Violin owned by Bo Diddley
date: label: Date
content: 1886
name: label: Created by
content: Wolff Brothers, German, 1864 - 1912
label: Owned by
content: Bo Diddley, American, 1928 - 2008
notes: label: Caption
content: Rock and roll pioneer Bo Diddley, born Elias Otha Bates, began his musical journey soon after moving from Mississippi to Chicago as a young child. In Chicago, he became active in the Ebenezer Baptist Church, where he learned to play the trombone and violin. His musical ability was so remarkable, he was playing classical violin by age 7 and was invited to join the church’s orchestra. He continued playing with the orchestra until his teenage years, when he became inspired by the energetic music from nearby Pentecostal churches and switched to the guitar. The distinctive guitar rhythms he developed, which Diddley believed were influenced by the churches of his youth, are some of the most influential in the history of rock and roll.
label: Description
content: A violin owned by Bo Diddley. The violin is mainly composed of wood with a dark brown finish. The tuning pegs, neck, bridge, tailpiece, and chinrest are black. The chinrest is located on the player’s proper left side. A label on the inside of the violin’s body reads, [Antonius Stradiuarius Cremonensis/ Faciebat Anno 1716 / Original-Copie von Gebrüder Wolff in Kreuznach 1886].
place: label: Place made
content: Germany, Europe
label: Place used
content: Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, United States, North and Central America
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Blues (Music)
label: Topic
content: Composers (Musicians)
label: Topic
content: Instrumentalists (Musicians)
label: Topic
content: Musicians
label: Topic
content: Rhythm and blues (Music)
label: Topic
content: Rock and roll (Music)
label: Topic
content: Singers (Musicians)
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Classification
content: Musical Instruments
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2013.177.1.1a
objectType: label: Type
content: violins
label: Type
content: musical instruments
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: No Known Copyright Restrictions
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: wood and metal
label: Dimensions
content: 23 1/2 × 3 × 8 1/4 in. (59.7 × 7.6 × 21 cm)