[Deathwatch] Bo Diddley, guitarist, 79

[Deathwatch Central <cdw@slick.org>]

Guitarist Bo Diddley dead at 79
http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/Music/06/02/diddley.obit/index.html

(CNN) -- Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Famer Bo Diddley died Monday, surrounded
by family and loved ones at his home in Archer, Florida, a family
spokeswoman said.

Diddley died of heart failure, his family said.

The world-renowned guitarist and vocalist, who was known for his hybrid
hits that melded rock and rhythm and blues, was 79.

His signature beat laid the foundation for rock 'n' roll for decades.
The rhythm on tracks such as "Who Do You Love?" and "Bo Diddley" became
known as the "Bo Diddley" beat.

"This distinctive, African-based 5/4 rhythm pattern (which goes
bomp-bomp-bomp bomp-bomp) was picked up by other artists and has been a
distinctive and recurring element in rock 'n' roll through the
decades," according to the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame.

His debut single was his self-titled classic, with "I'm a Man" as its
B-side.

"It was the first in a string of groundbreaking sides that walked the
fine line between rhythm & blues and rock 'n' roll," his Hall of Fame
biography says.

Diddley was a contemporary of Chuck Berry, Fats Domino and Elvis
Presley. Diddley's first records were with the Checker label, which
also represented Berry.

Born Ellas Bates McDaniel in McComb, Mississippi, Diddley's family
moved to Chicago when he was 7, according to his Hall of Fame
biography.

He played violin as a child, but said he was inspired to pick up the
guitar after hearing John Lee Hooker's 1949 rhythm and blues hit,
"Boogie Chillen."

He continued to tour well into 2007, but suffered a stroke last May and
a heart attack in August.

He was inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in January 1987.

Many thanks to TheLenGuy for posting this obituary