Skiffle

1956 - 1957

In October 1949 the Crane River Jazz Band was the first band to introduce a skiffle set between their two jazz sets. Bandmember Ken Colyer and his brother Bill thought they were playing old jazz and blues songs on banjo, bass and washboard, is called skiffle music in America. It turned out that skiffle meant ‘a party’ instead of referring to the kind of music played during these parties. Instead of playing songs the way they were done in the past in the south of America, they invented a new musical genre.

Over the next couple of years Ken Colyer continued to play skiffle songs during his set, and other bands started to copy him. When Ken is kicked out of his own band, the Ken Colyer Jazz Men, the remaining members rename the band the Chris Barber Jazz Band. The Chris Barber Jazz Band recorded their debut album in 1954, which includes two skiffle songs. These two songs are credited to Lonnie Donegan and his skiffle group instead of the Chris Barber Jazz Band.

 

In January 1956 the single 'Rock Island Line' by Lonnie Donegan and his skiffle group first entered the British charts. The song was played on acoustic guitar, a homemade bass and a washboard, all very cheap and easy to learn instruments. Suddenly everybody had the funds to get one of these instruments and start a band. Many working class boys did just that, and soon there were over a thousand skiffle bands in the UK. But as fast as the skiffle craze spread through the UK, the craze completely disappeared just as quickly. After a year or so the craze was over and everybody either stopped playing or bought a drumkit, electric guitar or bass guitar to play rock 'n' roll. 

 

Lonnie Donegan who started playing skiffle in the Ken Colyer Jazz Men from 1953 will always be the king of skiffle. Ken Colyer was the one who started it but Lonnie Donegan was the one who made it popular.

 

below you find a list of all the people I will be talking about