Surfin' with Bo Diddley is the tenth studio album by blues musician Bo Diddley released on the Checker label in 1963 .[1][2]

Surfin' with Bo Diddley
Studio album by Bo Diddley
Released	June 1963
Recorded	1963
Genre	Rhythm and blues
Length	27:12
Label	Checker LP 2987
Bo Diddley chronology
Bo Diddley & Company (1962) Surfin' with Bo Diddley (1963) Bo Diddley's Beach Party (1964)

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]

AllMusic reviewer Bruce Eder stated "This is where Bo -- or, more properly, Chess Records -- really took a wrong step, starting with the fact that The Originator himself is actually on only about half of the cuts here, the balance having been recorded by guitarist Billy Lee Riley. The idea wasn't as bad as it sounded, at least on paper -- Bo had been an indirect influence on tons of surf bands, with his signature grunge guitar-sound, but the surf music world wasn't ready for a Bo-style instrumental rendition of the Jerome Kern/Oscar Hammerstein II Showboat standard "Ol' Man River," ... The best tracks are "Cookie Headed Diddley" and "Surf, Sink or Swim," which come close to matching some of Bo's solid material from earlier albums and singles".[3]

Track listing

All tracks credited to except where noted

1. "What Did I Say" (Ray Charles) – 2:13
2. "White Silver Sands" (Charles 'Red' Matthews, Gladys Reinhart) – 2:48
3. "Surfboard Cha Cha" (Billy Lee Riley) – 2:12
4. "Surf, Sink or Swim" (Ellas McDaniel) – 3:20
5. "Piggy Back Surfers" (Riley) – 2:11
6. "Surfers Love Call" (McDaniel) – 2:50
7. "Twisting Waves" (Martin Willis) – 1:45
8. "Wishy Washy" (Riley) – 2:21
9. "Hucklebuck" (Paul Williams) – 2:08
10. "Old Man River" (Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II arranged by Bo Diddley) – 2:22
11. "Oop's He Slipped" (Riley) – 1:57
12. "Low Tide" (McDaniel) – 2:05

Personnel

Tracks 4, 6, 10 & 12

• Bo Diddley – vocals, guitar
• Other musicians unidentified but possibly include:
• Norma-Jean Wofford – guitar, background vocals
• Jerome Green – maracas, backing vocals

Tracks 1-3, 5, 7-9 & 11

• Bill Riley – guitar
• Jimmy Wilson – piano
• Martin Willis – saxophone
• Unidentified – bass, drums

References