Blues-rock legend Bo Diddley died today at age 79. As great of a guitarist and early rock and roll icon as he was, the first thing I thought of when I heard the news this morning was this:
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Ironically, this was my first introduction to Bo Diddley when I was a kid. This commercial, if I recall first aired during the 1989 All-Star Game, at the height of Bo Jackson-mania. Obviously as a huge Royals fan growing up, Bo Jackson was THE guy. So if this Bo Diddley character was cool enough to appear in a commercial with Jackson, he was certainly worth checking out. Luckily my father had a few of this records that he was more than happy to share.
Perhaps not the most logical introduction to an artist, but definitely a memorable one for a young, impressionable soon-to-be music lover.
If you haven’t checked out a far more eloquent write up of Mr. Diddley and his fantastic music, go to NPR Music, Greg Kot’s music blog at Chicago Tribune, All Music Blog, and New York Times.