Monday, June 2, 2008
Remembrance of an Encounter with Bo Diddley
In 1979 or 80 I saw Bo Diddley perform on a Sunday night at the the Earth Tavern. The Earth was a oversized room in NW Portland that back in the late seventies brought in a steady stream of quality national talent until the promoter couldn't afford to do it anymore.
Reading today's obituary, I realized that Bo was about my current age when he played the Earth. But then I was 21 or 22 going through an exploratory period of the roots of rock 'n roll and I believe that Bo's service as an opening act for the Clash somewhere probably had piqued my interest at the time. But I also recall being fascinated and amused in record store browsing with titles like Bo Diddley Is a Gunslinger or Bo Diddley's Beach Party. But I also recall him mixing it up both onstage and off in the concert film Let the Good Times Roll.
The Earth Tavern show stands out in my memory because he was there still as gunslinger not posing as a macho Rock 'n Roll legend like I saw him do when he opened for James Brown at a mid-eighties Bumbershoot gig or in 2000 when he was part of the headlining free entertainment commemerating Paul Allen's Experience Music Project.
The Earth had no backstage. Bo left his square box guitar in an open case on a barroom table. I remember being a couple feet from it where you could really tell what a home cast item it was. He played that night with a local rock 'n roll trio. I remember the drummer was my age or younger and was having the time of his life. Bo's music is of course about rhythm. Haircut shave two bits, Who do you Love, I'm a Man kind of riddim, if not all invented, then certainly appropriated and packaged under a big brim leather hat. There was no or little patter from the stage by Bo (who in the later shows I mentioned reminded the crowd frequently who he was, even creating a hideous rap song preaching to the youth) In this concert, he kept the self-referential to his songs like "Hey, Bo Diddley" and that diddley diddley daddy thing. The show at the Earth was all about an original master onstage doing his thing. I remember his guitar had a pretty long cord and I believe he went out into the audience at one point, but I do remember him going back and exchanging licks with the drummer, all keeping to the famous blamblam blam blamblam rhythm he immortalized.
And when the show was all over, he answered questions of a few reverent an hard core fans who came to see him, but it was not big Bo who was talking to them, it was Ellas McDaniel, guitar player and showman from Chicago, Ill. And for me it was a great night of living rock 'n roll history.
posted by well-executed buffet at 11:25 PM
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