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ROCK pioneer Bo Diddley, whose innovative rhythms and
guitar effects inspired legions of musicians, died June 2 of heart
failure at his Florida home, at age 79.
Diddley was best known for his distinctive rhythmic
style, and songs such as ‘Who Do You Love.’
The Miami Herald said Diddley died surrounded by family “very
peacefully, because he passed in his sleep,” according to grandson
Garry Mitchell, deacon of Archer Church of God in Christ.
Mitchell added: “All the memories I have of him
are wonderful, because he’s Bo Diddley to the world, but he’s
grandpa when he’s home. And his love showed on the road as well as
off the road . . . It was wonderful for us to see a person of
his stature to be so humble, and an example of how we all should live
today.”
The Herald said Diddley was actually trained as a classical
violinist. The article credited him as “a key figure in the
transition from blues to rock . . . Diddley’s stage antics were
influential as well.
Elvis Presley was said to have copied Diddley’s
balancing on his toes and shaking his knees while playing the guitar, while
Jimi Hendrix borrowed the idea of playing the instrument above his
head.”
Diddley was also a regular churchgoer, and once shared
some thoughts on his faith in a Wittenburg Door interview.
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Asked if he considered himself “a religious
person,” he replied: “Very much. Very much. I play my little
rock and roll, but I believe in that book, man. That book is like a
schematic to our life, and look what’s happening right now . . .
“It’s all in there. It’s like a map
that you get from here to Chicago. If you follow the right road,
you’ll end up at the right destination; but if you veer off,
you’re going to get lost.”
– Dan Wooding, Assist News Service
July 2008
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