Gibson has just learned that the great Bo Diddley has passed away at home in Archer, Florida. He was 79. A true pioneer of rock and roll, Diddley was a brutal guitar minimalist and a lifelong musical innovator and inventor. From the stomp of “Hey Bo Diddley” and “Who Do You Love?” to the sweet rhythm of “Mona” and “Dearest Darling,” Diddley took the driving one-chord blues of the Mississippi hills and added Chicago’s electricity and rock and roll’s style and swagger to create sonic gold. It was in this beautiful experimentation that rock and roll was born. With raw, stripped-down songs hollered over a snapping snare, maracas, and a reverb-and-tremolo drenched guitar, nobody sounded like Bo Diddley. His music and influence will live on forever. Rest in peace, Bo. –Ari Surdoval