Bo Diddley's beat was a big draw here for 5 decades
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Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Bo Diddley, 2006 file photo
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Concert promoter Henry DeLuca recalls an oldies dream bill back in the early '70s that paired rock 'n' roll pioneers Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley.
One of his memories from that night was fans asking, "Why is Chuck Berry closing the show?"
Bo Diddley was that big of a deal in Pittsburgh.
The formidable rocker from Mississippi who died yesterday at age 79 was a favorite in these parts, going back to what was likely his first gig in Pittsburgh: Jan. 27, 1956, at Syria Mosque with Bill Haley and the Comets and The Platters.
Mr. Diddley was a big draw through five decades, thanks in part to Porky Chedwick, another rock 'n' roll pioneer who made him a regular on his WAMO radio show. And the music did the rest. Mr. Berry had his fiery guitar riffs. Elvis had his swiveling hips and rockabilly croon. Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis had their pounding pianos and howling vocals.
The man with the funky square guitar had "the Bo Diddley beat," a primal rhythm that's been copied time and time again by everyone from the Rolling Stones to George Thorogood to Bruce Springsteen. Mr. Diddley, who never achieved the stardom or recognition of some of his contemporaries, also had the swagger to make himself a character in a series of songs that included "Bo Diddley," "Hey! Bo Diddley" and "Bo Diddley Was a Gunslinger."
"The sound was unheard of, unbelievable, unaccepted," Mr. Chedwick said yesterday. "To people who first heard it, it was beyond their comprehension that this stuff was going to make it. It was the sound of old blues from down South."
Mr. Diddley was on the bill for the first major rock concert at the Civic Arena -- the Porky Chedwick Groove Spectacular with The Skyliners, Hank Ballard and Jackie Wilson on May 11, 1962.
Then, when the city was celebrating Mr. Chedwick's half-century in radio with Porkstock at Three Rivers Stadium, Mr. DeLuca says, "I called around and said we need a special break on the price because proceeds are going to Porky. Bo said, 'Porky? Absolutely. He played my records. He made me in Pittsburgh'."
Mr. Diddley also did his part of "make" himself in Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh rock historian Dave Goodrich, always handy with those dates, remembers seeing him at the record hops, when Mr. Diddley would go around and hit three in one night. "Unlike Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley always delivered the goods," Mr. Goodrich says.
Both were known to hit town at times with just guitar in hand and then have a backup band of local musicians supplied for them. But, Mr. DeLuca says, "Bo would have a rehearsal, unlike Chuck Berry, who never rehearsed."
Pittsburgh audiences will remember that Mr. Diddley had a female sidekick on guitar in the early days. First, it was Peggy "Lady Bo" Jones. She left and was replaced in 1962 by Pittsburgh native Norma-Jean Wofford, aka The Duchess, who stayed with him until 1966 and was even chronicled in The Animals' song "The Story of Bo Diddley."
"I think I made a good choice because she did shine a light on the Bo Diddley aggregation," Mr. Diddley once said of Ms. Wofford, who died in 2005.
Folks who interviewed Mr. Diddley, myself included, were usually subjected to one of his "I never got paid" rants that dominated the discussion over any talk of music.
"He had a crusty exterior, a total shell finish, but deep down inside he was like a kind-hearted kid," says Mr. DeLuca, who booked him here numerous times since 1980.
In more recent years, Mr. DeLuca says, it was tough to book Mr. Diddley at the Roots of Rock and Roll shows because he didn't want to be tied down to old hits like "Roadrunner" and "Who Do You Love?"
"He wanted to be more of a pure blues artist, so he didn't want to do old songs. I'd say, 'But that's what this audience wants.' He'd say, 'What about my new stuff?' I told him, 'I could show you my surveys of what songs they want.' He said, 'Who's going to tell Bo Diddley what songs to play?'"
Mr. Diddley's last performance here was in 2003 when he came to the Benedum with Jerry Lee Lewis as part of the "American Soundtrack: Rock & Roll 50" series for WQED.
"He was still pretty good," Mr. DeLuca says. "Not top of his game because his health had started to decline by them. But he loved performing and he did a good show."
And did anyone tell Bo Diddley what songs to play?
"Well, I would always put down what he should play," Mr. DeLuca says, "but he always did what he wanted."
First Published June 3, 2008 12:00 am
