The Bo Diddley beat is a

syncopated In music, syncopation is a variety of rhythms played together to make a piece of music, making part or all of a tune or piece of music off-beat (music), off-beat. More simply, syncopation is "a disturbance or interruption of the regular flow of ...

musical

rhythm Rhythm (from Greek , ''rhythmos'', "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a " movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions". This general meaning of regular r ...

that is widely used in

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...

and

pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom.S. Frith, W. Straw, and J. Street, eds, ''iarchive:cambridgecompani00frit, The Cambridge Companion to Pop ...

. The beat is named after

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated within African American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predomina ...

musician

Bo Diddley Ellas Otha Bates (December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008), known professionally as Bo Diddley, was an American guitarist and singer who played a key role in the transition from the blues to rock and roll. He influenced many artists, including Buddy ...

, who introduced and popularized the beat with his self-titled debut single, "

", in 1955. The beat is essentially the Afro-Cuban clave rhythm or based on the clave or a variation thereof. Music educator and author Mike Campbell explains that it "shows the relationship between Afro-Cuban music, Americanized Latin rhythms, and rock rhythm... he beatsare more active and complicated than a simple rock rhythm, but less complex than a real Afro-Cuban rhythm.

History and composition

The Bo Diddley beat is a variation of the 3-2 clave, one of the most common bell patterns found in Afro-Cuban music that has been traced to

sub-Saharan African music traditions In many parts of sub-Saharan Africa, the use of music is not limited to entertainment: it serves a purpose to the local community and helps in the conduct of daily routines. Traditional African music supplies appropriate music and dance for work ...

. It is also akin to the rhythmic pattern known as " shave and a haircut, two bits", that has been linked to Yoruba drumming from West Africa. A folk tradition called " hambone", a style used by street performers who play out the beat by slapping and patting their arms, legs, chest, and cheeks while chanting rhymes has also been suggested. According to musician and author Ned Sublette, "In the context of the time, and especially those maracas eard on the record 'Bo Diddley' has to be understood as a Latin-tinged record. A rejected cut recorded at the same session was titled only 'Rhumba' on the track sheets." Bo Diddley employed

maracas A maraca ( , , ), sometimes called shaker or chac-chac, is a rattle which appears in many genres of Caribbean and Latin music. It is shaken by a handle and usually played as part of a pair. Maracas, also known as tamaracas, were rattles of d ...

, a percussion instrument used in

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

and

Latin music Latin music (Portuguese language, Portuguese and ) is a term used by the music industry as a catch-all category for various styles of music from Ibero-America, which encompasses Music of Latin America, Latin America, Music of Spain, Spain, Mu ...

, as a basic component of the sound. Jerome Green was the maraca player on Diddley's early records, initially using the instrument as a more portable alternative to a

drum set A drum kit or drum set (also known as a trap set, or simply drums in popular music and jazz contexts) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and sometimes other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The drummer ty ...

. When asked how he began to use this rhythm, Bo Diddley gave many different accounts. In a 2005 interview with ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' magazine, he said that he came up with the beat after listening to gospel music in church when he was twelve years old.

Use by other artists

Prior to Bo Diddley's self-titled song, the rhythm occurred in at least 13 rhythm and blues songs recorded between 1944 and 1955, including two by

Johnny Otis Johnny Otis (born Ioannis Alexandres Veliotes (Greek language, Greek: Ιωάννης Αλέξανδρος Βελιώτης)); December 28, 1921 – January 17, 2012) was a Greek American singer, musician, composer, bandleader, record producer, ...

from 1948. In 1944, " Rum and Coca Cola", containing the beat, was recorded by

the Andrews Sisters The Andrews Sisters were an American close harmony singing group of the swing and boogie-woogie eras. The group consisted of three sisters: contralto LaVerne Sophia Andrews (1911–1967), soprano Maxene Anglyn Andrews (1916–1995), and mezzo ...

and in 1952, a song with similar syncopation, "Hambone", was recorded by Red Saunders' Orchestra with the Hambone Kids. Later, the beat was included in many songs composed by artists other than Bo Diddley: * "I Wish You Would" by Billy Boy Arnold (1955) * " Not Fade Away" by

Buddy Holly Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer, songwriter, and musician who was a central and pioneering figure of rock and roll. He was born to a musical family in Lubbock, Texa ...

