Grateful Dead Family Discography: Mona

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Mona	Composer: Ellas McDaniel (Bo Diddley)

The Grateful Dead performed Mona twice. The first performance was with Bo Diddley on March 25, 1972. The second performance of the song was on October 27, 1991 with guests Gary Duncan and Carlos Santana. Bob Weir played the song with Kingfish and Bobby & The Midnites. Bob Weir and Bill Kreutzmann played the song with Norton Buffalo, John Cipollina, Barry Melton and Peter Walsh at a Freedom Foundation benefit show in Corte Madera on December 21, 1982.

Mona was first recorded by Bo Diddley on 8th February 1957 at the Beltone Studios in New York during the same session as the first recording of Hey Bo Diddley. The two songs were first issued on the same single in 1957. Writing credits on recordings are usually Ellas McDaniel, real name of Bo Diddley, though they often appears incorrectly on recordings and elsewhere as Ellis McDaniels or similar variations.

On most recordings the title used for the song is Mona. However on a few recordings the title is given as Mona (I Need You Baby) or just I Need You Baby. There are other songs called I Need You Baby.

Mona was inspired by and dedicated to an exotic dancer with whom Bo Diddley worked in the Flame Show Bar in Detroit in 1956/57.

Grateful Dead w/ Bo Diddley

Dick's Picks, Vol. 30, Grateful Dead, 2003

Weir/Robinson/Greene Trio

May 25, 2012, Summercamp Festival, Chillicothe, IL, 2012

Bo Diddley

no info Single (Hey Bo Diddley / Mona), Bo Diddley, 1957 (Checker 860)
Have Guitar, Will Travel, Bo Diddley, 1959
Pop Origins, Vol. 1, Various Artists, 1969
Got My Own Bag Of Tricks, Bo Diddley, 1972
no info Chess Masters, Bo Diddley, 1981
no info His Greatest Sides, Volume 1, Bo Diddley, 1983
no info Road Runner, Bo Diddley, 1984
no info Stoned Alchemy, Various Artists, 1989
The Chess Box, Bo Diddley, 1990
no info Guitar Player Magazine Presents Legends of Guitar: Rock: The 50s, Vol 1, Various Artists, 1992
no info The Time-Life History of Rock 'N' Roll: Rock 'N' Roll Classics: 1957-1959, Various Artists, 1992
no info The Rock 'N' Roll Era: R&B Gems, Vol. 2, Various Artists, 1992
The Chess Years, Bo Diddley, 1993
no info Stone Rock Blues, Various Artists, 1994
no info Vintage Collectibles, Vol. 10: 1957-1963, Various Artists, 1995
no info Mona, Bo Diddley, 1996
His Best (Chess 50th Anniversary Collection), Bo Diddley, 1997
Chess Blues-Rock Songbook, Various Artists, 1997
no info Living the Blues: Chicago Blues Giants, Various Artists, 1999
20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of, Bo Diddley, 2000
no info Blues Giants, Various Artists, 2000
no info The Essential Bo Diddley, Bo Diddley, 2001
no info The Chess Story 1957-1964, Various Artists, 2001
no info Blues Legends, Various Artists, 2001
no info You Can Make It If You Try, Various Artists, 2001
no info Bo Diddley Rides Again/Bo Diddley in the Spotlight, Bo Diddley, 2002
no info Raw Blues, Vol. 2, Various Artists, 2002
no info Hey: Live In Concert, Bo Diddley, 2003
no info Roots of Stone, Various Artists, 2003
no info Born With The Blues, Various Artists, 2003
no info The London Rock & Roll Show, Various Artists, 2003
no info Vamp: Live!, Bo Diddley & Mainsqueeze, 2005
no info Universal Masters Collection, 2005
no info Hot Rod Cruisin', Various Artists, 2005
The Story of Bo Diddley: The Very Best of Bo Diddley, 2006
no info Bo's the Man: Live On Tour, Bo Diddley, 2006
no info Blues Biography, Bo Diddley, 2006
no info Rock & Roll Party, Various Artists, 2006
I'm a Man: The Chess Masters, 1955-1958, Bo Diddley, 2007
no info The Definitive Collection, Bo Diddley, 2007
no info Guitar Legends, Various Artists, 2007
no info Blues Giants, Various Artists, 2007
Gold, Bo Diddley, 2008
Turn Up the House Lights: Live in France 1989, Bo Diddley, 2008
no info Rock 'N' Roll Legends, Bo Diddley, 2008
no info I'm Bad!, Bo Diddley, 2008
no info Theme Time Radio Hour: With Your Host Bob Dylan, Various Artists, 2008
The Roots of the Allman Brothers, Various Artists, 2008

