Bo Diddley Is a Gunslinger

Last updated

Bo Diddley is a Gunslinger
Diddley gun slinger.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedDecember 1960 (1960-12) [1]
RecordedOctober 1959 – February 1960 [2]
Length30:15
Label Checker LP-2977
Producer Leonard Chess, Phil Chess, Bo Diddley
Bo Diddley chronology
Bo Diddley in the Spotlight
(1960)
Bo Diddley is a Gunslinger
(1960)
Bo Diddley Is a Lover
(1961)

Bo Diddley Is a Gunslinger is the fifth studio album by American rock and roll pioneer Bo Diddley released in December 1960 by Checker Records. [1] The album title comes from the album's first track called "Gunslinger" and the cover art has Bo Diddley dressed in Western-style clothing. The songs for Bo Diddley is a Gunslinger were recorded from October 1959 to February 1960. [2] Several tracks of interest [ citation needed ] are "Sixteen Tons" which Bo was supposed to perform on The Ed Sullivan Show , [ citation needed ] the title track, and "Diddling" (an instrumental between guitar and saxophone).

Contents

Songs

"Gunslinger"

This song was originally released as the a-side of Checker single 965 in November 1960. [3] The singles B-side "Signifying Blues" was never released on the album. The song features a Bo Diddley beat. Warren Zevon performed the song as "Bo Diddley's a Gunslinger" on his 1981 live album Stand in the Fire .

"Ride on Josephine"

"Ride on Josephine" was a rock and roll song with backing vocals and piano work by either Otis Spann, Lafayette Leake, or Billy Stewart. [4] The song has been covered by George Thorogood & The Destroyers, Sleepy LaBeef, Eric Sardinas, and Van Morrison.

"Sixteen Tons"

Bo Diddley was asked to perform "Sixteen Tons" on The Ed Sullivan Show but performed "Bo Diddley" instead [ citation needed ].

"Cadillac"

The song "Cadillac" features Gene Barge on tenor saxophone, [4] and has been covered by The Kinks, The Downliners Sect, New Colony Six, and sung as a duet by Van Morrison and Linda Gail Lewis. Cadillac was also the name of the guitar that is featured on the album's front cover. [5]

Other songs/styles

The song "Googlia Moo", as well as "No More Lovin'" and others, gives the album a doo-wop feel. [6]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Ellas McDaniel, except where noted

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Gunslinger"1:50
2."Ride on Josephine"3:00
3."Doing the Craw-Daddy"2:58
4."Cadillac"2:39
5."Somewhere"2:25
Total length:12:52 [7]
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
6."Cheyenne" 2:05
7."Sixteen Tons" Merle Travis, arranged by McDaniel2:30
8."Whoa Mule (Shine)" 2:28
9."No More Lovin'" 2:25
10."Diddling" 2:20
Total length:11:48 [7]
1988 bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
11."Working Man"3:00
12."Do What I Say"2:46
2004 reissue bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."Prisoner of Love" Russ Columbo, Leo Robin, Clarence Gaskill2:31
14."Googlia Moo" 3:02
15."Better Watch Yourself" 2:54

Personnel

Per allmusic [4]

Charts

The album spent one week on the UK Album Charts on November 9, 1963 at No. 20. [8]

Release history

RegionDateLabelFormatCatalog
United States December 1960 Checker Records mono LP LP 2297
United Kingdom November 1963 Pye Jazz Records mono LPNJL 33
United StatesAugust 13, 1966Checker Records 4-track cartridge 21-369A
United States1988Chess Records CD CHD-9285
United StatesApril 13, 2004 Geffen Records CD000176102
Worldwide reissue2008 Universal International LP1529771

Related Research Articles

<i>Stand in the Fire</i> 1980 live album by Warren Zevon

Stand in the Fire is a live album by American singer-songwriter Warren Zevon, released December 26, 1980. It was recorded in August 1980 during a five-night residency at The Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood, California and featured two new original songs and one new cover. The album was dedicated to Martin Scorsese.

