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By CURTIS ROSS

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 12, 2008

Not every Bo Diddley song featured the Bo Diddley beat.

"Pills" and "Crackin' Up" don't employ it. Nor does the ballad "I'm Sorry," a prototypical '50s slow dance number. Neither does "The Greatest Lover in the World," a straight 4/4 rocker and one of my favorites.

But it's that beat that will forever be the first thing to come to mind - well, along with that square guitar and his imposing visage - whenever Diddley's name is mentioned.

Diddley's death on June 2 wasn't unexpected. He'd been in poor health for some time. But it was a sad passing for fans, especially ones who, like me, never saw him live.

That beat, however, has established itself as a rock 'n' roll staple.

Played fast, it can drive a song into a hyperkinetic frenzy, best heard on Diddley's own version of "Who Do You Love."

Slowed down, it defined musical tension. You can practically hear the drummer's right hand in the air, waiting to crack the snare just ahead of the fourth beat.

Quicksilver Messenger Service's side-long exploration of "Who Do You Love," from 1969's "Happy Trails," shows just how strong - and elastic - the beat can be.

It's the beat that powers Bruce Springsteen's "She's the One," U2's "Desire," The Pretenders' "Cuban Slide," The Strangeloves' "I Want Candy," The Who's "Magic Bus" and Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away."

Diddley sideman Jerome Green made maracas essential for British Invasion and U.S. garage bands.

Psychedelia as we know it couldn't have existed without Diddley's guitar, heavy on the reverb and time-altering tremolo effect.

And Fergie probably still isn't aware of the blasphemy she committed by titling her album "The Duchess," the stage name of Diddley guitarist Norma-Jean Wofford.

A former colleague even credits Diddley with inventing the concept album with 1961's "Bo Diddley Is a Gunslinger."

Diddley may have died, but his music is immortal.

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