[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 94 (Monday, June 9, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H5065-H5067]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           SALUTING THE LIFE AND MUSIC OF THE LATE BO DIDDLEY

  Ms. ZOE LOFGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the 
rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1251) saluting the life and 
music of the late Otha Ellas ``Bo Diddley'' Bates, guitar virtuoso and 
rock and roll pioneer, whose music continues to influence generations 
of musicians.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 1251

       Whereas Bo Diddley, a founder of the rock and roll genre, 
     helped to reshape the sound of popular music worldwide by 
     melding blues, Southern gospel, rhythm and blues, and African 
     American culture into a new genre that continues to influence 
     popular music to this day;
       Whereas Bo Diddley was born as Otha Ellas Bates on December 
     30, 1928, in McComb, Mississippi, grew up on the South Side 
     of Chicago, studied classical violin from the age of 7 
     through the age of 15, and, strongly influenced by the music 
     of John Lee Hooker, started playing the guitar at the age of 
     12;
       Whereas Otha Ellas Bates adopted ``Bo Diddley'' as his 
     stage name while performing on the South Side of Chicago;
       Whereas Bo Diddley reshaped the sound of popular music, 
     recording such tracks as ``Bo Diddley'' and ``I'm A Man'', 
     both becoming number 1 hits;
       Whereas Bo Diddley's career spanned several decades, 
     spawning hits such as ``Who Do You Love'', ``Mona'', 
     ``Crackin' Up'', ``Say, Man'', and ``Road Runner'';
       Whereas Bo Diddley and his famous ``Bo Diddley beat'' has 
     influenced, and continues

[[Page H5066]]

     to influence, generations of musicians, from Buddy Holly and 
     Elvis Presley to The Rolling Stones, The Clash, Bruce 
     Springsteen, The Smiths, U2, and The Beatles;
       Whereas Bo Diddley was a loving father to his 4 children 
     and is survived by 15 grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren, 
     and 3 great-great grandchildren;
       Whereas Bo Diddley, in his later years, toured with Joe 
     Strummer and The Clash, as well as playing at the 
     inaugurations of Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill 
     Clinton;
       Whereas Bo Diddley was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall 
     of Fame in 1987, won a Lifetime Achievement Grammy in 1998, 
     and was inducted into the National Academy of Recording Arts 
     and Sciences Hall of Fame as a musician of lasting historical 
     importance; and
       Whereas, with the death of Bo Diddley on June 2, 2008, at 
     his home in Archer, Florida, the Nation has lost one of its 
     most influential rock and roll and blues guitarists: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) honors the life and contributions of Bo Diddley;
       (2) recognizes and honors Bo Diddley for his invaluable 
     contributions to American culture;
       (3) recommits itself to ensuring that musical artists such 
     as Bo Diddley receive fair protection under the copyright 
     laws for their contributions to American culture; and
       (4) extends condolences to his family on the death of this 
     remarkable and talented man.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Zoe Lofgren) and the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. King) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California.

