The Story Of Bo Diddley

(album: Animal Tracks [US] - 1965)

Now lets hear the story of Bo Diddley and the Rock n Roll scene in general
Bo Diddley was born Elias McDaniels in a place called McCoom,
Missississipi about 1926
He moved to Chicago about 1938
Where his name was eventually changed to Bo Diddley

He practiced the guitar everyday and sometimes into the night
Till his papa's hair began to turn white
His Pa said Son, listen hear, I know
You can stay but that guitar has just gotta go
So he pulled his hat down over his eyes
Headed out for them Western Skies
I think Bob Dylan said that
He hit New York City

He began to play at the Apollo in Harlem
Good scene there everybody raving
One day, one night, came a Cadillac with four head lights
Came a man with a big, long, fat, cigar said, C'mere son, I'm gonna make you a star
Bo Diddley said, Uh..whats in it for me?
Man said, Shut your mouth son , play the guitar and you just wait and see

Well, that boy made it, he made it real big
And so did the rest of the rock n roll scene along with him
And a white guy named Johnny Otis took Bo Diddleys rhythm
He changed it into hand-jive and it went like this
In a little old country town one day
A little old country band began to play
Add two guitars and a beat up saxophone
When the drummer said, boy, those cats begin to roam
Oh baby oh we oh oh
Ooh la la that rock and roll
Ya hear me oh we oh oh
Ooh la la that rock and roll

Then in the U.S. music scene there was big changes made
Due to circumstances beyond our control such as payola
The rock n roll scene died after two years of solid rock and you got discs like,
Ah...
Take good care of my baby
Please don't ever make her blue and so forth

About, ah, one year later in a place called Liverpool in England
Four young lads with mop haircuts began to sing stuff like, ah...
It's been a hard days night and I;ve been working like a dog and so on
In a place called Richmond in Surrey, whay down in the deep south
They got guys with long hair down their back singing
I wanna be your lover baby I wanna be your man yeah and all that jazz

Now we've doing this number, Bo Diddley, for quite some time now
Bo Diddley visited this country last year
We were playing at the Club A Gogo in Newcastle, our home town
The doors opened one night and to our surprise walked in the man himself, Bo Diddley
Along with him was Jerome Green, his maraca man, and the Duchess, his gorgeous sister

And a we were doing this number
Along with them came the Rolling Stones, the Mersey Beats,
They're all standing around digging it
And I overheard Bo Diddley talking
He turned around to Jermone Green
And he said, Hey, Jerome? What do you think these guys doing our..our material?
Jerome said, Uh, where's the bar, man? Please show me to the bar...
He turned around the Duchess
And he said, Hey Duchess...what do you think of these young guys doing our material?
She said, I don't know. I only came across here to see the changing of the
Guards and all that jazz.

Well, Bo Diddley looked up and said to me, with half closed eyes and a smile,
He said Man, took off his glasses,
He said, Man, that sure is the biggest load of rubbish I ever heard in my life...

Hey Bo Diddley
Oh Bo Diddley
Yeah Bo Diddley
Oh Bo Diddley
Yeah Bo Diddley