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Bo Diddley

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Bo Diddley: Biography

Bo Diddley
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  • Birth Name: Otha Ellas Bates
  • Birth Place: McComb, MS
  • Date of Birth / Zodiac Sign: 12/30/1928, Capricorn
  • Profession: Musician
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Bo Diddley Fast Facts:
  • Began playing violin at age 8, when his church took up a collection to buy the instrument and pay for lessons; switched to guitar as a teenager, after his stepsister, Lucille, gave him his first six-string.
  • Started his recording career in 1955, releasing the chart-topping "Bo Diddley/I'm a Man" single on Chicago's Chess Records.
  • Was the first African-American to perform on The Ed Sullivan Show, playing his signature "Bo Diddley" on November 20, 1955.
  • An early innovator in rock music, he created his own sound effects when they weren't readily available and custom-built many of his guitars.
  • Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, one year after its creation.
  • Entered the Blues Hall of Fame in 2004, the same year his 1956 single "Love Is Strange" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
  • Bo Diddley Relationships:
  • Ethel Smith - Ex-wife
  • Ethel Wilson - Mother
  • Eugene Bates - Father
  • Gussie McDaniel - Cousin
  • Jacob Paiz - Stepson
  • Kay Reynolds - Ex-wife
  • Kenneth Haynes - Half Brother
  • Louise Woolingham - Ex-wife
  • Lucille - Stepsister
  • Sylvia - Wife
  • Tammi McDaniel - Daughter
  • Bo Diddley Awards:
  • 1998 Grammy: Lifetime Achievement Award - Winner

Photos

Bo Diddley courtesy Bobby Bank/WireImage.com
Bo Diddley courtesy Jim Spellman/WireImage.com
Ice T and Bo Diddley courtesy Kevin Mazur/WireImage.com
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Where Are You Now, Bo Diddley?: The Stars Who Made Us Rock and Where They Are Now
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