Gainesville to celebrate the music of Bo Diddley

Posted on June 27, 2014

Closing out its celebration of June as African-American Music Appreciation Month, Gainesville’s “Free Fridays” presents a tribute concert to Bo Diddley tonight (Friday, June 2)7 to celebrate the fifth anniversary of naming the downtown plaza after the rock ‘n’ roll legend.

Diddley, a longtime resident of Alachua County, died in June 2008. One year later, the plaza was renamed Bo Diddley Community Plaza in his honor. An inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and a Grammy Award winner, Diddley was known as The Originator for his driving rhythms and signature beat. He was a pioneer in developing rock ’n’ roll as a music genre, and influenced bands such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and many other rock ’n’ roll legends in their careers. Diddley played at the plaza concert series in 2006 to an audience of 4,000.

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