What is Skiffle?
Although opinion is divided as to who first used the term 'skiffle', for those of us in the UK it was a particular type of music that emerged in the 1950's, and drew heavily on American Folk Music, Blues and Gospel. This type of music was new to British Audiences and recordings, let alone actual performing artistes, were rare.
Skiffle sets were first used as fillers between sets for the various trad jazz bands of the time, and grew into a craze that was as big as the rock and roll craze that followed it. The best known skiffle star of all is certainly Lonnie Donegan (who has described Railroad Bill as 'bloody good' and with whom they have had the honour of appearing on the same bill at the Kings Hotel, Newport, Christmas 1998), who really started the ball rolling with his No 1 hit 'Rock Island Line' - an old Leadbelly Song, recorded with guitar, washboard and stand up bass. This was a brand new sound in the UK in 1954 and soon every town had several skiffle bands, using home made and long overlooked instruments - tea chest and wash tub basses, a washboard for rhythm, guitars, banjos, ukulele's, mandolin, kazoo - basically anything that anyone could lay their hands on. Most of these bands are now just pleasant memories of teenage years for those who played in them. Some went on to bigger things - the Beatles (previously known as the Quarrymen) being perhaps the most famous.
There's also a book
by one of the
skiffle stars of the day, Chas McDevitt - click to buy
