Bo Diddley, a singer and guitarist who invented his own name, his own guitars, his own beat and, with a handful of other musical pioneers, rock ’n’ roll itself, died June 2nd at his home in Archer, Fla. He was 79. The cause was heart failure, a spokeswoman, Susan Clary, said. Mr. Diddley had a heart attack last August, only months after suffering a stroke while touring in Iowa.
In the 1950s, as a founder of rock ’n’ roll, Mr. Diddley — along with Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis and a few others — helped to reshape the sound of popular music worldwide, building on the templates of blues, Southern gospel, R&B and postwar black American vernacular culture.
His original style of rhythm and blues influenced generations of musicians. And his Bo Diddley syncopated beat — three strokes/rest/two strokes — became a stock rhythm of rock ’n’ roll.
It can be found in Buddy Holly’s “Not Fade Away,” Johnny Otis’s “Willie and the Hand Jive,” the Who’s “Magic Bus,” Bruce Springsteen’s “She’s the One” and U2’s “Desire,” among hundreds of other songs.
Yet the rhythm was only one element of his best records. In songs like “Bo Diddley,” “Who Do You Love,” “Mona,” “Crackin’ Up,” “Say, Man,” “Ride On Josephine” and “Road Runner,” his booming voice was loaded up with echo and his guitar work came with distortion and a novel bubbling tremolo. The songs were knowing, wisecracking and full of slang, mother wit and sexual cockiness. They were both playful and radical.
So were his live performances: trancelike ruckuses instigated by a large man with a strange-looking guitar. It was square and he designed it himself, long before custom guitar shapes became commonplace in rock.
Mr. Diddley was a wild performer: jumping, lurching, balancing on his toes and shaking his knees as he wrestled with his instrument, sometimes playing it above his head. Elvis Presley, it has long been supposed, borrowed from Mr. Diddley’s stage moves; Jimi Hendrix, too.
So another music legend leaves us, but not his legacy. A lesser-known part of this legacy is his attempt at recreating himself as a funk musician in the early-70s! Even his attire was somewhat shocking! This track is from the first album released in his new image, but you can still hear that raw rocking guitar from his early days. Although he would get funkier, this is a nice piece of groovy soul.
From this...
Song : "Elephant Man"
From the LP "THE BLACK GLADIATOR" (Checker) Jun. 1970
Get it here :
Elephant Man
"Jimmy McGriff, the acclaimed blues organist, who scored his first hit in the 1960s with an instrumental arrangement of "I've Got a Woman," then continued to record hard-swinging grooves that appealed to audiences across musical boundaries, died Saturday at a nursing home in New Jersey. He was 72.The cause of death was not known but was believed to be heart failure, said his wife, Margaret McGriff. McGriff was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis many years ago.
Rush's original drummer! He only played on their first album and first single, and was soon overshadowed by Neil Peart's immense presence in the group. Although he usually fell into the 'where are they now' category, I don't think anyone expected this! This track is one of their early fan favourites, and shows how much Rush was rooted in hard rock. The influence of bands like Led Zeppelin and Cream is quite present. Rutsey wasn't really a flashy player, but there is a definite groove to the beat.
Song: "You Upset Me Baby"
Song : "Monk Time"
This track is their second and last single for Stax records before going with Elvis full-time. There is a funky anger here, and great call-and-response vocals. 
