Historical Marker
Bo Diddley
McComb, Pike County · Mississippi
Erected 2011
Bo Diddley's Mississippi stay was short. He was born Otha Ellas Bates in McComb on December 30, 1928, to a mother who was only fifteen or sixteen. Her cousin Gussie McDaniel raised him, and in 1934 the family moved to Chicago. There he took violin lessons and got his first guitar at twelve, a Christmas gift from his stepsister. In 1955 he took a demo of "Uncle John" and "I'm a Man" to Chess Records. Even Diddley did not know where his stage name came from, saying only that kids gave it to him in grammar school.
Where it stands
31.24475, -90.45137 · Directions
More markers nearby
- Castro "Mr. Sipp" Coleman — steps away
- McComb — steps away
- Summit Street — 0.7 mi
- Grierson's Raid 1863 — 2.9 mi