Ellas Otha Bates ( December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008 ), known by his stage name Bo Diddley, was an American rhythm and blues vocalist, guitarist, songwriter ( usually as Ellas McDaniel ), and rock and roll pioneer.

The record was released in March 1955, and the A-side, " Bo Diddley ", became a # 1 R & B hit.

Bo Diddley himself said that the name first belonged to a singer his adoptive mother was familiar with, while harmonicist Billy Boy Arnold once said in an interview that it was originally the name of a local comedian that Leonard Chess borrowed for the song title and artist name for Bo Diddley's first single, and guitar craftsman Ed Roman reported that another ( unspecified ) source says it was his nickname as a Golden Gloves boxer.

Chess included Diddley's recording of " Sixteen Tons " on the album Bo Diddley Is a Gunslinger, which was originally released in 1960.

The album title Surfing with Bo Diddley was a boast about his influence on surf guitarists.

Bo Diddley was one of the first American male musicians to include women in his band, including " The Duchess " Norma-Jean Wofford, Peggy Jones ( aka " Lady Bo "), Cornelia Redmond ( aka Cookie ), and Debby Hastings, who led his band for the final 25 years of his performing career.

On May 13, 2007, Bo Diddley was admitted to intensive care in Creighton University Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska, following a stroke after a concert in Council Bluffs, Iowa on May 12.

He released a string of albums whose titles, including Bo Diddley Is a Gunslinger and Have Guitar, Will Travel, bolstered his self-invented legend.

McDaniel adopted the stage name Bo Diddley The origin of the name is somewhat unclear, as several differing stories and claims exist.

He grew increasingly fascinated with the strange phenomenon of nobody ( including himself and his friends ) actually discussing race relations or exploring the mostly untold stories of the black experience in the punk scene, despite the plethora of accomplished black artists like Mick Collins, Fishbone, Vaginal Davis, and Bad Brains, and indeed punk rock's origins as an offshoot of rock and roll itself and the pioneering work of innovators like Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Little Richard, Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Jimi Hendrix.

After moving from his home in Chicago to Washington, D. C., he set up one of the first home recording studios where he not only recorded the album Bo Diddley Is a Gunslinger but he recorded his valet, Marvin Gaye.

Bo Diddley spent many years in New Mexico, living in Los Lunas, New Mexico from 1971 to 1978 while continuing his musical career.

While recovering from the stroke and heart attack, Diddley came back to his home town of McComb, Mississippi, in early November 2007 for the unveiling of a plaque devoted to him on the National Blues Trail stating that he was " acclaimed as a founder of rock and roll.

In an interview with Holger Petersen, on Saturday Night Blues on CBC Radio in the fall of 2006 Bo Diddley commented about the racism that existed in the music industry establishment during the early part of his career that saw him deprived of his royalties from the most successful part of his career.

Notable games include Carolina's 19-7 home victory in 1996 that sparked Saints head coach Jim Mora's infamous " Diddley Poo " rant and resignation from the team, Carolina's 10-6 win in the 2002 season finale at the Superdome to knock the Saints out of the playoffs, and the emotional 2005 season opener at Carolina where the Saints won 23-20 in the face of Hurricane Katrina and an eventual 3-13 season.

Many early Pink Floyd songs such as " See Emily Play " ( played with a Zippo lighter for a slide ), feature Syd Barrett's slide guitar performances, reflecting the band's original Chicago urban blues repertoire from musicians such as Bo Diddley and Slim Harpo.

'" Indeed, Diddley seems to have been banned from further appearances, as " the guitarist never did appear on The Ed Sullivan Show again.

The group was discovered shortly after forming by Bo Diddley, who had relocated briefly to Washington from Chicago.

Rock music's origins lie mostly in the music of the American South, and many stars from the first wave of 1950s rock and roll such as Bo Diddley, Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Buddy Holly, Fats Domino, and Jerry Lee Lewis hailed from the Deep South.

One of the first generation of blues artists to take up the electric guitar, in 1942, she combined her Louisiana-country roots with Memphis blues to produce her own unique country-blues sound ; along with Big Bill Broonzy and Tampa Red, she took country blues into electric urban blues, paving the way for Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley, Little Walter, and Jimmy Rogers to travel from the small towns of the south to the big cities of the north.

The first batch of songs to leak came from an in-house compilation cassette that contained " Leave My Kitten Alone ", " One After 909 " ( from 1963 ), " If You've Got Trouble ", " Christmas Time ( Is Here Again )", " That Means a Lot ", " Come and Get It ", " Dig a Pony " ( unedited version ), and two medleys from the Get Back / Let It Be sessions: " Rip It Up / Shake, Rattle and Roll " and " Not Fade Away / Bo Diddley ".

