Bo Diddley makes his national television debut on The Ed Sullivan Show
Born Ellas Otha Bates in McComb Mississippi in 1928 the man better known as Bo Diddley introduced himself and his namesake beat to the world on this day in 1955 with his television debut on The Ed Sullivan Show.Bo Diddley opened his appearance on Ed Sullivan with the eponymously titled song Bo Diddley.This now-famous number set portions of the childrens rhyme Mockingbird to what is now known as the Bo Diddley beata syncopated rhythm in 44 time that is the foundation of such rock-and-roll classics as Buddy Hollys Not Fade Away and the Stangeloves I Want Candy among countless others.Five months before Elvis Presley would make his famous Ed Sullivan debut Diddleys performance gave many Americans their first exposure to rock and roll though that term was not yet familiar to mainstream audiences.
Neither was the Bo Diddley beat yet within just a few seconds of the drum-and-maraca opening of Bo Diddley the live Ed Sullivan audience can be heard spontaneously clapping along to the distinctive rhythm in the surviving kinescope recording of the performance.As Diddley would later tell the story Ed Sullivan had expected him to perform only a cover version of Tennessee Ernie Fords Sixteen Tons and was furious enough with him for opening with Bo Diddley that Sullivan banned him from future appearances on his show.Be that as it may Diddleys appearance on this day in 1955 introduced a sound that would influence generations of followers.As blues-rock artist George Thorogoodwho performed and recorded many Bo Diddley covers during his own careeronce told Rolling Stone [Chuck Berrys] Maybellene is a country song sped up Johnny B.
Goode is blues sped up.But you listen to Bo Diddley and you say What in the Jesus is that
