Hey! Bo Diddley

"Hey! Bo Diddley" is Bo Diddley's eighth single released by Checker Records (not to be confused with the song "Bo Diddley", released as a single in April 1955 by Checker Records).[1] The single's B side was "Mona" (sometimes known as "I Need You Baby").

"Hey! Bo Diddley"
Single by Bo Diddley
from the album Bo Diddley
B-side	"Mona"
Released	April 1957[1]
Recorded	February 8, 1957, in Chicago[2]
Genre	Rhythm and blues
Length	2:17
Label	Checker 860
Songwriter(s)	Ellas McDaniel
Producer(s)	Leonard Chess, Phil Chess, Bo Diddley[2]
Bo Diddley singles chronology
"Cops & Robbers" (1957) "Hey! Bo Diddley" (1957) "Say, Boss Man" (1958)

Recording

"Hey! Bo Diddley" was recorded in Chicago, Illinois, on February 8, 1957 – the same day as "Mona". The song was produced by Diddley with Leonard and Phil Chess, and backing Diddley (vocals, guitar) were Jerome Green (maracas), and either Frank Kirkland or Clifton James (drums). The backing vocals on the song were Peggy Jones and the Flamingos.[2]

Rhythm

Like many of Bo Diddley's songs (e.g. "Bo Diddley", "Gunslinger", and "Pretty Thing") "Hey! Bo Diddley" features a Bo Diddley beat.[3]

Live versions

The song was recorded either July 5 or 6 at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and released on the 1964 live album, Bo Diddley's Beach Party with the Dutchess. The song was performed live with Ronnie Wood on Live at the Ritz in 1988.

Cover versions

"Hey! Bo Diddley" was covered by The Moody Blues, Bill Black, John P. Hammond, Kenny Rogers, Ronnie Hawkins, Maureen Tucker on Playin' Possum and Life in Exile After Abdication, the Grateful Dead on Steppin' Out with the Grateful Dead: England '72, and The Temptations. There is also a spanish version of this song performed by the Mexican Rock'n'Roll band Los Seven Days which was titled "A Bailar Con Los Seven Days." (Dance with the Seven Days)

Album releases

In 1962 Chess Records released a 12" L.P. titled Hey! Bo Diddley.[4] In November 1963 Pye International Records released a 7" EP titled Hey! Bo Diddley.[5] In 1996 Beat Goes On released a compilation CD called Hey! Bo Diddley/Bo Diddley with "Hey! Bo Diddley" as the first track.[6] The song was also released on several greatest hits albums including 16 All-Time Greatest Hits and His Best".

References

1. "Review Spotlight on R&B Records". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.: 58 April 6, 1957. Retrieved December 18, 2010.
2. Bo Diddley (1997). His Best (CD liner). United States: Chess Records/MCA Records. CHD-9373.
3. Hey! Bo Diddley at AllMusic
4. Hey! Bo Diddley at AllMusic
5. Strong, Charles (2002) [Originally published in 1994]. The Great Rock Discography (Sixth ed.). United Kingdom: Canongate Books. p. 371. ISBN 978-1-84195-312-0.
6. Hey! Bo Diddley at AllMusic