                              {time}  1600


                             General Leave

  Ms. ZOE LOFGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent 
that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. ZOE LOFGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time 
as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, today we honor the life and musical legacy of Bo 
Diddley, a founding father of rock and roll, a guitarist who has 
influenced generations of musicians, who no doubt will continue to do 
so for generations to come.
  This resolution was introduced by the chairman of the full Judiciary 
Committee, Mr. Conyers, who was unable to be here in time to present it 
himself.
  I am honored to note that Bo Diddley was born Otha Ellas Bates in the 
small town of McComb, Mississippi. He moved as a young boy to Chicago, 
where he initially studied classical violin. But at age 12, he heard 
John Lee Hooker play ``Boogie Chillen'' and found his true calling, the 
electric guitar.
  He got the nickname, by which he will ever be known, as a teenager 
from a girl in his neighborhood. He said she meant it as a compliment 
to his boxing skill.
  After years playing music with friends on the South Side of Chicago, 
first on street corners, later at the 708 Club, Bo Diddley and his band 
made their first record in 1955.
  Vee-Jay Records had turned them down, who said the music was just too 
strange. But they walked across the street to Chess, who signed them up 
on the spot. The song, titled ``Bo Diddley,'' became an instant hit, 
reaching number 2 on the charts.
  Later that year, he was invited to perform on TV on the Ed Sullivan 
Show. For some reason, Ed Sullivan chose to have him play a Tennessee 
Ernie Ford song, ``16 Tons.'' Bo Diddley didn't know that song. So the 
show's crew spent 2 hours playing him the record and rehearsing it with 
him and made cue cards with the lyrics for him.
  But what the audience got to hear that night was ``Bo Diddley.'' And 
when the show's producer asked him what went wrong, he said, ``Man, 
maybe that was `16 Tons' on those cards, but all I saw was `Bo 
Diddley.' ''
  Although Ed Sullivan didn't plan for it to be, that was the first 
rock and roll performance on TV, a year before Elvis Presley made his 
appearance on the show.
  Bo Diddley had several other songs reach the top of the charts. He 
became as well known as any recording artist in America. But he 
contributed so much more than that, and it would be hard to overstate 
his importance to the music world.
  He quite literally played to his own beat, actually called the ``Bo 
Diddley beat.'' And to this day, that beat is a rock and roll staple. 
You hear it in the music of Buddy Holly, the Rolling Stones, Bruce 
Springsteen, and countless others.
  But Bo Diddley was no mere one-beat wonder. He introduced a rich 
complexity of driving rhythms and cross-rhythms, building on African 
American traditions from the Cuban clave, to the hambone of the Chicago 
street, to the shout of the church.
  He not only laid the cornerstone for rock and roll, he also laid the 
groundwork for rap music and, by mixing in elements of classical violin 
technique, also for funk. He was also a pioneer in the use of reverb, 
tremolo, sustain, distortion and feedback, all essential ingredients in 
heavy metal and psychedelic rock.
  To help round out the Bo Diddley beat with what he called ``that 
freight train sound,'' he persuaded Jerome Green to set aside the tuba 
and take up the maracas and added Billy Boy Arnold on the harmonica.
  His band may also have been the first to feature a woman on guitar, 
first Peggy Jones, then known on stage as ``Lady Bo,'' in the late 
1950s, and then when she left, Norma Jean Wofford, a.k.a. ``the 
Duchess.'' He also invented two well-known guitar designs, the square 
guitar, and the Flying V. And he may have been the first to build his 
own home recording studio, right here in Washington, DC.
  As the preeminent rock historian Robert Palmer observed a few years 
ago, and I quote, ``If the musical copyright laws of the United States 
more accurately reflected the way American vernacular music is created 
and disseminated, Bo Diddley would be a wealthy man today.''
  But Bo Diddley never did become a wealthy man. Despite all his hard 
work and his invaluable cultural contributions, he had to stay on the 
road right up until the time a stroke forced him to retire last year at 
age 78. The fact that he reaped so little from all that he had sowed 
helped spur him in later years to become a tireless advocate for 
educating musicians on their rights. As he explained in a 2005 
interview in Rolling Stone magazine, ``I tell musicians `Don't trust 
nobody but your mama.' '' Good advice for many of us.
  Mick Jagger spoke for many when he said last week that Bo Diddley was 
``a wonderful, original musician who was very generous to the Rolling 
Stones in our early years.'' Although Bo Diddley himself is now gone, 
he has left an indelible mark on American music. And this resolution is 
before us today to honor that uniquely American contribution to music, 
rock and roll.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. KING of Iowa. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution honoring Bo 
Diddley, the great guitar player and rock and roll musician.
  He was born Ellas Otha Bates, but he came to be known by the nickname 
Bo Diddley. It came to be an ironic nickname indeed, and refers to 
``nothing at all,'' as in, ``he ain't bo diddly,'' or in my 
neighborhood, ``you don't know bo diddly.''
  Well, far from becoming nothing at all, Bo Diddley started playing in 
Chicago's South Side and rose to become one of the greatest rock and 
roll musicians of all time. His song ``Bo Diddley'' became a number one 
rhythm and blues hit as far back as 1955. Through songs such as ``Who 
Do You Love,'' he established the now famous Bo Diddley beat, a rumba 
like sound that mimics the sounds made by street musicians who would 
pat beats to songs by slapping their arms, legs, chest and cheeks.
  Bo Diddley headlined above the Rolling Stones. He appeared with the 
Clash and the Grateful Dead and wrote many crossover hits that appealed 
to music lovers everywhere. And he was one of the first major male 
musicians to include a woman in his band.
  He was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. In 1996, 
he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Rhythm and Blues 
Foundation, and in 1998 from the Grammy

