Norma-Jean Wofford was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 guitarist

Guitarist

A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...

 who played with Bo Diddley

Bo Diddley

Ellas Otha Bates , known by his stage name Bo Diddley, was an American rhythm and blues vocalist, guitarist, songwriter , and inventor...

 and his band from 1962 to 1966.

Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

, she was Bo Diddley's second female guitarist replacing Peggy Jones aka 'Lady Bo'. After Jones left the band, Bo Diddley was asked by disappointed fans what happened to the girl. As a response, he enlisted Miss Wofford, nicknamed her 'The Duchess', taught her to play rhythm guitar

Rhythm guitar

Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...

 and informed male admirers that she was his sister. In reality, they were not related. Onstage, Wofford played guitar and sang alongside Gloria Morgan and Lily "Bee Bee" Jamieson as the Bo-ettes.

She was known for skintight stage clothes and appeared on several of Bo Diddley's record releases during her time in his band. These include the albums Bo Diddley & Company, Bo Diddley's Beach Party

Bo Diddley's Beach Party

Bo Diddley's Beach Party is the eleventh album by rock musician Bo Diddley. Recorded live in concert in July 1963 at the Beach Club in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, it is one of rock music's earliest live remote recordings...

, Hey! Good Lookin, 500% More Man and The Originator

The Originator

There are three musicians with the nickname "The Originator":*Bo Diddley, a blues and rock and roll musician*U-Roy, a reggae musician*Sean Terrington Wright, a folk musician...

.

She married and left the band to raise a family in Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

 in 1966. Her married name was Richardson.

Death and remembrance

Upon Wofford's death in Fontana, California

Fontana, California

Fontana is a city of 196,069 residents in San Bernardino County, California. Founded in 1913, it remained essentially rural until World War II, when entrepreneur Henry J. Kaiser built a large steel mill in the area...

, in 2005, Bo Diddley stated, "Norma-Jean was my first sidekick... We did everything together. She was like family, which was why I told everyone she was my sister. There was no one else like her and I will miss her very much. I hadn't seen Duchess in so many years, but then she surprised me at a show in California last July. I'm so glad we had the chance to spend some time together again before she left this Earth."