Bo Diddley and His Orchestra, The Soulful Deacons and Their Orchestra, at the Crystal Ballroom, Portland, OR, July 2, 1967

This poster advertises a concert with Bo Diddley and his Orchestra, the Soulful Deacons and their Orchestra, at the Crystal Ballroom, Portland, Oregon, July 2, 1967. Diddley’s songs regularly charted on the US R&B and Pop charts for a decade after his first record debuted in 1955. By the mid-1960s his prominence on the charts had waned, but his influence and legacy continued to grow due to his iconic sound, enduring hits, and incessant touring schedule, including this stop in Portland in 1967. He continued to regularly record and tour until he suffered from a heart attack in 2007.   

 Author and performer of iconic songs such as the eponymous “Bo Diddley,” “I'm a Man,” and “Who Do You Love?,” Bo Diddley (1928-2008), born Elias Bates, was instrumental in the transition of popular music from Blues to Rock and Roll in the 1950s. His “Bo Diddley Beat”—three beats, a rest, then two more beats—is incredibly influential in the popular music canon by incorporating and sampling countless artists across Rock, Hip-Hop, and Pop music.