Surfin' with Bo Diddley

Surfin' with Bo Diddley is the tenth studio album by American musician Bo Diddley released on the Checker label in 1963 .[2][3]

Surfin' with Bo Diddley
Studio album by
ReleasedJune 1963
Recorded1963
GenreSurf[1]
Length27:12
LabelChecker
LP 2987
Bo Diddley chronology
Bo Diddley & Company
(1962)
Surfin' with Bo Diddley
(1963)
Bo Diddley's Beach Party
(1964)

Reception edit

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [1]

AllMusic reviewer Bruce Eder stated "This is where Bo -- or, more properly, Chess Records -- really took a wrong step, starting with the fact that The Originator himself is actually on only about half of the cuts here, the balance having been recorded by guitarist Billy Lee Riley. The idea wasn't as bad as it sounded, at least on paper -- Bo had been an indirect influence on tons of surf bands, with his signature grunge guitar-sound, but the surf music world wasn't ready for a Bo-style instrumental rendition of the Jerome Kern/Oscar Hammerstein II Showboat standard "Ol' Man River," ... The best tracks are "Cookie Headed Diddley" and "Surf, Sink or Swim," which come close to matching some of Bo's solid material from earlier albums and singles".[1]

Track listing edit

All tracks credited to except where noted

  1. "What Did I Say" (Ray Charles) – 2:13
  2. "White Silver Sands" (Charles 'Red' Matthews, Gladys Reinhart) – 2:48
  3. "Surfboard Cha Cha" (Billy Lee Riley) – 2:12
  4. "Surf, Sink or Swim" (Ellas McDaniel) – 3:20
  5. "Piggy Back Surfers" (Riley) – 2:11
  6. "Surfers Love Call" (McDaniel) – 2:50
  7. "Twisting Waves" (Martin Willis) – 1:45
  8. "Wishy Washy" (Riley) – 2:21
  9. "Hucklebuck" (Paul Williams) – 2:08
  10. "Old Man River" (Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II arranged by Bo Diddley) – 2:22
  11. "Oop's He Slipped" (Riley) – 1:57
  12. "Low Tide" (McDaniel) – 2:05

Personnel edit

Tracks 4, 6, 10 & 12 edit

  • Bo Diddley – vocals, guitar
  • Other musicians unidentified but possibly include:
  • Norma-Jean Wofford – guitar, background vocals
  • Jerome Green – maracas, backing vocals

Tracks 1-3, 5, 7-9 & 11 edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c Eder, Bruce. Bo Diddley: Surfin' with Bo Diddley – Review at AllMusic. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
  2. ^ Both Sides Now: Checker Album Discography (1957-1971) accessed August 27, 2019
  3. ^ Bo Diddley Discography accessed August 26, 2019