June 4, 2008 15:03

Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie pays tribute to Bo Diddley

Singer bigs up the late guitarist

Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie has hailed the late Bo Diddley, who died of heart failure on Monday (June 2).

The singer explained that he was a huge fan of Diddley, since the legendary guitarist's percussive style influenced so many subsequent axemen.

"I heard The Rolling Stones play [Buddy Holly song] 'Not Fade Away', which used the Bo Diddley beat," he said. "Then when I heard Bo Diddley himself, I thought, oh, amazing, it comes from that. It's pretty hard to pull that beat off. Johnny Marr's guitar playing is Johnny Marr being Bo Diddley.

"I love those Chess records he made: 'Who Do You Love?', 'Don't Judge A Book By Its Cover'. I've got footage of him playing live in the '60s, it's amazing."

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.