Many people are not aware of the Skiffle genre of music and why is that? Well, it is safe to say that this genre became the victim of its own success. The modern-day Rock ‘n’ Roll originated from Skiffle but it eclipsed it. Most of the popular rock bands like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones started out as skiffle bands along with Jimmy Page and David Bowie who started off playing this genre but it all became backdated when Elvis Presley graced the audience with his presence. So, what’s the story behind this long-forgotten movement? The genre might have originated in the States in the late 50s’ and when The Beatles shattered the American charts. More than fifty thousand Skiffle bands in Britain gushed into the scene to come in behind them, as it was truly a movement of revolution for the British. This movement gave birth to the so-called teenage years when a group of young adults chose to take control of their culture and go against their parents’ culture. A movement always gives birth to some heroes that should be remembered in history and the Skiffle Movement has done that.
1. Freight Train by Chas McDevitt Skiffle Group
This track was a ballad of Elizabeth Cotton which was revamped by Chas McDevitt Skiffle Group and Nancy Whiskey. The discovery of the track is nothing less than a story to tell. Elizabeth had written this song in her childhood, and that is when she also picked up the tunes from her brother’s banjo and guitar. But at that moment life had something mundane planned for her and she had moved far away from the world of music and was working at a store selling dolls. People say life is unpredictable and that was the case for Elizabeth too when she got to be the live-in housekeeper for the Seeger family, folk music royalty. There she played the song after all those years and it got heard by the young member of the family, Peggy Seeger. She took the track to the UK and it got into the general circulation. Later the version sung by Peggy was heard by Chas McDevitt and then the rest is history. The smiling and jaunty vocals of Nancy Wilson who changed her surname to Whiskey and the amazing instrumentals by the group were a hit. The track was also sung by the well-known artist John Lennon although there is no recorded version of that.
2.Putting on Style by Lonnie Donegan
Lonnie Donegan is more famously known as the Elvis Presley of Skiffle. The track conquered its honorable positions on the U.K. Charts in 1957 starting from number 11 to eventually at number 1, although in the States it did not enter the charts. The song was also sung by John Lennon’s band Quarryman which was the first time he met up with Paul McCartney who will eventually become one of the most famous members of The Beatles. This track is also one of the earliest Beatles-related tracks to exist. One more trivia fact about the track is that it was the last UK chart-topper that was solely issued in 78rmp format.
3. Don’t You Rock Me Daddy O by The Vipers Skiffle Group
The track was written by Bill Varley and Wally Whyton. It was first released by The Vipers Skiffle Group but was first recorded by Lonnie Donegan and his Skiffle group. The Vipers Skiffle Group was later called The Vipers and was one of the most eminent and important skiffle groups during the mid to late 1950s’. At first the group began with three singer and guitartist which included Wally Whyton, Johnny Martyn, and Jean Van den Bosch. Later it was joined by other members like Tony Tolhurst for bass and John Pilgrim for washboard. The track was their second recorded single that was produced by Martin and it acquired the tenth position in the UK Singles Chart in early 1957. The track is said to be a variant of ‘Sail Away Ladies’ which was recorded by Uncle Dave Macon in the 1920s’.
4.Six-Five Special by Bob Cort Skiffle Group
The Six-Five Special was the first attempt of BBC at creating a rock and roll program. The theme song of the show was sung by Bob Cort and his Skiffle group. Although the group was hugely known for this track but there are many tracks like ‘Where D’you Get Your Whiskey’, ‘Aint’t It a Shame’, and ‘School Days’ that have made quite an impact over Britain at the time of peaking of the Skiffle genre. It is a shame that the know-it-all internet also does not have much information regarding these eminent and crucial personalities of the music industry.
5. Bron-Y-Aur Stomp / Out on the Tiles by Led Zeppelin
This song was part of the third album called Led Zeppelin III by the English rock band Led Zeppelin which was released in 1970. The name of the song was inspired by a house in Montgomeryshire in Wales where the members retreated after their tour in North America. Most of the songs in their third album were written here as the changing scenic beauty the landscape had to offer inspired the artist very much although the house had no running water or electricity. The title means ‘Golden Breast’ or ‘Breast of Gold’ in Welsh.
6. Green Corn by Avon Cities Skiffle Group
The band was originally founded by the Avon Cities Jazz Band in Bristol England. During the Skiffle craze of the late 50s in the UK, the group recorded many tracks but they were mostly famous for their hit track ‘Green Corn’. This track was originally sung by an American blues singer and twelve-string guitar player, Lead Belly. It was not long after their hits, the group decided to leave Skiffle and move on with jazz as their main area of expertise.
7. Last Train to San Fernando by Johnny Duncan and His Bluegrass Boys
The song was traditionally a Trinidadian calypso song which was written by Sylvester Devere, Randolph Padmore, and Mighty Dictator which got a facelift at the hands of Johnny Duncan and the Bluegrass Boys. The track ranked number 2 in the UK Singles Chart in the late 50s’. The song speaks about a woman named Dorothy who is going to get married the next day to a member of the higher class in society and she is waiting for the last train. However, if dug deep, the track speaks about Dorothy’s desire to give a shot to one last fling before she is married permanently rather than the last train from Port of Spain to San Fernando.
8. The Cumberland Cup by The Vipers Skiffle Group
Apart from the most hit track, ‘Don’t You Rock Me Daddy O’, The Vipers Skiffle Group had one more track that has gained a significant place in the history of music is called ‘Cumberland Cup’. This blog has already placed the former track in this list of best Skiffles of all time. The group was later called The Vipers and had been a forerunner in the Skiffle Movement that swept the UK in the mid to late 1950s.
9.Down By the Riverside by Ken Colyer Skiffle Group
Ken Colyer or Kenneth Colyer’s band was known for their skiffle interludes although he was an English jazz trumpeter and cornetist who was devoted to the New Orleans jazz scene. After his older brother left to serve in World War II, Ken got inspired by the left behind jazz record of his elder brother. At the age of seventeen, he had to leave to join the Merchant Navy which led to him traveling all over the world listening to some famous musicians in New Orleans. Later in his career, he became obsessed with the music industry and created his own line of musicians calling them ‘Ken Colyer’s Jazzmen’.
10. A Rag, a Bone and a Lock of Hair by Don Lang Skiffle Group
The blog has discussed about the first British television programme centered on rock and roll music which was called the Six-Five Special. Don Lang and his skiffle group were regular performers on the show who also sang the theme song in each episode. When Britain was under the influence of skiffle fanatic, Don Lang made his group and went with the flow, and ‘A Rag, a Bone and a Lock of Hair’ was one of their notable tracks. This landed him a hugely appreciating and loving audience. Although he was cast daily in the Six-Five Special, he was having some difficulties selling his record but that also changed with the cover of ‘School Days’ he published in 1971. His Skiffle career lasted till the early 80s’.
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