The Bo Diddley beat is a variation of the 3-2 clave, one of the most common bell patterns found in Afro-Cuban music that has been traced to sub-Saharan African music traditions.^[10] It is also akin to the rhythmic pattern known as "shave and a haircut, two bits", that has been linked to Yoruba drumming from West Africa.^[11] A folk tradition called "hambone", a style used by street performers who play out the beat by slapping and patting their arms, legs, chest, and cheeks while chanting rhymes has also been suggested.^[12]

According to musician and author Ned Sublette, "In the context of the time, and especially those maracas [heard on the record], 'Bo Diddley' has to be understood as a Latin-tinged record. A rejected cut recorded at the same session was titled only 'Rhumba' on the track sheets."^[13] Bo Diddley employed maracas, a percussion instrument used in Caribbean and Latin music, as a basic component of the sound.^[11] Jerome Green was the maraca player on Diddley's early records, initially using the instrument as a more portable alternative to a drum set.^[14] When asked how he began to use this rhythm, Bo Diddley gave many different accounts. In a 2005 interview with Rolling Stone magazine, he said that he came up with the beat after listening to gospel music in church when he was twelve years old.^[14]

Prior to Bo Diddley's self-titled song, the rhythm occurred in 13 rhythm and blues songs recorded between 1944 and 1955, including two by Johnny Otis from 1948.^[15] In 1944, "Rum and Coca Cola", containing the beat, was recorded by the Andrews Sisters^[9] and in 1952, a song with similar syncopation, "Hambone", was recorded by Red Saunders' Orchestra with the Hambone Kids.

Later, the beat was included in many songs composed by artists other than Bo Diddley:

• "I Wish You Would" by Billy Boy Arnold (1955)^[11]
• "Not Fade Away" by Buddy Holly (1957)^[16][17][18]
• "Cannonball" by Duane Eddy (1958)^[11][18][19]
• "Willie and the Hand Jive" by Johnny Otis (1958)^[18][20]
• "Hey Little Girl" by Dee Clark (1959)^[21]
• "(Marie's the Name) His Latest Flame" by Elvis Presley (1961)^[17][18][20]
• "Mickey's Monkey" by the Miracles (1963)^[20][19]
• "When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes" by the Supremes (1963)^[20][19]
• "Rosalyn" by Pretty Things (1964)^[19]
• "Don't Doubt Yourself, Babe" by the Byrds (1965)^[19]
• "Mystic Eyes" by Them (1965)^[9]
• "I Want Candy" by the Strangeloves (1965)^[18][20][19]
• "Please Go Home" by the Rolling Stones (1966)^[22][19]
• "Bummer in the Summer" by Love (1967)^[23]
• "Get Me to the World on Time" by the Electric Prunes (1967)^[20]
• "She Has Funny Cars" by Jefferson Airplane (1967)^[24]
• "Magic Bus" by the Who (1968)^{[17][18][20][19]}
• "1969" by the Stooges^[18][19]
• "Panic in Detroit" by David Bowie (1973)^[18][20][19]
• "Shame, Shame, Shame" by Shirley & Company (1974)^[20]
• "New York Groove" by Hello (1975)^[25]
• "Billy Bones and the White Bird" by Elton John (1975)^[26]
• "She's the One" by Bruce Springsteen (1975)^{[17][18][20][19]}
• "Bad Blood" by Neil Sedaka (1975)^[19]
• "American Girl" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (1977)^[17]
• "Hateful" by the Clash (1979)^[20]
• "(She's So) Selfish" by the Knack (1979)^[27]
• "Lovers Walk" by Elvis Costello and the Attractions (1980)^[28]
• "Cuban Slide" by the Pretenders (1980)^[11]
• "What A Blow" by Ian Gomm (1980)
• "Europa and the Pirate Twins" by Thomas Dolby (1981)^[20]
• "Don't Let Him Go" by REO Speedwagon (1981)^[19]
• "How Soon Is Now?" by the Smiths (1985) (Diddley-style tremolo)^[18][29]
• "Mr. Brownstone" by Guns N' Roses (1987)^[18][19]
• "Faith" by George Michael (1987)^[17][20][19]
• "Ruby Dear" by Talking Heads (1988) ^[30]
• "Desire" by U2 (1988)^[18][20][19]
• "Movin' On Up" by Primal Scream (1991)^[31]
• "Tribal Thunder" by Dick Dale and the Del-Tones (1993)^[20]
• "No One to Run With" by the Allman Brothers Band (1994)^[32]
• "Party at the Leper Colony" by Weird Al Yankovic (2003)^[33]
• "That Big 5-0" by Stan Ridgway (2004)^[29]
• "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" by KT Tunstall (2005)^[19]
• "If It's Lovin' that You Want" by Rihanna (2005)^[19]
• "At the Bottom of the Ocean" by Ezra Furman (2013)^[34]
• "Water Fountain" by Tune-Yards (2014)^[35]
• "Fool For Love" by Lord Huron (2015)^[36]