Bo Diddley, who has died of heart failure aged 79, was a rock 'n' roll pioneer and creator of arguably the first great electric guitar riff.
Taking a lead from African tribal music, his distinctive 5/4 time signature was a trademark of most of his songs – a sound he once boastfully described as “the rhythm that shook the world”.
It was a typical remark from a man whose tongue-in-cheek self-aggrandisement became a running motif throughout his career.
In addition to the self-titled 1955 single that introduced his famous riff, he also cut records with titles like 'Diddley Daddy', 'Hey! Bo Diddley', 'Bo Diddley Is Loose', 'Bo’s A Lumberjack' and 'The Story Of Bo Diddley'...
The full story is continued at our sister site Uncut.co.uk.
Read the rest of Bo Diddley's obituary now by clicking here.
Plus, check out Bo Diddley's greatest video moments on the NME Office Blog now.
For more on Bo Diddley and a biography visit Bo-diddley.com or check out Bo Diddley's Wikipedia entry.
Bo Diddley was inducted into the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame in 1987.
Visit NME Video for the latest music videos and artist interviews
- Previous: The Coral, Joanna Newsom, Clinic added to Latitude line-up
- Next: The Last Shadow Puppets announce new single
Comments do not always reflect the views of NME, or IPC Media, for guidelines visit our Ts & Cs page