This Moment in Pod is gonna take it to a private eye.

The recent death of Bo Diddley has caused me to recall a number of late night conversations about music. Specifically conversations about the origins of the rhythm pattern that he was known for. There were generally three opinions.

1. Bo Diddley invented the pattern.
2. Buddy Holly invented it. Diddley then copied it for his song "Bo Diddley." Buddy Holly then recorded a cover of "Bo Diddley" just to be a smart-ass.
3. "Dudes! You're forgetting about the Hambone! You Know... Hambone"

After someone would say opinion three, they would start doing this:



Except they were generally drunker and less co-ordinated. For some reason, they weren't taken seriously.

Oh, Wikipedia? What can you tell us about the Hambone?

The Juba dance or hambone, originally known as Pattin' Juba (Giouba, Haiti: Djouba), is a style of dance that involves stomping as well as slapping and patting the arms, legs, chest, and cheeks. . . . The Juba dance was originally an African-American plantation dance, brought from West Africa by slaves who performed it during their gatherings when no rhythm instruments were allowed due to fear of secret codes hidden in the drumming. According to one source, the sounds were also used just as Yoruba and Haitian talking drums were used to communicate. The dance was performed in Dutch Guiana, the Caribbean, and the southern United States. . . . Modern variations on the dance include Bo Diddley's "Bo Diddley Beat" and the step-shows of African American and Latino Greek organizations.

Lee at Music You (Possibly) Won't Hear Anyplace Else has a wonderful file up here showing the beat pattern as it evolved in the 20th Century "Pre-Diddley."

I had always discounted the whole Hambone thing because of a radio interview that I heard Bo Diddley give years ago that I recall going something like this:

Disk Jockey: So tell me, how much were you influenced by the Hambone?
Bo Diddley: What! Hambone! What [expletive] [expletive] Hambone? [expletive] [expletive] [expletive] [expletive] [expletive] [expletive] ignorant [expletive] [expletive] [expletive]! [expletive] [expletive]! [expletive] Hambone.