun for the world to enjoy!!!! Hallelujah!!!!!!!

[@bigdancd]

This is an incredible interview! Bo was one of the first Rock legends that I seen live back in 1956 when I was a freshman in high school. I loved Bo and bought every 45 rpm he put out.

[@hollyivins6190]

My dad lived in hawthorne florida in the early 80,s . Bo lived a few miles from his house,they became friends because My dad was a mechanic. Bo loved old cars .Bo would buy them old cars and My dad would fix them..M iss you dad and Bo rest in piece

[@erickchurch5390]

This is fantastic. Bo Diddley was and is so underrated in virtually every way.

[@ronvonryan]

And you can still hear his influence in the music everywhere to this day!!!

[@misjudg6969]

Agreed. I wad so fortunate to see him in concert. My favorite album of all time is the 1st super blues band release. Youll never see talent like that ever again. Broke down barriers and they didnt even know it at the time. Badassness in its true form.

[@My2up2downCastle]

He's not underrated in THIS house..... Always loved him, Little Richard and Chuck Berry.

[@daveyboy_]

Underated ?

[@erickchurch5390]

@@daveyboy_ Yes, underrated.

[@HilltopZombieShop]

Lacquer on a record to resurface it so he could record his own!! The dude was a genius.

[@normanklature6014]

Yes he was, and a most humble man and loved this country, even though his life was harder.by the truly outrageously cruel racism going all around him throughout his early start- up, he is a mans man, I am an 80 yr old Irishman, There were some low down white abusers back then, I saw it, I lived thru it, Bo Diddley is just too humble, what a terrific human being. GODSPEED BO

[@ronvonryan]

I am British, and I went to see a show in 'The Regal', near where I lived at the time in Edmonton, North London, and on the bill was The Everly Brothers headlining, a new British Band that were getting noticed 'The Rolling Stones', and closing the first half of the show was Bo Diddley!!! and Bo' stole the show!!!

[@oliverkalamata2753]

I wish I had that sorta story to tell!

[@warshipsatin8764]

thats a hell of a line up, man

[@wavester46]

Love the story about the Ed Sullivan show. It reminded me of Jim Morrison's attitude towards that show and explains why the Doors loved Bo Diddley.

[@tombaker6082]

Who knew ol' Bo was a punk rocker? This is PRICELESS. Bo knows rock and roll because he invented it. His critics just don't know Diddley.

[@posttyped11]

Not only that, he comes across as humble and practical

[@fuzzybutkus8970]

Better look up Sister Rosetta Tharpe. She was doing it a full 5 years before Bo,little Richard or Chuck Berry.

[@gabrieln3613]

@@fuzzybutkus8970 Sister Rosetta does deserve to be in the conversation for sure. A year and one half after this interview my band opened for Bo on a good sized (900 person venue) New Year's Eve show.......we did an opening set 1.5 hrs and then Bo joined for about 2 hours and we play all his standards......extended versions, he took some long solos and we traded 4', etc. (I've played harp 48 years) and Bo did the emcee duties bringing in the new year. We were chatting 1-on-1 back stage after the show and he was sharing about loss of royalties, etc. He did talk about Little Richard, Chuck Berry and himself launching Rock' n Roll. He was super nice person....as he comes across in this interview but, as you said, no mention of Sister Rosetta. She rocked for sure.

[@subversivelysurreal3645]

‘The Clash’ did a song about Bo Diddley and it was as huge as they were.

[@georgefromgreece4119]

​@@fuzzybutkus8970no comparison

[@ag4allgood]

Great to hear Bo tell his story. His music really hits you with that beat & sound. He's a time warp into the past but the music is ever lasting.

[@ryanblount4912]

Mr. Bo Diddley is a true man of freedom and expression. I love this show. Just fantastic

[@nanchanger]

was*

[@windsurfer49]

"I think I speak for all "Drummers" !He and his "Man behind thie kit" created our most practiced beat", so much you can create with "The Bo" Beat, "Its given me some great times" "Thanks "Mr Diddley""

[@boostboost8567]

short quick story.. back in 70s here in NYC Bo played in M.S.G. concert, came across street after playing, to get his room at Hotel Pennslyvania, thought record company was to pay. he waited in Lobby over 2 hours, before someone paid for room. fast forward 30 some years later, playing in Garden again, waiting in front of same Hotel. I asked BO if he remembers that incident many years earlier? He looked at me for a short time, laughed and said , why you the S.O.B that kept me waiting.....true story funny....

