Category: Music Bob

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Originally uploaded by Suffering the Benz

No, it isn’t 1979. And this isn’t Blue Oyster Cult turning the entire band loose with guitars during a mind-numbing “Don’t Fear the Reaper” encore. It’s RiddickFest, an army of guitarists who know half of every song ever written.

Really, though, it was a blast having a bunch of my closest friends in town for the weekend to float on the lake and make music on the back porch. And some of the music was downright transcendental. Even without the cowbell …

RiddickFest photos here …

I was crushed when I read on Monday that Bo Diddley had died. I came to him through a circuitous route that started with a searing Grateful Dead version of “Not Fade Away,” then to Buddy Holly and finally to the source, big bad Bo.

Most of the tributes I’ve been reading have focused on the famous Bo Diddley beat that’s that’s spine of so many rock songs, but this homage on Literary Kicks focuses on Bo’s verbal prowess. Great read and right on the money. To wit:

“Ellis ‘Bo Diddley’ McDaniels lived to tell stories and create characters. His songs are what made him famous, even more than his beat. His words were as simple as his guitar playing, and just as strong.”

Funny that author Levi Asher also refers to the Live at the Ritz CD that features Ronnie Wood. That was the first Bo Diddley CD I bought, and I knew it wasn’t quite on target. Asher’s assessment of it is right on. Glad I tried again and got to know the real Bo.