The Originator

15. George White "Bo Diddley - Living Legend"
This is the only book about Bo Diddley. This is a shame. One of the founders of rock and roll deserves more than one book. Though Mr. White does his best to honor the man, "Living Legend" doesn't tell the reader nearly enough about the man, the music or his famous beat.

The book has a simple formula. White begins the chapter telling the reader what and how Bo overcame obstacles, lists every artist that used the beat or covered an original tune and closes the chapter with some reassurance that rock and roll will never die. Though the formula gets boring, it's an alright way to read about the legend.

Read this book. Not because it's great, but because you can never know too much about Bo Diddley.

Also, thanks to the book, I learned that Bo Diddley released a song in the mid 90s called "She Wasn't Raped." This is fucked up.