Skiffle Basics

15 Points Per Correct Answer - No time limit  

1. One man was the driving force behind the skiffle sensation, remaining a major star long after it was over. Who was he? Johnny Duncan Chas McDevitt Lonnie Donegan Cliff Richard

2. 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? Lulu Petula Clark Nancy Whiskey Dusty Springfield

3. 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 bathtub a gramophone horn an enamel pale a tea chest

4. 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? Ken Colyer Mr. Acker Bilk Chris Barber Kenny Ball

5. One member of the Vipers Skiffle Group went on to a successful career in children's television. Who was he? Harry Corbett Bert Weedon Leslie Crowther Wally Whyton

6. 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 Benny Hill Spike Milligan Lonnie Donegan

7. "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"? Memphis Georgia Nashville Texas

8. Johnny Duncan and The Bluegrass Boys swept to fame with a song about the "Last Train To..." Where? San Fernando San Bernadino Clarksville Clapham Junction

9. In Lonnie Donegan's last UK No.1 song "My Old Man's A Dustman", where was the tiger's head? In the dustbin Four foot from his tail. On the cart There is no tiger in the song

10. 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 Muleskinners The Beetles (spelling changed later) The Quarry Men The Silver Beatles

11. What was the diameter in inches of Lonnie Donegan's early LP's? 12 10 7 5

12. Which skiffle act lost the battle Of "Cumberland Gap" to Lonnie Donegan when his version outsold the original? Jimmy Jackson The Vipers Skiffle Group Johnny Duncan & The Bluegrass Boys Chas McDevitt & Nancy Whiskey

13. Which later famous pair were in the skiffle group called "The Detours"? Pete Townsend and Roger Daltrey Gerry and Fred Marsden (of Pacemakers fame) Mick Jagger and Keith Richards Brian May and Freddie Mercury

14. 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? Bob Geldof Bono Val Doonican Van Morrison

15. Of which song did Lonnie Donegan record two versions, one in an English accent, the other in "American"? Lonesome Traveller My Old Man's A Dustman Talking Guitar Blues Nobody Love Like An Irishman