Bo Diddley
Band members Related acts
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line-up 1 (1955- 2008) - Bo Diddley (aka Otha Ellas Bates, aka Elias McDaniels) (RIP 2008) -- vocals, guitar
supporting musicians (1965) - Billy Boy Arnold -- harmonica - Frank Kirkland -- drums, percussion - Jody Williams -- guitar
supporting
musicians (1971) - John Birganti -- drums - Eddie Covi -- sax - Bob Dorsa -- percussion - Bob Gallo -- guitar, percussion - Sonny Hahn -- guitar - Al Kooper -- guitar, keyboards - Mike Maatia -- keyboards, trumpet - Don Olsen -- bass - Carl Schickler -- guitar, trombone - Vinny Traina -- percussion - Cookie Vee (Cookie Vie) -- percussion, backing vocals - Leslie Zimei -- backing vocals
supporting
musicians (1972) - Tom Thompson - guitar
supporting musicians (1976) - Carmine Appice - drums - Elvin Bishop
- guitar - Billy Joel -
keyboards - Leslie West - guitar
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- The Super Super Blues Band
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Genre: rock Rating: **** (4 stars) Title: 500% More Man Company: Checker Catalog: LP 2996 Year: 1965 Country/State: McComb, Mississippi Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: mono pressing Available: 1 Catalog ID: 4 Price: $75.00 Cost: $1.00
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It's hard to imagine in this day and age, but back in 1965 "500% More Man" found Bo Diddley taking considerable risks with his career. In terms of workload the album marked his fourteenth studio set for Chess Records in seven years. Today it all seems rather innocuous, but in the mid-'60s the suggestive album title and cover art were both extremely risqué. Those moves may not have a major surprise considering that by the mid-'60s Diddley's career had cooled off. Feeling he'd become too mainstream, black audiences had abandoned him. Seeing him as too R&B, white audiences turned their attention to Motown and Stax. Unfortunately, Chess/Checker didn't have a clue how to free Diddley from his commercial purgatory. Exemplified by throw away released like "Bo Diddley's A Twister", "Surfin' with Bo Diddley" and "Bo Diddley's Beach Party", Chess had spent years fumbling around for some sort of commercial sound . Perhaps it shouldn't have surprised anyone that "500% More Man" proved one of Diddley's most diverse, or simply ill focused efforts. But here the thing - credit Diddley's professionalism and talent with avoiding the smell of desperation. The title track, "Let Me Pass" and "Hey Red Riding Hood" all found Diddley returning to his "I'm a Man" blues roots. In contrast, "Stop My Monkey" sounded like something out of the Berry Gordy catalog. A should've-been hit, the rollicking "Soul Food" was an obvious attempt to tap into the Memphis sound. Elsewhere, backed by The Cookies, "Tonight Is Ours" offered up an atypical sweet, doo-wop-styled ballad. At least to my ears, the set's lack of focus simply added to it's charm. Personal favorites were the hysterical "Greasy Spoon" (wonder if there really was a Clyde's Place?), "Let Me Pass" and the catchy "Root Hoot". Shame this one passed by with little acknowledgement and even fewer sales.
Who knows why, but
in Europe Chess Records released the album under the title "Let
Me Pass". The album reflected the same track listing, but
different cover art under the title "Let Me Pass"
"500% More Man" track listing: 1.) 500% More Man (Elias McDaniel - Thomas Matthews) - 2:37 rating: **** stars For all intents and purposes the title track was a reworked version of Muddy Water's blues classic "I'm a Man". Interestingly the single reflected an updated set of lyrics with the original line "I can lay more pipe than a plumber can ..." apparently viewed as too risqué for airplay.
-
1965's "500 % More Man" b/w "Let The Kids Dance"
(Checker catalog number 1123)
2.) Let Me Pass (Elias McDaniel) - 2:34 rating: **** stars Diddley
as a bad ass ... "Let Me Pass" effortless captured his unique
sound with hysterical lyrics and it ROCKED. Shame the tune was so
short. YouTube has a black and white performance clip of Diddley and
company lip-synching the song for an appearance the Sam Riddle hosted
Hollywood A Go Go television music variety show: Bo
Diddley - Let Me Pass (Hollywood A Go Go) Better quality sound For
some odd reason Checker reissued the album with this tune serving as the
title track. "Stop
My Monkey" found Diddley adding a funky edge to his sound.