[@enriquerodriguezjr4466]

Was he very nice?

[@user-sf1cb9cb1m]

Praise Bo Diddley! Great Interview!

[@wildestcowboy2668]

Love how he say his 1$t real hit was a accident, such a humble guy. He say he listen to country music, makes sense to me.

[@felineth56]

An Absolute Genius! The rap song he did at the interview was stunning!

[@jamesbyrge6484]

Much respect to Bo Diddley. He calls it straight!

[@johnjackson2044]

Bo before passing said "we got to the point in this life were we all gotta take 4steps back to take 2steps forward"so true

[@Walks-With-Pride]

Bo Diddley was a M-A-N...a real MAN! I love you, brother!!!

[@ronkersey1712]

He's 500% more man. 😉

[@1blastman]

This interview is a treasure.

[@matthewwebster6359]

Bo diddley is one of the greatest

[@jackthorton10]

The Original Rock Star ⭐️ before the term rock Star came to fruition.

[@nanchanger]

was* 😟 kzbin.info/www/bejne/kGnUnHmol6uYd5Y

[@garygullikson6349]

When I was about 15, I'd sit up til midnight in Milwaukee WI to pull in WLS, Nashville and listen to Bo, Ray Charles, Etta James, Howlin Wolf, Lightnin Slim, Jimmy Reed, Little Walter , Chuck Berry and others. I played "Before You Accuse Me" on my Harmony F-hole guitar. Elvis was just getting started. When we moved to Socal, other kids only knew R&R, not R&B.

[@giovanna722]

Lucky you. Got a real education through the radio.

[@scottsmith7055]

At 2:41 when Bo references his "mother," he is really referring to his cousin, Mama Gussie, who adopted Bo as a child and moved to Chicago from McComb, Mississippi, and home of his mother Ethel Christopher, affectionately known as Mama Ethel.

[@henryfrost8542]

Bo is a class act. Unique artist...

[@christopherjames9843]

A true American legend. The greatest. Bar none. Charisma that couldn't be matched. Incredible showman. Amazing dance moves even when he was in his 50's. If you want to see intensity from a performer watch "Let the Good Times Roll".

[@martinabaunza8464]

Ð

[@harryfink6535]

Bo Diddley's best interview - he's relaxed and honest

[@Imsuchaliar]

Right, sometimes he was more bitter, and he had a right to be. He's funny and talkative here. What I wish however existed is an interview ae bout his extensive discography, in detail. I'm sure he had a lot to say. Just the anecdote about the "Gunslinger" cover is worth its price of gold.

[@supermamamaxi]

Yeah, this is the real story. Amazing interview. His musical influences are in fact the best. He puts it all in a blender and out comes the Bo Diddly sound. What a gift to the world! Thanks for posting.

[@nanchanger]

actually he's 10 times more honest in the one we did with him...

[@hobonickel840]

about as honest as Sunday Preacher on Saturday night ... there is a reason some greats wouldn't share the stage with him and it's not because he was too good 😂

[@nanchanger]

@@hobonickel840 w/e that's supposed to mean...

[@1blastman]

"Kids don't do it" is an amazing rap song, his term "signifying" is spot on, I've heard that before. He's the "Dr. J" of Rock and Roll - he operates so well.

[@ThomasDeLello]

Bo Diddley's greatest asset, ( certainly not his only asset ) I think is his outrageous imagination... He just comes up withy things so "off the wall" and delightful... I love it...!

[@mikeflynn1629]

I saw a movie in the '70s it was a rock and roll revival show. It might have been the one at Madison square garden.. they were interviewing Bo Diddley backstage in his dressing room. He was explaining how back in the 50s and early 60s that he and his band were not allowed to eat in the dining room they had to eat in the kitchen. So he said he got himself a big fryer and made their own chicken and fed themselves royally. When they were interviewing him he was frying chicken.

[@roberthdahlquist]

That was great!

[@joblo2671]

"the story of bo diddley" by the animals pretty much nails it DEAD ON.

[@georgefromgreece4119]

One of the best tribute to another artist songs ever written, it's both touching and uplifting.

[@frabber321]

So Bo Diddley "I am a man" was inspired by Muddy Water's "Hoochie coochie man" and Bo Diddley's "I am a man" in turn inspired Muddy Water's "Mannish boy". I am confused, but I love it, those are all classics!

