Bo Diddley, born Ellas McDaniel, introduced a syncopated, Afro-Cuban-tinged guitar rhythm on his self-titled 1955 debut single that became so identified with him it's simply called 'the Bo Diddley beat.' His thumping, tremolo-drenched guitar sound and boastful, larger-than-life persona on songs like 'I'm a Man' made him a foundational architect of rock and roll's rhythmic vocabulary. He died in 2008, having spent five decades watching his signature beat resurface in surf, garage, glam, and punk records long after his own chart run had faded.

the sound in question

1955

I'm a ManBo Diddley