Bo Diddley Explosion to be held in Alachua on April 16
BY HEATHER HANNAFORD
Bo Diddley believed in giving back to his community, and his spirit lives on in Archer through his daughter, Mrs. Evelyn Cooper, and his grandson, Mr. Garry Mitchell, who together run the Bo Diddley Foundation. The Foundation will be presenting a concert on April 16 entitled “The Bo Diddley Explosion,” proceeds of which will support the local community. The concert will be held at the Alachua Woman’s Club in Alachua, FL, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Admission is $60 per person.
Mitchell explained that the Foundation came about because of the person his grandpa was, both on the road and at home: “that foundation of living by service to the community” that was “the heartbeat of Bo.” Now Bo’s family wants to continue that legacy by giving in ways that the community needs. In the words of Mrs. Cooper, “help wherever the need was, wherever it was.” The Foundation supports local youth with sports equipment, musical instruments, and scholarship opportunities. Scholarships for local middle school students will be announced on the evening of the concert. These scholarships will provide help for their secondary or post-secondary needs, either in college or in a trade school. As Mitchell and Cooper explained, Bo believed that it was important to “help a person that’s trying to help themselves.” And that is just what they intend to do for their community in the spirit of their father and grandfather.
Cooper explained that her father moved to Florida because he didn’t like the big city and wanted room to “make noise and collect stuff.” According to her, Bo enjoyed gardening and working around his property. He loved talking with his neighbors and helping out in his community. With a warm laugh, Mrs. Cooper recalled her father’s love of the area and the people in the community, mentioning how often he stopped to chat with anyone in the grocery store, even paying for the groceries of someone who was going through a rough patch. Mitchell said Bo believed in always giving someone a boost. Mitchell and Cooper hope that the Bo Diddley Foundation can keep providing that to the community.
The concert will feature many different performers, with a variety of genres from rock to rap. The performers are people who knew and loved Bo and are donating their time and creativity to continue Bo’s legacy of service. Many are relatives or close friends of Bo, and they want to come together to celebrate the life and legacy of a man who shaped the history of music throughout the whole world. Cooper promises a night of musical excitement and says it will definitely be “an explosion” of music. This concert will provide an opportunity for people to experience Bo’s music and his legacy and to keep that legacy alive. As Mitchell noted, the concert will show that Bo is “musically and spiritually here.”
The concert will take place on April 16 at the Alachua Woman’s Club (14565 NW 141st St), from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Admission is $60 per person. Featured artists will be: Terraplane, Gitlo Lee, Zdany Chisholm, Barbara Walker, MaryNell Haynes, Scott Free, Dagna Galarza, Prime Time, Iris Bailey, Iris Evans, Br3z, and many more. Tickets are available by going to Eventbrite.