Bo Diddley Sings "Bo Diddley", 1955

It is arguable that Bo Diddley invented rock and roll. Sure, Little Richard had his characteristic wail. Chuck Berry had his speedy guitar. However, it is Bo Diddley who created the rhythm of rock and roll. He took it to territory blues had not tread. This makes him rock music's first great innovator.

Many people say the Ramones are rock and roll stripped to its bare essentials. This video proves otherwise. Bo Diddley is the bare essential of rock and roll, and it is too bad he has been denied recognition for so long. It cannot get any more raw, more primal, more real than this.

Here is Bo Diddley during a 1955 performance.