Bo Diddley (Ellas Bates) recorded his first single and what became the classic "I'm A Man" (E. McDaniels) in 1955 and hit number one on the R&B chart. Ellas Bates changed his name to Ellas McDaniel when he was adopted by his cousin Gussie McDaniel. The moniker Bo Diddley is covered in too many unsubstantiated stories.

The Yardbirds (lead vocalist Keith Relf, Jeff Beck, Chris Dreja, Jim McCarty and Jimmy Page) cover of "I'm A Man" was recorded at Chess Studios in Chicago and peaked at number seventeen on Billboard's Top One Hundred in 1965. The LP is titled "Having A Rave Up". Eric Clapton left the band months earlier although he appears on some of the tracks.