Pretty Thing

When Bo Diddley recorded "Pretty Thing" on July 14, 1955, he did so on the same day as "Bring It to Jerome". The session took place at Universal Recording Corporation in Chicago, Illinois, with production by brothers Leonard and Phil Chess, alongside Diddley himself. On that take, Bo Diddley handled vocals and guitar, accompanied by Jerome Green on maracas, Lester Davenport on harmonica, and Clifton James on drums. This song was originally released through Checker Records, being his third single after "Diddley Daddy".

The authorship of "Pretty Thing" is an interesting point. While early releases attributed it solely to Bo Diddley (whose real name was Ellas McDaniel), many later editions also include Willie Dixon. Diddley himself recalled Dixon whispering the lyrics to him as they recorded, and acknowledged his contribution by giving him part of the melody, suggesting it should be credited as "McDaniel & Dixon". In the United States, "Pretty Thing" reached number 4 on the Billboard R&B singles chart in 1956, becoming one of his most notable hits. When released in the UK in 1963, it became one of only two Diddley tracks to appear on the UK Singles Chart, the other being "Hey Good Lookin'". The track "Pretty Thing" peaked at number 34 on that British chart.