<i>Bo Diddley</i> (1958 album) 1958 compilation album by Bo Diddley

Bo Diddley is the debut album by American rock and roll musician Bo Diddley. It collects several of his most influential and enduring songs, which were released as singles between 1955 and 1958. Chess Records issued the album in 1958. In 2012, it was ranked number 216 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list alongside his second album, Go Bo Diddley (1959). The ranking of the album pair dropped to number 455 in the 2020 update of the list.

<i>Anthology</i> (Chuck Berry album) 2000 greatest hits album by Chuck Berry

Anthology is a two-disc compilation album by American rock and roll musician Chuck Berry released on July 27, 2000, by Chess Records. It duplicates in its entirety the previous anthology The Great Twenty-Eight ranked at No. 21 on the Rolling Stone 500 greatest all time albums list, as well as the entirety of the later Definitive Collection issued in 2006 as part of the Universal series. The album was later reissued and packaged in 2005 as part of the Universal Records Gold series, and simply retitled Gold. It charted at No. 110 in the UK Albums Chart.

<i>Two Great Guitars</i> 1964 studio album by Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry

Two Great Guitars is a studio album by Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry, released in August 1964 by Checker Records, a subsidiary of Chess Records. It was the first studio album issued by Berry after his release from prison in October 1963.

<i>Chuck Berry on Stage</i> 1963 live album by Chuck Berry

Chuck Berry on Stage is the first live album by Chuck Berry, released in 1963 by Chess Records. Although promoted as a live album, it is a collection of previously released studio recordings with overdubbed audience sounds to simulate a live recording. One track on the album labelled "Surfin' USA", is "Sweet Little Sixteen", originally released in 1958, the melody of which was used in The Beach Boys' 1963 hit "Surfin' USA". Chuck's cover of Willie Dixon's "I Just Want To Make Love To You" was later re-recorded and released on the very rare Chess LP CH60032 Chuck Berry in 1975.

<i>The Anthology: 1947–1972</i> 2001 greatest hits album by Muddy Waters

The Anthology: 1947–1972 is a double compilation album by Chicago blues singer and guitarist Muddy Waters. It contains many of his best-known songs, including his R&B single chart hits "I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man", "Just Make Love to Me ", and "I'm Ready". Chess and MCA Records released the set on August 28, 2001.

<i>Chuck Berry Twist</i> 1962 compilation album by Chuck Berry

Chuck Berry Twist is the first compilation album by Chuck Berry, released by Chess Records in February 1962, during Berry's imprisonment. The title was an attempt to capitalize on a new dance craze, the Twist, introduced by Chubby Checker in 1960, even though none of the songs musically conformed to the Twist style. The album was reissued a year later with a new title, More Chuck Berry. An album with that title was released in the UK by Pye International Records in 1964, featuring the same cover but a completely different track listing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I'm a Man (Bo Diddley song)</span> Blues standard

"I'm a Man" is a rhythm and blues song written and recorded by Bo Diddley in 1955. Inspired by an earlier blues song, it was one of his first hits. "I'm a Man" has been recorded by a variety of artists, including the Yardbirds, who adapted it in an upbeat rock style.

<i>Go Bo Diddley</i> 1959 studio album by Bo Diddley

Go Bo Diddley is the second album by American rock and roll musician Bo Diddley, released in July 1959. The album was Bo's first studio album that included some material that hadn't been prereleased on singles, and his first LP for Checker Records. In 2003, Rolling Stone ranked it number 214 on its The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, and 216 in a 2012 revised list.

"Road Runner" is a 12-bar blues song performed by American rock and roll performer Bo Diddley, originally released as a single by Checker Records in January 1960, and later released on the LP record Bo Diddley in the Spotlight. The song reached #20 on Billboard magazine's Hot R&B Sides chart, and #75 on the Hot 100. The song has since been recorded by many artists.

<i>Have Guitar Will Travel</i> (Bo Diddley album) 1960 studio album by Bo Diddley

Have Guitar Will Travel is the third studio album by rock and roll musician Bo Diddley. It was released on the Checker Records label in 1960.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lafayette Leake</span> American musician

Lafayette Leake was an American blues and jazz pianist, organist, vocalist and composer who played for Chess Records as a session musician, and as a member of the Big Three Trio, during the formative years of Chicago blues. He played piano on many of Chuck Berry's recordings.