[@willoutlaw4971]

He was great, real, and damn sure original.

[@davidfriedman7823]

I got to open for The guitar Slingers Tour at Harpos in Detroit. My band opened for him and Ron Wood in the late 80s.

[@senatorjimdracula1603]

BIG LOVE for Bo!! This is a great interview.

[@jasonallen3678]

It's so sad that I used to get angry when the older people knocked hip hop,but they were right and it's rediculous now that I have my own children to see what it has evolved into.

[@supermamamaxi]

Such a great interview!

[@glumband]

RIP. Punk Legend.

[@nanchanger]

🤣

[@hang-sangitch]

A legendary story by a legend... awesome! 😎

[@jdfolbre]

Ellis McDaniel (Bo Diddley) & Chester A. Burnett (Howlin Wolf) are my heroes!

[@jdfolbre]

Ellis was an electrician by trade.

[@bryanharwell]

I really enjoyed his stories. He was a true pioneer of Rock and Roll music.

[@74dartman13]

Such a cool guy! I saw him back in the day and he was awesome!👍😎🎸🎶

[@broken1394]

Amazing big love for Bo. ⚘⚘

[@justiceforall6412]

I never was a fan of Bo other than the 'Bo Diddley' beat, but this interview demonstrates him to be an intelligent, articulate artist.

[@ronvonryan]

I saw Bo' live at the Regal, Edmonton, North London where I lived at the time. It was the 'Everly Brothers Show' back in the early Sixties, also on the show was an up an coming Band called 'The Rolling Stones'. It was a great night, and to me Bo' stole the show.

[@ronvonryan]

@Carolyn Ekuka Not only London but all over the UK, he was a very popular in the UK, and all the great British Bands including the Stones loved his music and showmanship.

[@stewartfenton7660]

Oh man I love this cat.

[@richardsoffice9176]

Have you Cats & Kittens seen Bo's brief cameos, in the Eddie Murphy movie, "Trading Places?" He's the man in the Pawn Shop. It's great that you can see him clearly, acting, during his - extended prime!

[@RJ1999x]

He was in the Blues Brothers 2000

[@tommiereed7239]

Bo Didley awesome terrific

[@xxcelr8rs]

Shave and a hair cut.... ..Bo knows..... total innovator. Made his own record out of shellac .

[@d.od.3463]

During the Winter of 1990/91, I saw Bo performing in a very small venue in a bar across the street from the main entrance to Ohio State University. Since the bar was rather small, it was reserved for the small number of patrons that could attend. Well, I heard about this performance way ahead of when it was scheduled so I snatched up two tickets and got there very early. I was going through a very difficult divorce (what divorce isn't?) and my (young, 27-year-old) date, and I stood by the bar, which was about 20 feet from the stage where Bo would be standing during the entire performance. My friend, being rather young, wasn't real familiar with Bo Diddley's music and I was hoping all along that she would enjoy the show. Well, it turned out that (that) wasn't a problem,, especially since he began the first set with "Bo Diddley"! While we waited for Bo to appear, we proceeded to consume approximately six bottles of Bud Lite (each). Let me tell you this, when he walked in it was like lightning just struck. The air was electrified and so was each of the attendees! Bo played that night for over two hours using accompanied by (only) two very good local stand-ins playing Bass and Rhythm Guitars. You wouldn't have ever known that they didn't tour with him; they never missed a beat! During the show, we had probably six more of the Bud Lites (longnecks - from the bottle of course) and it was a night to remember. Upon leaving that bar, both of us still stoked from the beer and the pulsating beat of the music, we went quietly to my home in Dublin, Ohio, which was only four or five miles from the bar, turned on my $15,000 Macintosh stereo with JBL Studio Monitors and proceeded to play my three CD Set of Bo Diddley's Anthology! Even though I lived in a single-family home in prestigious Muirfield Village, we cranked up that stereo to just below the limit that those speakers would deliver without cracking the windows. All in all, it was a Rockin' night. By the way, at the time I was 47 years old (born in '42 and still 12 years old the year "Bo Diddley" was released)! Of course, it was a music world 'game-changer' and all parents hated the change! Although that was over 30 years ago, I will never forget that cold winter night at the bar; and of course the remainder of the night at my home Thanks for reading my very memorable story!