The "dance"
oriented lyrics were mildly funny, but
darn if The Cookies
(Dorothy Jones, Earl-Jean McCrea and Margaret Ross) didn't sound shrill on
backing vocals. As
someone who has a fascination with diners, the rollicking "Greasy
Spoon" was an album highlight. Not sure Clyde's
Place's was going to pass a health department inspection, but how
can you go wrong with lyrics that mentioned Etta James peach cobbler, Chuck
Berry upside down cake Jimmy Reed chicken-a-la-king and Muddy Waters
cornbread muffins in a lyric? The
doo-wop flavored ballad "Tonight Is Ours" was unlike anything else
on the album. Very much a time piece, Diddley's spoken word segment
was hysterical, but overall this was as good as anything groups like The
Drifters or The Platters had recorded. "Root Hoot"
(I have no idea what it meant, but the title makes me smile every time I
hear it), was another track seemingly written
with a commercial sheen intended to attract the attention of pop audiences. (side 2) 1.) Hey Red Riding Hood (Kay Reynolds) - 2:59 rating: **** stars Penned
by Diddley's wife Kay Reynolds (aka Kay McDaniels), "Hey Red Riding
Hood" served as another great
example of the Bo Diddley beat ... The Cookies backing vocals were
merely shrill and distracting, but there was no denying the song's
"cuteness" factor and Diddley's delivery was ... well it was
Bo Diddley. I'll
admit "Let the Kids Dance" wasn't particularly sophisticated, but
it was a surprisingly danceable tune. Once again The Cookies were
shrill and didn't add much to the song, but in spite of a flat vocal Diddley
sounded like he was having a blast. "Do
the Shotgun now ..."
The song also appeared as
the "B" side to the title track 45. YouTube has another clip of
Diddley lip-synching the tune during an appearance on Hollywood A Go
Go: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTi744vip-Q&list=RDdTi744vip-Q&start_radio=1 "He's So Mad"
demonstrated Diddley could easily sound like a pissed off country
star. Damn, he does sound so mad. Another one where he got some
interesting tones out of his guitar and another one where you wished the
song would have been longer. Built
on a tasty little guitar riff, admittedly lyrically "Soul Food"
didn't have a great deal going for it though Diddley gave it his all. Not
sure how he got it, but I've always loved the slinky, stinging Stax-styled
effects Diddley got on the instrumental "Corn Bread". Previously released as a single in the UK, the breezy "Somebody Beat Me" was apparently inspired by drummer Clifton James getting robbed in a Norfolk, Virginia Hotel.
- 1964's "Somebody Beat Me" b/w "Mush Mouth Mille" (Chess catalog number CRS 8014)
©
Scott Blackerby September 2025
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Genre: rock Rating: *** (3 stars) Title: Another Dimension Company: Chess Catalog: CH 50001 Year: 1971 Country/State: USA Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: -- Available: 1 Catalog ID: 735 Price: $20.00
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I'm guessing Chess
Records marketing group intended 1971's "Another
Dimension" as a way to expand Bo Diddley's early-'70s
audience to the FM radio crowd. Produced by Bob Gallo, the
concept here was pretty straightforward - surround Diddley with a collection
of rock classics and given him an occasional opportunity to showcase his
guitar. Needless to say, the concept was far better than the
actually execution. For his part, while Diddley didn't sound
half bad (folks forget what an accomplished singer he was), he didn't sound
particularly inspired surrounded by material like The Band's 'The Shape I'm
In', or Al Kooper's 'I
Love You More Than You'll Ever Know'
(the end-of-song horn arrangement simply blew him out of the
water). Another curiosity was the decision to include three CCR
covers ('Bad Moon Rising', 'Down On the Corner', and 'Lodi'). Diddley had previously toured with the band (apparently not an entirely
pleasant experience for him) so you had to wonder why he'd want to line John
Fogerty's pockets with additional income. The collection also
included a pair of Diddley originals; the funky 'Pollution' and the bluesy
'I Said Shutup
Woman'. Far
