''Surfin' with Bo Diddley'' is the tenth studio album by American musician
Bo Diddley
Ellas McDaniel (born Ellas Otha Bates; December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008), known professionally as Bo Diddley, was an American guitarist who played a key role in the transition from the blues to rock and roll. He influenced many artists, incl ...
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
reviewer Bruce Eder stated "This is where Bo -- or, more properly, Chess Records -- really took a wrong step, starting with the fact that The Originator himself is actually on only about half of the cuts here, the balance having been recorded by guitarist Billy Lee Riley. The idea wasn't as bad as it sounded, at least on paper -- Bo had been an indirect influence on tons of surf bands, with his signature grunge guitar-sound, but the surf music world wasn't ready for a Bo-style instrumental rendition of the Jerome Kern/Oscar Hammerstein II Showboat standard "Ol' Man River," ... The best tracks are "Cookie Headed Diddley" and "Surf, Sink or Swim," which come close to matching some of Bo's solid material from earlier albums and singles".
Track listing
All tracks credited to except where noted
# " What Did I Say" (
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...
) – 2:13
# "
White Silver Sands
"White Silver Sands" is a popular song. The words and music were written in 1957 by Charles "Red" Matthews, although partial authorship is also claimed by Gladys Reinhart.
The song was a hit for Don Rondo in the summer of 1957, and peaked at numb ...
" (Charles 'Red' Matthews, Gladys Reinhart) – 2:48
# "Surfboard Cha Cha" (Billy Lee Riley) – 2:12
# "Surf, Sink or Swim" (Ellas McDaniel) – 3:20
# "Piggy Back Surfers" (Riley) – 2:11
# "Surfers Love Call" (McDaniel) – 2:50
# "Twisting Waves" (Martin Willis) – 1:45
# "Wishy Washy" (Riley) – 2:21
# " Hucklebuck" ( Paul Williams) – 2:08
# " Old Man River" (
Jerome Kern
Jerome David Kern (January 27, 1885 – November 11, 1945) was an American composer of musical theatre and popular music. One of the most important American theatre composers of the early 20th century, he wrote more than 700 songs, used in over ...
,
Oscar Hammerstein II
Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein II (; July 12, 1895 – August 23, 1960) was an American lyricist, librettist, theatrical producer, and (usually uncredited) director in the musical theater for almost 40 years. He won eight Ton ...
arranged by Bo Diddley) – 2:22
# "Oop's He Slipped" (Riley) – 1:57
# "Low Tide" (McDaniel) – 2:05
Personnel
Tracks 4, 6, 10 & 12
*
Bo Diddley
Ellas McDaniel (born Ellas Otha Bates; December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008), known professionally as Bo Diddley, was an American guitarist who played a key role in the transition from the blues to rock and roll. He influenced many artists, incl ...
– vocals, guitar
*Other musicians unidentified but possibly include:
*
Norma-Jean Wofford
Norma-Jean Wofford (c. 1942 – April 30, 2005) - accessed February 2011 was an American
– guitar, background vocals
*Jerome Green – maracas, backing vocals
Tracks 1-3, 5, 7-9 & 11
* Bill Riley – guitar
*Jimmy Wilson – piano
* Martin Willis – saxophone
*Unidentified – bass, drums