Back in October of 1987, Bo Diddly was playing a street festival in Rocky Mount, NC. It was all free. In three days of searching, I could not find one person in Little Washington who would go with me. Finally decided, “Screw ‘em, I’ll go by myself.”

Elias McDaniel (stage name Bo Diddly) was one of the forces that made Chess Records along with Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry, and Etta James. Hell, he may have been a force of nature. They made race records that would break through into the white market -- cultural insurgents. His influence is seen into the San Francisco love generation era with the romping, rambling excursions of the Quicksilver Messenger Service.

“Who Do You Love?” and “Hey, Bo Diddly” are standards in funky rock. So many bands owe so much to Bo, it is not possible to recount them. Here are entirely too many photos from Bo’s afternoon in Rocky Mount.