A Magnificent Mural Honors Rock (and Gretsch) Legend Bo Diddley

By Guest Contributor, Ron Denny.

Rock ‘n’ roll pioneer Bo Diddley, with his iconic red rectangular Gretsch guitar slung over his shoulder, was a larger-than-life figure. If you ever saw him perform live, you know what I mean. He was a tireless, high-energy showman who could whip an audience into a frenzy with his raucous, movin’ and groovin’ blues-based rock. And many of his songs featured the hypnotic rhythm of his world-famous “Bo Diddley Beat.”

Fred Gretsch presenting Bo with the new Gretsch Bo Diddley Signature Model in 2000.

And now, Bo Diddley is even larger than life, thanks to an impressive mural of the music legend in historic downtown Gainesville, Florida. The photorealistic mural features two portraits and two profiles of Bo along with his famous rectangular electric guitar. Gretsch custom-built Bo’s first rectangular red guitar at the Brooklyn factory back in 1958 and the Gretsch Bo Diddley Signature Model is still in production today.

The idea for creating the mural in Gainesville came from a community-wide survey conducted by Monochronicle, an arts service organization that assists state arts agencies and private property owners in selecting artists for producing murals, sculptures, and other art installations. The survey made it loud and clear that the area residents wanted to honor the rich history of the Gainesville, Florida music scene–especially Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Bo Diddley–who moved to the Gainesville area in the late 1970s and lived there until his passing in 2008 at the age of 79.

The project was sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Arts and Culture, and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture. The mural also received support from Bosshardt Realty Services, where the mural was painted on the second-floor side of their downtown office building. And, just like in real estate, location is everything. The mural just happens to be located near the Bo Diddley Community Plaza, a popular downtown Gainesville site for concerts, festivals, church gatherings, and more.

The artist selected to paint the mural is a self-taught North Carolina-based graffiti and mural artist who goes by the name of JEKS. He considers the spray can to be his medium of choice. That’s right, spray paint. Over the past four years, JEKS has become one of the top large format, hyperrealism artists, painting dozens of murals across the U.S. as well as Canada, South America, Scotland, and Ireland. Some of his high-profile clients include Spotify, Warner Media, Bleacher Report, Optimo, PBR, and United Way.

I discovered the unique talents of JEKS on a visit to Mt. Airy, North Carolina, the birthplace of Andy Griffith and the inspiration for the charming, mythical town of Mayberry on “The Andy Griffith Show.” JEKS was commissioned to honor Mt. Airy’s native son and created a stunning mural called “The Five Faces of Andy.” The photorealistic black and white mural features the faces of Andy Griffith at various stages of his long career. And a ghostly image of nearby Pilot Mountain (referred to as “Mount Pilot” on the TV Show) is cleverly and subtly woven into the mural’s backdrop.

“The Five Faces of Andy” mural painted by JEKS in Mt. Airy, North Carolina.

I was able to track down and contact this mural artist known as “JEKS” and we had a very pleasant conversation over the phone. JEKS admits that he probably enjoys creating murals of musicians the most because he has a lifelong passion for music and comes from a musical background. And, like Gretsch, he can play both the drums and the guitar.

In the interview below, you’ll learn more about this interesting, self-taught artist who worked hard to transition from touring musician to becoming one of the most respected and in-demand mural artists on the planet. Enjoy.

You’ve created several large murals featuring legendary musicians. Are they a favorite subject matter for you?

Yeah, I guess you could say that because I came from music. It was my first passion, and I started playing drums when I was ten. My parents reluctantly got me a drum set and I stuck with it. I played in bands all my teenage life and into my twenties and started joining bigger bands. I joined a metal band in the early 2000s and pursued my dream. Music and touring, they were my first passion.

Have you ever owned a Gretsch drum set?

I always wanted Gretsch drums when I was playing, but, at the time, they were a little out of my price range, so I was stuck with cheaper drums or hand-me-downs. But I always wanted a Gretsch drumkit, they’re such gorgeous drums. I also play guitar and even bought a used Gretsch from a music store back in the 90s. I regret selling that guitar.

I read that you’re a self-taught artist and started out in the graffiti world. Is that true?

Yes, I’m totally self-taught. I started out dabbling in graffiti and fell in love with the spray can as a medium. Then the music took over and I put the painting on the back burner, but I would paint whenever I was back home from touring.

So, how did you transition from being a musician to becoming a mural artist?

Well, in 2015 I found myself a little burned out from the music career. The nightclubs, the night life, and all of that. So, I spent a bunch of money that I had saved up and ordered a big pallet of spray paint and decided to paint every hour that I had free. I kind of dove headfirst and developed and honed my skill and pushed myself to try painting harder things such as characters and in a more illustrative style.

 How did you evolve into your current photorealism style?

I was looking to find a new career, so I just pushed myself for a couple of years and started doing portraitures in 2017. The first few I did were a little wonky, but then it just clicked in my head, how to layer the colors and to get the textures, and it’s just snowballed from there. Once I started doing some larger portraitures, a couple of pieces went viral online and got my name out there. And that gave me even more motivation to keep going. In 2018, I quit my musical nightlife job and started painting full time.

What are your goals for a high-profile project like this? What are you trying to achieve?

There are lots of people painting portraits out there, but only a handful that I feel captures not only the likeness, but the soul of the artist. That’s my goal. I also want to pay homage to their legacy and do justice to the artist, their family, and their fans. So, yes, there’s pressure when you’re creating a mural of a rock legend like Bo Diddley. I’ve got to deliver.

Did you select the photos in the mural or were they provided?

Bo Diddley in the late 1950s with his custom-built Gretsch rectangular guitar.

I selected them. I did a lot of research on Bo and looked at lots of photos. It gets tricky sometimes with musicians, movie stars, or famous people with a lot of history, because clients sometimes want you to pack in their career from start to finish on the mural. It’s tough, so I have to really pick and choose which photos or scenes in their life that strike me. It’s hard to explain, but the photos I end up using on my murals usually pick me.

I noticed that you didn’t paint on a flat surface. How difficult did that make this project?

It was the hardest surface I’ve had to paint on so far because it was corrugated metal. I spent just as much time on the straight lines of his rectangular guitar than I did on the portraits. And the guitar strings were the hardest part. I had to use about 35 feet of tape for each string and tape it twice.

The blue glow around the images really makes them pop. How did that come to be?

When I’m designing a mural, I look at the surroundings and the wall itself and will tinker with different saturation colors. In this case, I chose to add a cool shade of blue to pay homage to Bo Diddley, and his role in transitioning blues music into rock ‘n’ roll.

In reflecting on your murals created so far, do you have any favorites?

Well, I’m proud of all of them. But it’s not about me liking the piece, it’s more about the positive effect they have on the local community. One that I did in Atlanta of the hip-hop duo, OutKast, has gotten the most love of any mural I’ve painted so far. There was a big unveiling and Big Boi and Andre reached out and were very thankful for it. That mural has had a long-lasting effect on me, for sure. Another memorable one is the Alice Cooper mural I did in the Detroit area. It’s the largest portrait mural I have done so far. I mean, Alice’s face is probably fifty feet tall. Painting on that large of a scale is just a different beast, but it was a really fun one to do.

JEKS on a lift and working on the second-floor mural in downtown Gainesville, Florida.

Check out the artwork of JEKS on his website and Instagram.

And watch this video by Monochronicle showing the making of the Bo Diddley mural: