Mr. Elias McDaniel a.k.a. Bo Diddley made his home in DC from somewhere around 1958 to somewhere around 1967, drawn to the city by its location convenient to both ends of the east coast blues circuit.
In his house on Rhode Island Avenue NE, Diddley built his own recording studio and threw the doors open to local musicians like Billy Stewart, Sandra Bears of the Jewels, and Marvin Gaye's group the Marquees--even as he continued to trek to Chess Records in Chicago to make most of his own recordings.
Diddley did record two LP's entirely at his home studio in DC, along with numerous other sessions unreleased at the time. True to the spirit of his adoptive home, Diddley ran with that creative freedom, adapting his innovative and singular style to an R&B, roots and even country-western songbook.
In his house on Rhode Island Avenue NE, Diddley built his own recording studio and threw the doors open to local musicians like Billy Stewart, Sandra Bears of the Jewels, and Marvin Gaye's group the Marquees--even as he continued to trek to Chess Records in Chicago to make most of his own recordings.
Diddley did record two LP's entirely at his home studio in DC, along with numerous other sessions unreleased at the time. True to the spirit of his adoptive home, Diddley ran with that creative freedom, adapting his innovative and singular style to an R&B, roots and even country-western songbook.
