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  • Trail Home
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    • Lyrical Threads Vol. 1
    • Lyrical Threads Vol. 3
    • Bo Diddley Sidetrail
  • Trail Tunes
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Tom Petty Trail

Tom Petty's Florida

Tom Petty's FloridaTom Petty's Florida

Trail Stops

Learn about and locate the sites along Tom Petty Trail, which are grouped together by theme: Childhood Years, Teen+ Years, UF Early Years, UF Later Years, 

Dreamville Ghosts, Deep Tracks, Tributes & Troves, Buried Treasure, Lyrical Threads Vol. 1, 

Lyrical Threads Vol. 3, and Bo Diddley Sidetrail.

Bo Diddley Sidetrail: The Originator

Archer, the town where Bo Diddley lived toward the end of his life

Bo Diddley's house, where he died June 2, 2008, surrounded by family

Bo Diddley's house, where he died June 2, 2008, surrounded by family

Historic marker for Archer, Florida, once the home to Bo Diddley

Archer, FL 32618

https://maps.app.goo.gl/qoFwWGqLsdAWUEFu7

     Bo Diddley moved to Archer in the late 1980s. His home was northwest of the town of Archer, close to Bronson (11960 NE 105th Ave.).

     Tom Petty, who grew up in nearby Gainesville, included Bo Diddley among his musical idols. The two would share the concert stage later in life. 

Photo courtesy of the Historical Marker Database

Bo Diddley's house, where he died June 2, 2008, surrounded by family

Bo Diddley's house, where he died June 2, 2008, surrounded by family

Bo Diddley's house, where he died June 2, 2008, surrounded by family

Location in Archer, Florida, that was once the home of Bo Diddley, who died here

11960 NE 105th Ave, Archer, FL 32618

https://maps.app.goo.gl/3t5rH4kMUX8AQY779

     Bo Diddley, one of Tom Petty's musical idols, died here, surrounded by family, on June 2, 2008. While he had previously lived in Hawthorne, Fla., for for nearly two decades, this was his home for the last 13 years of his life. The City of Archer commemorates Bo here:

https://www.cityofarcher.com/community/page/bo-diddley

     Should you go here, remember that this private home, located in a residential neighborhood, so must be treated with respect for the property owner and neighbors. Note that is not much you can see of the house from the street -- and never trespass on private property!

Photo courtesy of Google Earth

Rosemary Hill Cemetery, Bronson, where is located Bo Diddley's grave

Bo Diddley's house, where he died June 2, 2008, surrounded by family

Rosemary Hill Cemetery, Bronson, where is located Bo Diddley's grave

Gravesite in Bronson, Florida, of Bo Diddley

Bronson Cemetery, Bronson, FL 32621

https://maps.app.goo.gl/dzzkPV8SYydnqeyo9

     In Rosemary Hill Cemetery, also known as Bronson Cemetery, you will find the tombstone for Ellas B. McDaniel, the birth name of Bo Diddley. Part of the inscription reads: "pioneer, icon, pharaoh, originator, legend." He was one of the musical influences for Tom Petty, who grew up in nearby Gainesville.

     In April 2024, I chatted with the cemetery groundskeeper, Mac, who grew up in town with Tom's father, Earl. Mac recalled that Earl loved to fish. 

     Tom Petty reflected on Earl's love for fishing in an interview with Warren Zanes for the 2015 book, Petty: A Biography.

     "I think that's where my father felt most at home. Being in a small boat on one of those lakes, that's where he came alive. What he loved more than anything was to be in a fucking swamp. And there were so many in central North Florida. There, he was a master at existing. Wasn't afraid of anything. I once saw him push an alligator, from right behind his head, just push him down in the water. Laughing," Petty told Zanes. (p. 13)

     Bo's gravesite information can be found here: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/27264565/bo-diddley 

      If you are to visit this site, be sure to show reverence. And never, ever desecrate a gravesite! 

Photo by Shawn Murphy

Showers of Blessings Harvest Center, site of Bo's memorial

Martin Luther King Jr. Multi-Purpose Center, site of Bo's tribute

Rosemary Hill Cemetery, Bronson, where is located Bo Diddley's grave

Showers of Blessings Harvest Center in Gainesville was where Bo Diddley's funeral was held

2615 SE 15th St, Gainesville, FL 32641

https://maps.app.goo.gl/z3jBuDe7oQVxpfTC7

     Here, inside the Showers of Blessings Harvest Center church on June 7, 2008, a four-hour memorial service was held here for Bo Diddley, one of Tom Petty's musical idols. To read about this star-studded service, read this New York Times article: https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/09/arts/music/09diddley.html

     And see photographs from The Gainesville Sun:

https://www.gainesville.com/picture-gallery/news/local/2008/06/08/bo-diddley-funeral/874037007/ 

Photo by Shawn Murphy

Martin Luther King Jr. Multi-Purpose Center, site of Bo's tribute

Martin Luther King Jr. Multi-Purpose Center, site of Bo's tribute

Martin Luther King Jr. Multi-Purpose Center, site of Bo's tribute

Martin Luther King Jr. Multi-Purpose Center in Gainesville was where Bo Diddley's memorial was held

