I’m a fan of the blues. And Ellis Otha Bates McDaniel was a fine blues man. He turned simple folk songs (“Old MacDonald Had A Farm”) into powerful blues anthems (“Hey Bo Diddley,” the song that lent its name to him). His emphasis in songwriting was on rhythm and staying true to the power of twelve-bar blues — some songs are so heavy on the rhythm that you don’t notice that he’s playing the same chord the entire time. He was also unafraid to experiment both musically and lyrically, as in the sample below:
He’s been covered by an astonishing number of popular musicians and groups, in part because his rhythm-based songs are so very good.
I didn’t know you liked the blues. We have some pretty good blues players here in beer-town. We’ll have a good time when you visit in Sept.