A love for real not fade away - "Not Fade Away" by Buddy Holly
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On November 16, driving through the Mississippi Delta, I could not help but think of Bo Diddley. He figures in the Mississippi Blues Trail that runs through the Delta.
That same November day, I attended the Grand Old Opry at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN. My whole body broke out in a huge grin as the opening act, Striking Matches, struck up the pulsating guitars of “Not Fade Away.” Striking Matches was channeling Buddy Holly who had channeled Bo Diddley.
Uncanny - the same day! You see, Buddy Holly wrote “Not Fade Away” using the Bo Diddley beat.
In this season of celebrating a birth, I am again thinking of Bo Diddley – he was born 90 years ago on December 30, 1928. How many musicians have a rhythm named after them? One. Many songwriters you know have adopted the Bo Diddley beat (see a few listed below).
Born Ellas Otha Bates, he became Ellas McDaniel, and then became Bo Diddley. In what may be an apocryphal story - Bo Diddley was a slang insult name. According to Wikipedia, “In the American slang term bo diddly, bo is an intensifier and diddly is a truncation of diddly squat, which means "absolutely nothing."
In other words, Bo Diddley was More Absolutely Nothing. We all should be so lucky. Bo played “Bo Diddley” on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1955. In 1963, Bo toured the UK with the Everly Brothers, Little Richard, and an unknown band named the Rolling Stones.
Oh, and The Rolling Stones big hit in 1964? Yep, “Not Fade Away.”
The Bo Diddley story sound familiar? A man who wasn’t supposed to amount to didley squat, influenced millions…
Enjoy the holidays!
How about you? Who influenced you? Share a story!
Blog Notes: Playin’ the Bo Diddley Beat - songs you may know! From Wikipedia:
"Not Fade Away" by Buddy Holly (1957)
"Willie and the Hand Jive" by Johnny Otis (1958), Eric Clapton (1974)
"(Marie's the Name) His Latest Flame" by Elvis Presley (1961)
"I Want Candy" by the Strangeloves (1965), Bow Wow Wow (1982)
"Please Go Home" by the Rolling Stones (1966)
"Magic Bus" by the Who (1968)
"Panic in Detroit" by David Bowie (1973)
"She's the One" by Bruce Springsteen (1975)
"American Girl" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (1977)
"Hateful" by the Clash (1979)
"Desire" by U2 (1988)
And the list goes on through 2013!