[[Page H5067]]

Awards. Rolling Stone magazine listed him at Number 20 on their list of 
the Greatest Artists of All Time.
  When Bo Diddley passed away on June 2 at the age of 79, he was 
surrounded by his friends and family, who sang the gospel song ``Walk 
Around Heaven.''
  Mr. Speaker, I never knew Bo Diddley, but I know he touched my life 
and that of all of us. Walk around heaven, indeed, Bo Diddley.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong supoprt 
of H. Res. __ ``A resolution regarding the passing of Bo Diddley.'' I 
am proud to join my colleagues in cosponsoring this timely legislation. 
I would like to thank my colleague, Chairman Conyers of the Judiciary 
Committee, for introducing this bill, and for providing leadership on 
this important issue.
  Bo Diddley was a musician par excellence. He was a singer, guitarist, 
songwriter, music pioneer, and actor.
  He was born December 30, 1928, and recently passed on June 2, 2008. 
He was an American rock and roll singer. In fact, he was the progenitor 
of the genre. He was a guitarist, songwriter, and more. He was the key 
figure that transitioned from blues to rock and roll. Bo Diddley gave 
America hard rhythms, hard guitar, and his characteristic rectangular 
guitar.
  He was born in McComb, Mississippi, as Ellas Otha Bates. He was 
adopted and raised by his mother's cousin, Gussie McDaniel, whose 
surname he assumed, becoming Ellas McDaniel.
  His family moved to Chicago when he was the tender age of seven. 
There, he took violin lessons, but was inspired to become a guitarist 
after seeing John Lee Hooker.
  He worked as a carpenter, mechanic, and began his musical career with 
his friends in the 40s and 50s. In 1955, he released his #1 R&B 
hit, called ``Bo Diddley.''
  He appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show on November 20, 1955. During that 
appearance, he sang his hit ``Bo Diddley.'' He continued to have hits 
through the late 1950s and the 1960s. In 1963, he starred in a U.K. 
concert tour with the Everly Brothers and Little Richard. The Rolling 
Stones, still unknown at that time, appeared much lower on the same 
bill. He would play with the Rolling Stones years later in 1979. He 
would play with the Grateful Dead, The Clash. His music was covered by 
countless American musicians ranging from Elvis Presley, Bruce 
Springsteen, U2, The Who, The Police, David Bowie, George Michael, and 
the Animals, to name a few. His music is timeless.
  Diddley's song ``Who Do You Love'' can be heard in the intro credits 
to the movie La Bamba. He appeared on a 2003 episode of the sitcom 
According to Jim entitled ``Bo Diddley,'' had a small role in the film 
Trading Places, starring Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd, and appeared in 
George Thorogood's ``Bad to the Bone'' video. The song ``Bad to the 
Bone'' is a rework of Diddley's ``I'm A Man.'' Eric Clapton's 1992 
``Unplugged'' included a cover of Diddley's ``Before you accuse me.''
  On his music Bo Diddley once said ``I don't like to copy anybody. 
Everybody tries to do what I do, update it,'' he is quoted as telling 
the Associated Press. ``I don't have any idols I copied after.''
  ``They copied everything I did, upgraded it, messed it up. It seems 
to me that nobody can come up with their own thing, they have to put a 
little bit of Bo Diddley there,'' he said.
  He has left an indelible mark on American music. The founder of rock 
and roll. He was a tremendous musician and he had over a half-century 
of experience in the music business. He was a mastermind, a genius, he 
was Bo Diddley. We honor him and his tremendous contribution to 
American music. Heaven is a sweeter place now that Bo Diddley is there. 
And, the angels are surely singing.
  Mr. KING of Iowa. I urge adoption, and I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  Ms. ZOE LOFGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of H. 
Res. 1251 and yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Sires). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Zoe Lofgren) that the 
House suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 1251.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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