1028 Northeast 14th Street, Gainesville, FL 32601

https://maps.app.goo.gl/c3JGDEhvNu2A2ZAp7

     Here, at the Martin Luther King Jr. Multi-Purpose Center in Gainesville on June 7, 2008, a two-hour tribute concert celebrated the life of Bo Diddley, one of Tom Petty's musical influences. Among the many performers that night was Eric Burden from the band The Animals, who performed with Bo's longtime touring band. See photographs from this service in this Gainesville Sun article: https://www.gainesville.com/picture-gallery/news/local/2008/06/08/bo-diddley-funeral/874037007/ 

     To watch a local cable news story about the tribute concert, go here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQoD2sS5S6Y 

      In 1964 when The Animals' self-titled debut album was released, the first song on side one was Bo Diddley's "Story of Bo Diddley," sung by Eric Burden. To listen to that recording, go here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzNHrFneJhI

     In 2010, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers released a four-song live EP album titled "Bad Girl Boogie," on which is included "I'm Crying," a 1964 song by Eric Burden's The Animals. Listen to it here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wX7VtDv1WkY 

     Going full circle, watch this 1964 appearance of The Animals on "The Ed Sullivan Show" in which they performed "I'm Crying":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZnU912if8w 

     Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers performed numerous Bo Diddley songs on stage -- and Bo himself joined on occasion.  To listen to, and watch, one of these concerts, go here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDVfOAjZ_rI  

Photo by Shawn Murphy

Bo Diddley Community Plaza, tribute performing arts space

Martin Luther King Jr. Multi-Purpose Center, site of Bo's tribute

Martin Luther King Jr. Multi-Purpose Center, site of Bo's tribute

Bo Diddley Plaza mural in Gainesville

111 E University Ave, Gainesville, FL 32601

https://maps.app.goo.gl/HndB9wy8pNpxXG5fA

     In 2009, this downtown plaza was renamed by the city the Bo Diddley Community Plaza. At this time a painted mural was installed behind the performance stage as a further tribute to Bo Diddley, who lived in nearby Archer and was a musical influence for Gainesville native Tom Petty. You can read about the plaza and mural unveiling in this Gainesville Sun article: https://www.gainesville.com/story/news/local/2009/06/11/mural-unveiled-plaza-renamed-in-honor-of-local-rock-legend-bo-diddley/31709546007/ 

Photo by Shawn Murphy

Bo's mural in downtown Gainesville, painted in 2022

George Smathers Libraries, home to a Bo Diddley special collection

Hippodrome Theatre, where Bo Diddley Day was proclaimed in '84

Mural in honor of Bo Diddley in downtown Gainesville

16 S Main St, Gainesville, FL 32601

https://maps.app.goo.gl/rKqySNx8tmP1D4Eq5

     On the SW 1st Ave. side of this downtown building on South Main Street, you will see a mural of Bo Diddley, once a resident of nearby Archer and one of Gainesville native Tom Petty's musical influences. Read about the mural, which was painted in 2022, in this Alachua Chronicle article: https://alachuachronicle.com/bo-diddley-mural-comes-to-downtown-gainesville-curator-iryna-kanishcheva-of-monochronicle-teams-up-with-mural-artist-jeks/ 

Photo by Shawn Murphy

Hippodrome Theatre, where Bo Diddley Day was proclaimed in '84

George Smathers Libraries, home to a Bo Diddley special collection

Hippodrome Theatre, where Bo Diddley Day was proclaimed in '84

25 SE 2nd Place, Gainesville, FL 32601

https://maps.app.goo.gl/q94tMXppkXGYWSGw5

     Gainesville's native son Tom Petty was musically influenced by Bo Diddley, a then-resident of nearby Hawthorne, when here on the steps of the Hippodrome Theatre on Oct. 5, 1984, Gainesville Mayor pro tem Gary Gordon declared it Bo Diddley Day. Then Diddley performed a free concert for thousands of fans. 

Photo by Shawn Murphy

George Smathers Libraries, home to a Bo Diddley special collection

George Smathers Libraries, home to a Bo Diddley special collection

George Smathers Libraries, home to a Bo Diddley special collection

George A. Smathers Libraries house academic repositories for Tom Petty and Bo Diddley

1545 W University Ave, Gainesville, FL 32603

https://maps.app.goo.gl/4FjfjM8mP83R9tnN7

     In the George A. Smathers Libraries on the campus of the University of Florida is housed the academic repository for a special collection dedicated to longtime Archer resident Bo Diddley, one of Tom Petty's musical idols (who also has a collection housed here). Much of Diddley's collection is available to researchers with an advance reservation.  Here is where you can learn more about this collection: https://news.ufl.edu/2019/03/bo-diddley-collection-at-uf-honors-the-originator/ 

Photo courtesy of University of Florida Libraries

bo diddley and Tom Petty

Bo Diddley performs with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

A Special Bond

     Bo Diddley was one of the musical influences for Tom Petty, who once said in concert during a cover of one of his songs, "Elvis is King, but Diddley is Daddy."  

     To listen to, and watch, one of the concerts at which Bo Diddley performed with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, go here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDVfOAjZ_rI  

Shown in photograph: Bo Diddley performs with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers in December 2006 at Harvelle's Blues Club in Santa Monica, Calif. Photo by Alan Arora, courtesy of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' Facebook page 

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