A reference to the album Bo Diddley Is A Gunslinger, this collection is a cracking tribute to the man who brought a cooler style and exoticism to black rock’n’roll as compared to the volcanic Little Richard and the country-influenced riffage of Chuck Berry. Bo Diddley’s patented clave-derived groove (he actually tried to copyright that beat!), augmented by the ever-faithful Jerome on shakers, became one of the primordial ingredients of rock and continues to influence new generations of musicians. Since the Originator, as he is also known, was not a songwriter in the traditional sense of selling songs for a living, this is more of a covers collection, which is just fine considering the talent that’s been assembled by the always-reliable folks at Ace as part of their ongoing series spotlighting the great songwriters of the rock era.
Buddy Holly was the first key figure to pay homage to the man born Ellas Otha Bates, and sings “Bo Diddley” here, but check his famous “Not Fade Away” (not included), which also showed such a strong influence that the song became a rare cover of another white artist by the Rolling Stones. Casual fans of the sophisticated Zombies may not know they did a raucous take on “Roadrunner”. Similarly, others will swoon over The Everly Brothers' Byrds-y cover of the soda-fountain classic “Love is Strange”. Let us not forget that The Pretty Things named themselves after one of the late master’s songs, and that tune turns up here. You might have already heard Captain Beefheart’s “Diddy Wah Diddy” and the New York Dolls' lascivious ode to a rock’n’roll nurse in “Pills”, but add in The Downliners Sect, Ian & Sylvia, Los Lobos, and The Animals and you’re beginning to get an idea of the sheer magnitude of Bo Diddley’s influence. This is a virtual history of rock music all in one snappy package. Doot doola doot-doo, doot-doo!