(1957) * "

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" by

Duane Eddy Duane Eddy (April 26, 1938 – April 30, 2024) was an American guitarist. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, he had a string of hit records produced by Lee Hazlewood which were noted for their characteristically "twangy" guitar sound, including ...

(1958) * " Willie and the Hand Jive" by

(1958) * " Hey Little Girl" by Dee Clark (1959) * "

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" by

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(1961) * " Mickey's Monkey" by

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(1964) * "Don't Doubt Yourself, Babe" by

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(1966) * "Bummer in the Summer" by

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(1967) * " Magic Bus" by

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(1968) * "1969" by

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* "

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(1973) * " Shame, Shame, Shame" by Shirley & Company (1974) * "

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" by Led Zeppelin (1975) * " New York Groove" by

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(1975) * "Billy Bones and the White Bird" by

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(1975) * " She's the One" by

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(1975) * " Bad Blood" by

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(1975) * "

American Girl American Girl is an American line of dolls released on May 5, 1986, by Pleasant Company. The dolls portray eight- to fourteen-year-old girls of various ethnicities, faiths, nationalities, and social classes throughout different time periods ...

" by

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(1977) * "Big Alice" by Don Pullen (1977) * "Hateful" by

the Clash The Clash were an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they are considered one of the most influential acts in the original wave of British punk rock, with their music fusing elements ...

(1979) * " Rudie Can't Fail" by

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(1979) * " (She's So) Selfish" by the Knack (1979) * " Lovers Walk" by Elvis Costello and the Attractions (1980) * "Cuban Slide" by

the Pretenders The Pretenders are a British rock band formed in March 1978. The original band consisted of founder and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), James Honeyman-Scott (lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), Pete Farndon (ba ...

(1980) * "What A Blow" by Ian Gomm (1980) * " Europa and the Pirate Twins" by

Thomas Dolby Thomas Morgan Robertson (born 14 October 1958), known by the stage name Thomas Dolby, is an English musician, producer, composer, entrepreneur and teacher. Dolby came to prominence in the 1980s, releasing hit singles including "She Blinded Me ...

(1981) * " Don't Let Him Go" by

REO Speedwagon REO Speedwagon (originally stylized as R.E.O. Speedwagon), or simply REO, was an American Rock music, rock band from Champaign, Illinois. Formed in 1967, the band cultivated a following during the 1970s and achieved significant commercial suc ...

(1981) * "Hare Krsna" by

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(1985) (Diddley-style

tremolo In music, ''tremolo'' (), or ''tremolando'' (), is a trembling effect. There are multiple types of tremolo: a rapid repetition of a note, an alternation between two different notes, or a variation in volume. Tremolos may be either ''measured'' ...

) * " Mr. Brownstone" by

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(1987) * "

Faith Faith is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or concept. In the context of religion, faith is " belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". According to the Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, faith has multiple definitions, inc ...

" by

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(1987) * "Ruby Dear" by

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(1988) * "

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" by U2 (1988) * " Movin' On Up" by

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(1994) * "Party at the Leper Colony" by

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(2004) * " Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" by

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(2005) * " If It's Lovin' that You Want" by

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(2005) * "At the Bottom of the Ocean" by Ezra Furman (2013) * "Water Fountain" by Tune-Yards (2014) * "Fool For Love" by Lord Huron (2015) * " Bluey Theme Tune" by Joff Bush (2018)

References

{{Reflist Rhythm and meter Bo Diddley