Joseph Leon "Jody" Williams was an American blues guitarist and singer. His singular guitar playing, marked by flamboyant string-bending, imaginative chord voicings and a distinctive tone, was influential in the Chicago blues scene of the 1950s.

<i>The Chess Box</i> 1988 box set by Chuck Berry

The Chess Box is a compact disc box set compilation by Chuck Berry. It is one in a series of box sets issued by MCA/Chess in the late 1980s. The Chuck Berry set is the most prominent of these, having won a Grammy Award for Best Historical Album in 1989. Berry's Chess Box was reissued on vinyl in 1990.

<i>His Best</i> (Bo Diddley album) 1997 greatest hits album by Bo Diddley

His Best is a 1997 greatest hits compilation album by American rock and roll icon Bo Diddley released by Chess and MCA Records on April 8, 1997. The album was re-released by Geffen Records on April 17, 2007 as The Definitive Collection with a different album cover. The Definitive Collection reached #2 on Billboard magazine's Blues Albums chart on June 21, 2008, which was the week that the album debuted on the charts.

<i>His Best</i> (Sonny Boy Williamson II album) 1997 greatest hits album by Sonny Boy Williamson II

His Best is a 1997 greatest hits compilation album by Sonny Boy Williamson II released by Chess and MCA Records in May as a part of The Chess 50th Anniversary Collection which released many albums titled His Best for artist such as Bo Diddley, Little Walter, and others.

<i>Super Blues</i> 1967 studio album by Bo Diddley, Muddy Waters, Little Walter

Super Blues is a 1967 studio album by a blues supergroup consisting of Bo Diddley, Muddy Waters, and Little Walter. The album was released in both mono and stereo formats by Checker Records in June 1967. A follow-up album The Super Super Blues Band was released later that year and featured Howlin' Wolf replacing Little Walter.

<i>His Best</i> (Howlin Wolf album) 1997 greatest hits album by Howlin Wolf

His Best is a greatest hits album by American blues musician Howlin' Wolf. The album was originally released on April 8, 1997, by MCA/Chess Records, and was one of a series of releases by MCA for the 50th anniversary of Chess Records that year. Ten years later – on April 17, 2007 – the album was reissued by Geffen Records as The Definitive Collection.

<i>Bo Diddley in the Spotlight</i> 1960 studio album by Bo Diddley

Bo Diddley in the Spotlight is the fourth album by musician Bo Diddley, recorded in 1959-60 and released on the Checker label. The album contains the hit single "Road Runner".

<i>Koko Taylor</i> (album) 1969 studio album by Koko Taylor

Koko Taylor is the 1969 debut album by American blues singer Koko Taylor, released on MCA/Chess Records. It has received positive critical reception.

References

  1. 1 2 "Reviews and Ratings of New Albums". Billboard . December 19, 1960. p. 24. Retrieved December 19, 2010.
  2. 1 2 Dahl, Bill. "Overview: Bo Diddley is a Gunslinger by Bo Diddley". Allmusic . United States: Rovi Corporation . Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  3. Strong, Charles (2002) [Originally published in 1994]. The Great Rock Discography (Sixth ed.). United Kingdom: Canongate Books. p. 371. ISBN   1-84195-312-1.
  4. 1 2 3 "Bo Diddley is a Gunslinger". Allmusic . Retrieved January 4, 2012.
  5. Roman, Ed (December 30, 1928). "Bo Diddley". Celebrityrockstarguitars.com. Archived from the original on May 4, 2012. Retrieved January 4, 2012.
  6. Eder, Bruce. "Bo Diddley Is a Gunslinger [Bonus Tracks] > Review". Allmusic . Retrieved August 23, 2010.
  7. 1 2 Bo Diddley Is a Gunslinger (Vinyl sleeve). Bo Diddley. United States: Checker Records. back cover. LP 2977.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  8. "Bo Diddley – Bo Diddley Is A Gun Slinger". Official Charts Company . Retrieved January 4, 2012.