Bo Diddley
aka. Ellas Otha Bates McDaniels

He only had a few hits in the 1950s and early '60s, but as Bo Diddley sang, "You Can't Judge a Book by Its Cover." You can't judge an artist by his chart succesThe Bo Diddley beat bomp, ba-bomp-bomp, bomp-bomp is one of rock & roll's bedrock rhythms, showing up in the work of Buddy Holly, The Rolling Stones, and even pop-garage knockoffs like the Strangeloves' 1965 hit "I Want Candy." Diddley's hypnotic rhythmic attack and declamatory, boasting vocals stretched back as far as Africa for their rootss, either, and Diddley produced greater and more influential music than all but a handful of the best early rockers. , and looked as far into the future as rap. His trademark otherwordly vibrating, fuzzy guitar style did much to expand the instrument's power and range. But even more important, Bo's bounce was fun and irresistibly rocking, with a wisecracking, jiving tone that epitomized rock & roll at its most humorously outlandish and freewheeling.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Bo Diddley