Bo Diddley was probably the most original rhythm & blues musician of the Fifties and Sixties. He was a remarkable singer, a prolific composer who left his mark in everyone’s songbook, an (often very funny) stage-personality... not to mention a revolutionary rhythm-guitarist whose innovations were both stylistic and technical. A visionary who defied all attempts to classify him, he became a spiritual father to many artists, from soul-singers to rappers, blues, rock and roll and even punk-rock figures, who all seemed to recognise themselves in Bo’s unbridled genius. This selection of his recordings compiled by Bruno Blum proves his status as a genuine monument in 20th century popular music. Patrick FReMEAUX