In addition to being the launchpad for new and upcoming performers, The Tube became known for its high profile music performance ' scoops ' from established world class bands such as U2 live at Red Rocks, Robert Plant, Bo Diddley and ZZ Top.

During this period the band covered songs from Bo Diddley, Sonny Boy Williamson, and Mose Allison.

Pitts learned to play guitar at age 11 on the street corners of his childhood hometown, Washington D. C., often receiving tips from his neighbor, Bo Diddley.

Houses now range from the $ 300, 00 mark upwards to about $ 1. 5 million. The district is very racially diverse compared to other section of south shore. Famous residents have included members of the Whitehall Family, Jesse Jackson, Ramsey Lewis, Bo Diddley, Enrico Fermi, Gale Sayers and Jim Montgomery.

Finally, " Hey Diddle Diddle " which comes from the nursery rhyme, " The Cat and the Fiddle ", is an indirect reference to Berry's Chess stablemate Bo Diddley, who was an accomplished violin player.

That was the first and last time that Bo Diddley performed publicly after suffering a stroke.

He took time to remember Bo Diddley, his friend of a half-century, performing his namesake tune in his honor.

Sublette asserts: " In the context of the time, and especially those maracas on the record, ' Bo Diddley ' has to be understood as a Latin-tinged record.

The show included entertainers such as Frankie Lymon, The Supremes, Marian Anderson, Louis Armstrong, Pearl Bailey, LaVern Baker, Harry Belafonte, James Brown, Godfrey Cambridge, Diahann Carroll, Ray Charles, Nat King Cole, Bill Cosby, Count Basie, Dorothy Dandridge, Sammy Davis, Jr., Bo Diddley, Rocío Dúrcal, Duke Ellington, Lola Falana, The 5th Dimension, Ella Fitzgerald, The Four Tops, Aretha Franklin, Dick Gregory, W. C. Handy, Lena Horne, The Jackson 5, Mahalia Jackson, Eartha Kitt, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Little Anthony & The Imperials, Moms Mabley, Johnny Mathis, The Miracles ( later known as Smokey Robinson & the Miracles ), Melba Moore, The Platters, Leontyne Price, Richard Pryor, Lou Rawls, Della Reese, Nipsey Russell, Nina Simone, Sly & the Family Stone, The Temptations, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, Tina Turner ( at the time known as " The Ike & Tina Turner Revue "), Leslie Uggams, William Warfield, Dionne Warwick, Dinah Washington, Ethel Waters, Flip Wilson, Jackie Wilson, Nancy Wilson, and Stevie Wonder.

In time, other important artists signed with Chess Records, including Bo Diddley and Sonny Boy Williamson, while Willie Dixon and Robert Lockwood Jr. took on a significant role behind the scenes.

King, Sonny Boy Williamson II, Eddie Boyd, Otis Spann, Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley on their United Kingdom tours, the custom at that time being for US singers to travel solo and be backed by pickup bands.

In 1967 they made the chart for the last time with " Bo Diddley Bach " reaching No. 128 on Billboard.

At the same time, Neeley also provided his abilities as singer, songwriter, vocal arranger, and producer to albums and appearances by such artists as Nigel Olsson, Tina Turner, Disco Tex and the Sex-O-Lettes, Ray Charles, Bo Diddley, Keith Carradine, and Meat Loaf.

By the end of the 1950s, however, there was a wave of popular black blues-rock and country-influenced R & B performers gaining unprecedented fame among white listeners ; these included Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry.

Garry Mitchell, a grandson of Diddley and one of more than 35 family members at the musician's home when he died at 1: 45 a. m. EDT ( 05: 45 GMT ), said his death was not unexpected.

On November 20, 1955, Bo Diddley was asked by Sullivan to sing Tennessee Ernie Ford's hit " Sixteen Tons ".

On November 20, 1955, African-American rock ' n ' roll singer and guitarist Bo Diddley appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, only to infuriate Sullivan (" I did two songs and he got mad ").

Diddley later recalls, " Ed Sullivan says to me in plain words: ' You are the first black boy — quote — that ever double crossed me!

* Ed Sullivan suggested Bo Diddley sing a version of the song for his 1955 appearance on Sullivan's television show.

Instead, Diddley sang a rendition of his own song, " Bo Diddley ," angering Sullivan.