Friday, 30 October 2009

Bo Diddley and the Duchess play pre-Gretsch Jupiter Thunderbird


OK the Dead Weather play some cool instruments, but this is where they come from!
This is Bo Diddley in the mid-60s playing - together with Norma-Jean Wofford aka the Duchess, one of the first female guitarist in a rock band - his famous and beautiful Jupiter Thunderbird. This was not a Gretsch model like most people think, but a custom model recycling Gretsch parts, designed in 1959 by Bo Diddley himself who wanted 1. a smaller body to avoid hitting his groin when dancing, 2. a flashy guitar to shine on stage!
The guitar was named after some American car of the time...

It's only in 2005 that Billy Gibbons - who was given a Jupiter Thunderbird by Bo Diddley - proposed to Gretsch to issue what is known since as the Billybo.


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