from his creative zenith - more of an interest from the perspective of
seeing a truly bad marketing concept fall flat. (The three star
rating is probably generous for this one - make it two and a half.) 1.) The Shape I'm In (Jaimie Robbie Robertson) - 5:21 So you had to admire him for being willing to cover 'The Shape I'm In', but there was no way this was going to make you forget The Band's original. 2.) I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know (Al Kooper) - 7:31 I'm guessing the prominent keyboards were Al Kooper himself ... The sad thing is this song was simply soooooo wrong for Diddley. What in the world was the concept here ? rating: ** stars 3.) Pollution (A.McDaniels) - 4:39 So give the man kudos for the funky and socially relevant 'Pollution'. Yeah, lyrically there wasn't a great deal here, but he made the point without getting to ponderous and it had a great, funky rhythm going for it. rating: **** stars 4.) Bad Moon Rising (John Fogerty) - 2:42 In spite of myself, I have to admit a certain fondness for Diddley's country-tinged cover of CCR's 'Bad Moon Rising'. It would have been even better without the cooing female backing singers. rating: *** stars
(side 2) 1.) Down On the Corner (John Fogerty) - 3:19 The second of three CCR covers, 'Down On the Corner' was passable - Diddley's cover did didn't mess with the original melody at all. Song highlight was probably Don Olsen's fuzz bass. rating: *** stars 2.) I Said Shutup Woman (A. McDaniels) - 3:33 The second original, the bluesy, highly misogynistic 'I Said Shutup Woman' would have gotten Diddley's arrested in this day and age. Overlooking the lyrics, the tune itself was a blazing blues number with some of Diddley's best guitar. By the way, the backing female singer (Cookie Vie ?), essentially took Diddley to the aural woodshed on this one. Musically she literally kicked his butt !!! rating: **** stars 2.) Bad Side of the Moon (Elton John - Bernie Taupin) - 2:58 Maybe because my expectations for this one were nonexistent, Diddley's Elton John cover proved the album's biggest surprise. Liked the weird production effects and the fuzz guitar solo. Hated the chirpy backing singers. rating: *** stars 3.) Lodi (John Fogerty) - 5:12 Probably the worst of the three CCR covers, Diddley managed to transform what was one of John Fogerty's best songs into an MOR ballad. Forgettable. rating: ** stars 4.) Go For Broke (instrumental) (John Berganti - Mike Matia - Don Olsen - Carl Schickler) - 3:05 The instrumental 'Go For Broke' sounded like a studio jam that was added to fill out the album's running time. There was a nice fuzz guitar solo, but I'm not even sure if was Diddley ... rating: *** stars
As mentioned, the album spun off two singles:
- 1971's 'I Said Shut Up Woman' b/w 'I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know' (Chess catalog number CH 2117) - 1971's 'The Shape I'm In' b/w 'Pollution' (Checker catalog number CH-1238)
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Genre: rock Rating: *** (3 stars) Title: Where It All Began Company: Chess Catalog: CH 50016 Year: 1972 Country/State: USA Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: cut corner; minor stain on front; die cut cover Available: 1 Catalog ID: 4 Price: $25.00 Cost: $1.00
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Wow ! We'll have
to admit that Diddley wasn't a major part of our musical lexicon. Were we
ever stupid to have missed such a talented guy !!! 1.) I've Had It
Hard (Eugene McDaniel) - 3:13 (side 2) 1.) Hey, Jerome
(Eugene McDaniel - Connie Redmond) - 3:08
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Genre: rock Rating: **** (4 stars) Title: Got My Own Bag of Tricks Company: Chess Catalog: 2CH 60005 Year: 1972 Country/State: USA Grade (cover/record): VG/VG Comments: double LP; cut top left corner; gatefold sleeve Available: 1 Catalog ID: 4649 Price: $20.00 Cost: $1.00
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This is the place for casual fans or the curious to start. A 24 track, double LP set, it offers up an excellent mix of Diddley's hits and lesser known album tracks. You even get an interesting bio from Pete Welding.
