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Polar bear with carrot

Monday, June 24, 2019

Ron Wood & Bo Diddley - Crackin' Up



Bo Diddley (1928-2008) wrote and recorded this song in 1959 on the Checker label. Is it the first reggae recording?  The word reggae didn't even get coined until Toots and the Maytals came up with it in 1968. The drum beats of reggae come from an African style called Nyabinghi rhythm. This morphed into a Jamaican folk music called mento which was the precursor of dub, rock steady and reggae and was brought over from West African slaves. It is very similar to calypso.

I love Bo Diddley's playing. He was a Mississippi man, born Ellas Otha Bates. He was so free and natural, obviously had such a good ear. Ron doesn't sound quite as bad here as he usually does.

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