Rock and roll dominated the charts over the last century, but it grew out of a forgotten genre, skiffle.
In the United States before World War II, musicians playing this style took folk music and turned up the volume. Later, some surprising names latched onto it and transformed it.
Today, we’re taking a deep dive into skiffle to explore the stories and people who made it.
Let’s roll on down the line!
What Is Skiffle?
Like most popular music genres in Western culture, skiffle evolved from African music forms. A blend of blues, jazz, and folk tunes, groups usually had an acoustic guitar and tea-chest bass with some washboard on the side. It first appeared in 1925 on a record by Jimmy O’Bryant and his Chicago Skifflers, and the term itself has fascinating origins.
In the United States in the early 20th century, poverty was common. One way that folks raised funds was through rent parties. Attendees paid a small fee for some food, music, and booze, and the host had money to pay the landlord.
A slang term for these gatherings was “a skiffle,” and the genre adopted the name in the 1920s. Musicians played on cheap or improvised instruments and featured folk tunes and blues. By the 1940s, the style faded in popularity in the United States, replaced by early rock and roll.
Even though this acoustic, raucous sound faded in America, the genre was destined for greater things abroad.
The History of Skiffle
After 20 years of popularity in the US, musicians shifted from acoustic to electric instruments. But, in the UK, things took a fateful turn. Soldiers brought skiffle with them during World War II, and when things settled down in the early 1950s, Brits embraced the form.
England’s burgeoning post-war jazz scene shifted from swing to traditional, blues-inspired tunes. Two critical early bands, the Bill Bailey Skiffle Group and Ken Colyer’s Jazzmen, helped launch the genre over the pond.
Lonnie Donegan, a member of the Jazzmen, played songs in between sets with a few other musicians. Using original recordings of Lead Belly and other prominent blues artists, Donegan’s fast–paced versions took off. He performed with a driving energy and warbling vibrato that sounded eerily similar to a young Elvis Presley.
Recordings leaked into the public notice, most notably the Decca label releases of Rock Island Line and John Henry. These tracks inspired other young folks to embrace the lo-fi music form.
Other influential groups included the Chas McDevitt Skiffle Group, the Vipers, and Johnny Duncan and the Bluegrass Boys. With some popular recordings through 1958, these groups saw some fame and fortune. But by the end of that year, rock and roll and blues started taking hold.
Many British Invasion icons started out playing this humble, fast-paced genre. Most notably, the Quarrymen, led by John Lennon, morphed into the Beatles in the mid-1960s and changed the world.
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Who Was the King of Skiffle?
While there’s no shortage of popular recordings to choose from, the undisputed King of Skiffle is Lonnie Donegan. After starting his career as a jazz musician in Ken Colyer’s Jazzmen, he became a music icon.
Born in Scotland in 1931 as Tony rather than Lonnie, his father was a professional violinist, so music surrounded him. Growing up, he listened to swing and jazz records, but it was another American form that fascinated him.
Country and western music and the blues were on the rise, and young Donegan loved them. Artists like Frank Crumit and Josh White inspired him to pick up the guitar. By the time he was in his early twenties, he was playing in jazz clubs around London. He connected with other musicians and played in several Dixieland and traditional ensembles.
He picked up his stage name after opening for blues musician Lonnie Johnson with the Tony Donegan Jazzband in 1952.
In 1956, his hit recording of Rock Island Line charted in England, and he shifted his focus to skiffle. He covered many popular blues and American folk songs in his fast, rapid-fire style. And, with some traction on the airwaves and television, he became the face of the rising tide.
Go farther back: The Evolution of Jazz.
A Life of Music
But in the 1960s, things changed quickly for Donegan. His last recording from this era, Pick a Bale of Cotton, was his final charting single. Then, The Beatles hit the scene, and skiffle’s king fell from his throne.
Lonnie Donegan continued performing throughout his life. He teamed back up with his early jazz band in the 1970s. A successful retrospective, with Ringo Starr, Rory Gallagher, Elton John, and Brian May backing him, came out in 1978.
And while the King of Skiffle kept on touring, he suffered from heart disease for decades. In 2002, while on tour in the UK, he succumbed to his condition and passed away.
Popular Songs of the Genre
With catchy tunes and driving tempos, skiffle songs were a departure from staid and stodgy swing. It’s easy to look back and find songs that inspired rock musicians to pick up a guitar and start playing.
Rock Island Line – The Lonnie Donegan Skiffle Group
In the UK, Lonnie Donegan’s recording of Rock Island Line marks the beginning of the genre’s rise. An American folk song recorded by blues legend Lead Belly, its earliest version dates back to 1934.
Donegan and Chris Barber’s Jazz Band recorded the song with lyrics different from the original. Lonnie misunderstood the railroad jargon and created a character who fooled a lineman to skip the toll on his load. His cover picked up the pace of the locomotive and featured soaring vocals and consummate storytelling.
The song that launched the craze became the first debut record certified as gold in the UK. Released in 1955, it inspired a generation to pick up guitars and sing.
Don’t You Rock Me Daddy-O – The Vipers Skiffle Group
The Vipers Skiffle Group formed in 1956 and started playing in coffee bars and music halls. Don’t You Rock Me Daddy-O was their second single, released on Parlophone Records in 1957. While they have the songwriting credit, the tune is actually adapted from Sail Away Ladies, a traditional American folk song.
Patterned after call-and-response style songs, its nonsensical lyrics provided a comic tone. Lead singer Wally Whyton provides the gruff call and his bandmates the response.
Lonnie Donegan also recorded a version of this song, even using Whyton’s arrangements. The Vipers’ version still charted higher than the King of Skiffle’s. By 1960, though, the group’s contract was up, and the members moved on to other careers.
Freight Train – Chas McDevitt Skiffle Group
Released in 1957, the Chas McDevitt Skiffle Group covered this American classic with Nancy Whiskey on vocals. Written sometime between 1906 and 1912 by Elizabeth Cotten, folk singer Peggy Seeger brought it over the pond, where it became popular among folk musicians.
The song tells the story of a young woman pining after a lover and features relaxed singing with a soaring whistle. Chased by the law, he escapes on the back of a freight train headed into the sunset.
After recording a version where he sang lead, McDevitt’s manager suggested a female vocal. He agreed and brought in Whiskey to record. The resulting collaboration charted in the UK and inspired groups like The Beatles, who even recorded a cover.
In 2023, the song returned to popular culture as a recurring theme in Wes Anderson’s film Asteroid City.
Get Van Morrison’s Ode to the genre with Moving On Skiffle!
The Sound That Started It All
While Skiffle itself borrows heavily from African music and folk songs, artists made it something new. With Lonnie Donegan on the throne, the genre inspired thousands of musicians in the UK to pick up instruments. And, though it was short-lived in the United States, it fueled the fire of a future British Invasion.