Surfin' with Bo Diddley
| Surfin' with Bo Diddley | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 1963 | |||
| Recorded | 1963 | |||
| Genre | Rhythm and blues | |||
| Length | 27:12 | |||
| Label | Checker LP 2987 | |||
| Bo Diddley chronology | ||||
| ||||
Surfin' with Bo Diddley is an album by blues musician Bo Diddley released on the Checker label in 1963 .[1][2]
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [3] |
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".[3]
Track listing
All tracks credited to except where noted
- "What Did I Say" (Ray Charles) – 2:13
- "White Silver Sands" (Charles 'Red' Matthews, Gladys Reinhart) – 2:48
- "Surfboard Cha Cha" (Billy Lee Riley) – 2:12
- "Surf, Sink or Swim" (Ellas McDaniel) – 3:20
- "Piggy Back Surfers" (Riley) – 2:11
- "Surfers Love Call" (McDaniel) – 2:50
- "Twisting Waves" (Martin Willis) – 1:45
- "Wishy Washy" (Riley) – 2:21
- "Hucklebuck" (Paul Williams) – 2:08
- "Old Man River" (Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II arranged by Bo Diddley) – 2:22
- "Oop's He Slipped" (Riley) – 1:57
- "Low Tide" (McDaniel) – 2:05
Personnel
Tracks 4, 6, 10 & 12
- 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
- Bill Riley – guitar
- Jimmy Wilson – piano
- Martin Willis – saxophone
- Unidentified – bass, drums
References
- ^ Both Sides Now: Checker Album Discography (1957-1971) accessed August 27, 2019
- ^ Bo Diddley Discography accessed August 26, 2019
- ^ a b Eder, Bruce. Bo Diddley: Surfin' with Bo Diddley – Review at AllMusic. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
