Say It Ain't So! Bo Diddly's Left The Building

Bo Diddly and his "Say Man" represent one of the earliest steps I took into my own world, away from the racially ignorant attitudes my parents expected to pass on to me. "Say Man" came out in 1959. My 13-year-old's reaction right off was, "This is funny and it has a great beat. I like it!" My parents loved good music and good humor, but I knew they'd just call this "trash" because of the race of the performer. So "Say Man" was a hidden childhood pleasure for me, but it was hidden in plain sight, that's for sure. It was a Top-40, mainstream hit. We white, urban kids were on to something new and great, thanks to radio stations that weren't afraid to mix things up and show us the good stuff.

The times, they really were a-changin'. Thank you, Bo Diddly.

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