Special Sub-Topic: Skiffle Basics Click Here To Play: Skiffle Basics

One man was the driving force behind the skiffle sensation, remaining a major star long after it was over. Who was he?

Lonnie Donegan. No other star of skiffle managed any sustained success in terms of record sales after 1960. Most did not last THAT long. Lonnie was still sufficiently highly regarded in the 1970's that Elton John, Adam Faith, Ron Wood and many others worked on his "comeback" albums. He also sang the "World Cup Willie" song in support of England's, ultimately successful, campaign for the 1966 World Cup. Having worked on for many years despite reccurring heart trouble, Lonnie died in November 2002.

Although skiffle had very little success in the US and very few of its stars were female, one woman broke both these stereotypes, taking "Freight Train" into the Top 40 in the US and the UK Top 10. Who was she?

Nancy Whiskey. Billed as "Chas McDevitt and Nancy Whiskey", the vocal was Nancy's. The Glasgow born singer/guitarist died in 2003, aged 67.

Skiffle was often played on cheap and/or improvised instruments. The "traditional " skiffle bass was made with a broom handle for a neck and washing-line cord for a string. What was used to amplify the sound?

a tea chest. While a well made tea chest bass could make an impressive sound, they were notoriously hard to play in tune. They were seldom used in skiffle recordings but frequently seen on stage in coffee bars and wherever struggling skiffle groups (and there were many) played.

Lonnie Donegan's first hit originally appeared on an album released by the jazz band in which he was the banjo player. Whose band was it?

Chris Barber. Lonnie and Chris Barber used to play short skiffle sets in the intervals of the jazz band's shows. They became so popular with audiences that "Rock Island Line" and "John Henry" were included on a Chris Barber album and subsequently released as a highly successful single. The rest, as they say, is history.

One member of the Vipers Skiffle Group went on to a successful career in children's television. Who was he?

Wally Whyton. Starting out on the BBC's "Small Time" children's magazine show, Wally became an accomplished interviewer as well as host of many similar shows in later years. One of his puppet sidekicks, the owl, "Ollie Beak", was once accused of being a communist. Harry Corbett was the man behind Sooty & Sweep. Leslie Crowther gave out cabbages and pencils on "Crackerjack". Bert Weedon was the guitar virtuoso, best known for his regular spot on "Five O'Clock Club" and other successors to "Small Time" with Muriel Young and/or our man Wally Whyton.

Who presented "Mate's Spoffle Group Featuring Fred Spoons E.P.N.S.", a parody skiffle version of "Any Old Iron" during which "Fred" plays a solo on the spoons?

Peter Sellers. Strange-but-true - a skiffle question to which LD is the WRONG answer! Peter Sellers did a number of parodies and other less-than-flattering comic pieces aimed at the music scene in the 1950's and 60's. All were produced by Beatles producer George Martin and several were hits. This fan suggests the curious look for "So Little Time", "I'm So Ashamed" and "Trumpet Volunteer" for a taste.

"I've gambled down in Washington and I've gambled up in Maine". Where was Lonnie Donegan's "Gamblin' Man" going to "put down (his) last game"?

Georgia. One of the very early "double A" singles, "Putting On The Style/Gamblin' Man" was one of Lonnie's greatest successes.

Johnny Duncan and The Bluegrass Boys swept to fame with a song about the "Last Train To..." Where?

San Fernando. "If you miss - this one - you'll never get another one. Biddy biddy bum bum to San Fernando". Johnny sounded more American than most skifflers. He accomplished this by the simple but effective means of BEING American. He had stayed in the UK after a spell in the US armed forces and married his English sweetheart.

In Lonnie Donegan's last UK No.1 song "My Old Man's A Dustman", where was the tiger's head?

Four foot from his tail.. The last verse runs: "He found a tiger's head one day, nailed to a piece of wood. The tiger looked quite miserable, but I suppose he should. Just then from out a window, a voice began to wail. He said "Oi, where's me tiger's head?". (Tutti) Four foot from his tail". QED. For many years, Lonnie would take requests from audiences at his shows and sing anything in his extensive canon EXCEPT "My Old Man's A Dustman".

It seems just about every lad in late 50's Britain who went on to fame in the "Beat Boom" aka "British invasion" was in a skiffle group at least briefly. What was the name of the one John Lennon famously founded in 1957?

The Quarry Men. A local Liverpool newspaper carried this write up in July 1957. "An entirely different type of music was provided by the "Quarry Men Skiffle Group." These five boys are members of the youth club and some of them are pupils of Quarry Bank High School. Recently they appeared in the Carroll Levis Discoveries show at a Liverpool theatre, but unfortunately did not quite qualify for the finals. They are John Lennon, who plays the guitar and is the popular vocalist, Peter Shotton (washboard), Eric Griffiths (guitar), Len Garry (bass) and Rodney Davis (banjo). Colin Hanton, who is the drummer, did not appear on Saturday. Their songs included "Cumberland Gap," "Maggie May" and "Railroad Bill." (Lewisohn, "The Beatles Live" p.19)

What was the diameter in inches of Lonnie Donegan's early LP's?

10. In the 1950's, many artists released 10" albums, usually with four songs per side. They were naturally cheaper and had the additional advantage that they would fit into storage cases, shelves etc. designed for the 10" 78s which most people still had. 12 inch LP's, already more common, were standard by 1960. 7 inches was the diameter of the standard single and EP (Extended Play, two or three songs per side). 5 inches is the normal diameter of a modern CD.

Which skiffle act lost the battle Of "Cumberland Gap" to Lonnie Donegan when his version outsold the original?

The Vipers Skiffle Group. Since most of the skiffle standards were folk songs in the public domain, it was not unusual for multiple artists to release the same song on a single. The Vipers, for all their success, had more trouble with this than most.

Which later famous pair were in the skiffle group called "The Detours"?

Pete Townsend and Roger Daltrey. The famous Who pair were, like others, drawn to the music business by the easy accessibility of skiffle. Brian May played on Lonnie's 1978 comeback album.

Who teamed up with Chris Barber and Lonnie Donegan in 1998 to produce an album called "Live In Belfast" revisiting songs from the skiffle era?

Van Morrison. Another ex-skiffler, Van Morrison came to prominence in "Them" in the 1960's and has remained a huge name ever since but, as is evident from the album, he still has at least some of his roots in skiffle.

Of which song did Lonnie Donegan record two versions, one in an English accent, the other in "American"?

Talking Guitar Blues. It is his semi-autobiographical description of learning to play guitar. The English version is in his "natural" London accent, the American version is obviously faked.