Other recordings

no info Single (Castro Rock / Mona), Jay Chevalier and the Moon Men, 1960 (Goldband G-1105)
The Rolling Stones, Rolling Stones, 1964 (UK only)
Tobacco Road, Nashville Teens, 1964
no info EP (I Need You Baby (Mona)/Parchman Farm/Bread And Butter Man/How Deep Is The Ocean), Nashville Teens, 1964
Rolling Stones Now!, Rolling Stones, 1965
no info Trogglodynamite, The Troggs, 1966
no info Single (Mona / My Babe), T.C. Atlantic, 1966
Recorded Live at the Bel-Rae Ballroom, T.C. Atlantic, 1967
Happy Trails, Quicksilver Messenger Service, 1969
Anthology, Quicksilver Messenger Service, 1969
no info Christmas at the Patti, Various Artists (Help Yourself w/ Deke Leonard, B.J. Cole), 1973
no info Loud and Clear, Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons, 1977
no info Live at Heartbreak Hotel, The Pretty Things, 1984
A Wing And A Prayer, Matt Kelly, 1985
no info West Coast Connection, Mick Clarke, 1987
Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs, 1988
no info Single (Mona / I Don't Mind), Craig McLachlan & Check 1-2, 1990
no info Craig McLachlan & Check 1-2, Craig McLachlan & Check 1-2, 1990
Sons Of Mercury (1968-75), Quicksilver Messenger Service, 1991
no info Cheap Beer Night, Bad Examples, 1993
Ultimate Journey, Quicksilver Messenger Service, 1993
no info The Best Of The Nashville Teens 1964-1969, The Nashville Teens, 1993
no info Partial Recall, Mick Farren, 1994
no info Mutiny, Greg Kihn, 1994
no info Double Take, Various Artists (Craig McLachlan & Check 1-2), 1994
no info Half of the 90's, Various Artists (Craig McLachlan & Check 1-2), 1995
no info From Nowhere/Trogglodynamite, The Troggs, 1996
no info Down Under, Various Artists (Craig McLachlan & Check 1-2), 1996
no info Jumpin' With, The Iguanas, 1996
no info Scrubbers Session, Humble Pie, 1997
Best of Kingfish, Kingfish, 1997
no info Belfast Beat Maritime Blues, Various Artists (The Wheels), 1997
Saloon Years, Barry Melton, 1997
Hippydip, Various Artists (Quicksilver Messenger Service), 1997
Psychedelic Years, Various Artists (Quicksilver Messenger Service), 1999
no info Broken Road, The Misunderstood, 1999
no info Rare & Raw Beat from Sixties, Vol. 8, Various Artists (Electric Frogs), 1999
Unreleased Quicksilver Messenger Service: Lost Gold and Silver, Quicksilver Messenger Service, 2000
no info Steak, Guy Forsyth, 2000
no info Shape I'm In: Complete Anthology, Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons, 2000
no info Real Aussies, Various Artists (Craig McLachlan & Check 1-2), 2000
no info Bring It on Home, James Montgomery, 2001
no info The Best of T.C. Atlantic, T.C. Atlantic, 2002
no info British Invasion All-Stars, British Invasion All-Stars, 2002
no info Hey Bo Diddley: A Tribute!, Various Artists (Sugar Blue), 2002
Who Do You Love?, Quicksilver Messenger Service, 2003
no info Rockin' Country Sides, Jay Chevalier & Shelley Ford, 2004
Friends Of Extinction, Dinosaurs, 2005
The Best of Quicksilver Messenger Service, Quicksilver Messenger Service, 2005 (EMI)
no info Deaf Dog Blues, Chance and the Blues Daddies, 2005
no info Rockabilly Blues, Ray Campi & the Supro-Kings, 2006
no info The Yardbirds Family Tree: Birds of a Feather, Various Artists (British Invasion All-Stars), 2006
At the Kabuki Theatre, Quicksilver Messenger Service, 2007
no info Cries from the Midnight Circus Ladbroke Grove 1967-1978, Various Artists (Mick Farren), 2007
Live at the Avalon Ballroom, San Francisco, October 28, 1966, Quicksilver Messenger Service, 2008
Live at the Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco February 4, 1967, Quicksilver Messenger Service, 2008
The Best of Quicksilver Messenger Service, Quicksilver Messenger Service, 2008
Go Ride the Music and West Pole (DVD), Various Artists (QMS), 2008
no info Not Fade Away: Buddy Holly 1957: The Complete Recordings, Buddy Holly & the Crickets, 2008
no info Stop and Think About It, Chris James & Patrick Rynn, 2008
no info Essential 90s: 1990-1994, Various Artists (Craig McLachlan & Check 1-2), 2008
no info The Essential Australian Pop, Various Artists (Craig McLachlan & Check 1-2), 2008
no info Tribute to Bo Diddley, Various Artists (Sugar Blue), 2008
Reunion, Quicksilver Messenger Service, 2009
Live at the Quarter Note Lounge New Orleans, July 26, 1977, Quicksilver Messenger Service, 2009
no info A Journey to Time, Various Artists (The Iguanas), 2009
The Rolling Stones 1964-1969, The Rolling Stones, 2010