"Got My Own Bag of Tricks" track listing: 1.) Bo Diddley (Elias McDaniel) - 2:30 2.) I'm a Man (Elias McDaniel) - 2:41 3.) Bring It To Jerome (Elias McDaniel) - 2:37 4.) Diddley Daddy (Elias McDaniel) - 2:11 5.) Before You Accuse Me (Elias McDaniel) - 2:40 6.) Pretty
Thing (Elias McDaniel) - 2:48 (side 2) 1.) Who Do You Love (Elias McDaniel) - 2:09 2.) Dearest Darling (Elias McDaniel) - 2:32 3.) You Can't Judge a Book By It's Cover (Willie Dixon)- 3:03 4.) Hey' Bo Diddley (Elias McDaniel) - 2:17 5.) Say Man (Elias McDaniel) - 2:30 6.) I'm Looking for a Woman (Elias McDaniel) - 2:23
(side 3) 1.) Road Runner (Elias McDaniel) - 2:45 2.) Mona (I Need You Baby) (Elias McDaniel) - 2:18 3.) Cops & Robbers (Elias McDaniel) - 3:21 4.) Story of Bo Diddley (Elias McDaniel) - 2:42 5.) Say, Boss Man (Elias McDaniel) - 2:18 6.) Hush Your
Mouth (Elias McDaniel)- 2:15 (side 4) 1.) 500% More Man (Elias McDaniel - Matthews) - 2:57 2.) Bo's Blues (Elias McDaniel) - 2:32 3.) Nursery Rhyme (Elias McDaniel) - 2:43 4.) Whoa, Mule (Shine) - 2:28 5.) Live My Life (Elias McDaniel) - 2:35 6.) Bo Diddley Is Loose (Elias McDaniel) - 2:57
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Genre: rock Rating: *** (3 stars) Title: Big Bad Bo Company: Chess Catalog: CH 60047 Year: 1974 Country/State: USA Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: still in shrink wrap; cut top right corner Available: 1 Catalog ID: 4650 Price: $50.00 Cost: $1.00
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1974's "Big Bad Bo" is somewhat unique in that it doesn't really sound like a Bo Diddley album. Sure, his voice remains instantly recognizable, but the album features an atypical mix of non-originals (the bluesy 'Evelee' being the one self-penned effort) and pseudo-jazzy moves. Recorded in New York with an impressive list of jazz sessions players (Wilbur Bascomb, Jimmy Johnson, Joe Newman, etc.), tracks such as 'You’ve Got A Lot Of Nerve' and '' aren't half bad, but simply don't seem to be Diddley's moniker. Probably because they're the funkiest numbers, the other highlights include the leadoff 'Bite You' and the anti-drug 'Stop The Pusher'.
"Big Bad Bo" track listing: 1.) Bite You (Terri Lynn - Tommi MCDaniel) - 4:20 2.) He's Got All The Whisky (Bobby Charles) - 4:40 3.) Hit Or Miss (Odetta Fr. Gordon) - 3:40 4.) You’ve
Got A Lot Of Nerve (Connie
Richmond - Kay MCDaniel) - 3:23 (side 2) 1.) Stop The Pusher (Kay McDaniel) - 5:15 2.) Evelee (Elisas McDaniel) - 6:23 3.) I've Been Working (Van Morrison) - 4:50
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Genre: rock Rating: *** (3 stars) Title: The 20th Anniversary of Rock 'n' Roll Company: RCA Victor Catalog: Year: 1976 Country/State: USA Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: still in shrink wrap Available: 1 Catalog ID: 4 Price: $25.00 Cost: $1.00
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Signed by RCA,
1976's "The 20th Anniversary of Rock 'n'
Roll" was a somewhat schizoid offering. Musically the
set found Diddley supported by an impressive collection of "B"
list all-stars, including Carmen Appice, Elvin Bishop, Joe Cocker, Billy
Joel, Corky Laing, Albert Lee, Alvin Lee, Roger McGuinn, Keith Moon and
Leslie West. Produced by Ron Terry, the set seemed interested in breaking
Diddley to the AOR audience via a set of contemporary mid-'70s radio
rockers. Overlooking the shrill female backing singers that seemed plastered
over every one of the songs, tracks such as "Ride the Water",
"Drag On" and "Kill My Body" weren't half bad, though
they weren't exactly Diddley's forte. That said, his performances were never
less than professional and he proved every bit as good as his supporting
cast. Far stranger was the 17 minute "Bo Diddley Jam". Apparently
meant to highlight past glories, the medley ran through Didley's three
biggest hits ("I'm a Man," "Who Do You Love" and
"Bo Diddley Is a Gunslinger" - guess RCA thought 17 year olds
didn't have a clue as to what Diddley had done in the past ... Overlooking
our initial reservations, we'll admit this is a pretty cool comeback ... A
minor hit, the collection managed to hit #207. 1.) Ride the Water
(Part 1) (Ron Terry) - 4:20 (side 2) 1.) Bo Diddley Jam - 16:59 2.) I'm a Man (Bo
Diddley)
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