[@donbell8187]

A music teacher told me it was "A distorted rumba beat"

[@houdini1972]

BO Diddley kicks ass!

[@shaserv]

And when mom said, don't bring that in here. You best believe she meant that.

[@skyntyte]

18:04 What happened to Bo's extremely rare hand-written lyrics for "Crazy"? - 18:32 "(I'm a) Bad Seed" - 18:38 "Kid's Don't Do It!" was a heart-felt exclamation from Bo to kids far and wide about the ills of drug abuse.

[@megarichie007]

Legend 😎

[@tattyshoesshigure5731]

What a great interview! So good to hear him expanding on the origin of the Bo Diddley beat & on his life and times... one amazing, total original!

[@HTJB60]

A very interesting Interview......

[@marvinwhittaker]

Bo knows a lot!! One of the pioneers of Rock and Roll.

[@chatswithkayla7140]

He's awesome

[@elainekerslake6865]

All flows from the MIGHTY BO.

[@nazdagg1945]

outstanding!

[@ashleyleonard9750]

For me personally, the track Who do you love? is Rock n Roll's "Mona Lisa"😮 Composed & recorded by its most talented son, Mr Bo Diddley, yes sir🎸🎵🇺🇲👏👏👏❤

[@perarvesen3986]

Nice and fine program !!!😀😀😀

[@brachio1000]

Five-hundred percent more man!

[@tabletop77]

The man ❤️

[@Auntkekebaby]

I'm so happy that his sister gave him the guitar. 🙌

[@scotthalladay2210]

Love this interview

[@71Wraith]

Rock 'n' roll icon

[@oldsalt8011]

Awsome story!

[@sincere128748]

How I OsO miss u UNC R.I.P

[@cameronduff884]

Great stuff, now maybe I can say I KNOW DIDDLEY....

[@DoctorRazzArea4]

This is SO cool! Bo Diddley is one of my absolute heroes! So wonderful to see him back at this time when the left used to stand up for free speech! (I say this not to be partisan at all). What different times we are living in

[@ZOOTSUITBEATNICK1]

imo Terrific vid about a true legend. imo, of course...

[@jasonallen3678]

That MAN BO..

[@turnt-tables]

A real storyteller. ☮♥

[@Reespeck4all]

They come and they go, but the ones who stay are the talents. His"beats" stay, are habit forming, and everyone who listens( don't deny it) starts tapping with their fingers, feet, etc., listening to that riff that stays with you. I guess we can best describe him by saying , if he sailed a boat South to the Equator the temperature would be cooler when he got there.( quote from R.SiweL)

[@beerdrinker6452]

Wow!

[@davidbonillajr9959]

Elvis might be the king but Bo Diddley is the grandfather of rock n roll!!..

[@Leitros-kj4qb]

Little Richard is. - without a doubt.

[@BMC-hl2uh]

Something really special....

[@oh_rhythm]

Discretion is an important thing. These days people are so zombified, it doesn't matter what you show/say, they're barely there.

[@chandradavis9700]

Wish I could of met mr.diddly

[@Whitman1819]

you guys need to do this through the right and left channel for audio...only working on left channel.

[@rocx3908]

right on about todays rap music...

[@sherrydee7880]

I find myself wondering just how much of Bo's life was used for the series of EMPIRE! Including the female front woman who's stage name was Cookie. Things that make ya go hmmm!

[@pgm1972]

Great interview. What year is this ? Anybody know?

[@elsd1517]

Legend 💪🏿

[@dafflad1]

This guy is a prophet

[@weatherphobia]

18K views for Bo Diddley but PewDiePie gets millions views per video....................LOUD SIGNS of the Final stages of a dying nation

[@factorylad5071]

EVERYTHING is in inverse proportion on social media.

[@dangillis4977]

well he does have a brand new chimney made out of human skulls apparently

[@felixheiss]

Saw Bo performing live in a small club round about 1986 . Great .

[@IceveinsProductions]

Man that watch is so hot, it's smokin'.

[@mikemorrison270]

I wish I could be that cool.

[@miekam9675]

He seemed like he would be easy to talk to

[@nanchanger]

Exactly correct, here's a snippet from an interview we did in his dressing room in Greenwich Village... kzbin.info/www/bejne/nZeti36bib96g6s

[@keleniengaluafe2600]

❤❤❤❤