Rock Island Line: Skiffle - Britain's first DIY pop music
Stuart Maconie assesses the social and cultural life of Britons in the 1950s and hears how skiffle, a kind of 'make do and mend' pop, was born out of post-war austerity.
Born of austerity and a love of American folk, skiffle was basic, direct and thrillingly raw. A kind of "make do and mend" pop.
But then this was a make do and mend time. Post-war Britain was a drab, bankrupt and almost broken country. Cities were still littered with bomb sites and rationing was still in place until 1954.
But teenagers were discovering new music in the nation's coffee houses via the wondrous technology of jukeboxes and freshly imported records. And one record in particular resonated with the UK's youth: Leadbelly's Rock Island Line.
Not everyone was so impressed though. Trad jazz was also enjoying a boom, and that scene's movers sneered at this rough 'n ready music. This was somewhat ironic given that Lonnie Donegan had first found fame in Chris Barber's jazz band. And Chris Barber himself would also be a pivotal figure in the British blues boom, bringing people like Big Bill Broonzy and Muddy Waters to tour the UK.
The musicians who emerged from the skiffle scene read like a virtual who's who of British pop music: Cliff Richard, Martin Carthy, Mark Knopfler, Mickie Most, Jimmy Page and Lennon and McCartney all found inspiration and nominal success in this new scene.
Last on
Clips
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Skiffle competitions at the Rialto
Duration: 00:17
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Forming a Skiffle Band - The First Guitar
Duration: 00:35
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Episode 4 Preview
Duration: 01:18
Music Played
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The City Ramblers Skiffle Group
Mama Don't Allow
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Humphrey Lyttelton
Bad Penny Blues
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Benny Goodman
And The Angels Sing
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Lead Belly
Rock Island Line
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Lonnie Donegan & His Skiffle Group
Rock Island Line
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John Lee Hooker
Boom Boom
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The Vipers Skiffle Group
Don't You Rock Me Daddy-O
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Chas McDevitt & Nancy Whiskey
Freight Train
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Lonnie Donegan
Puttin' On The Style
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Joe Brown
That's What Love Will Do
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Lonnie Donegan
My Old Man's A Dustman
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Lonnie Donegan
Cumberland Gap
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The Clash
White Riot
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The Clash
White Riot
- ESSENTIAL CLASH.
- Columbia.
Share your comments and stories
Your contributions will play a key part in this episode, take a look at the questions below and :
- Did you hang out in coffee houses listening to singles on the jukebox?
- Did you or your friends play in a skiffle band?
- Did you prefer the trad jazz revival to the noisy skiffle bands
- Did you see any of the American blues artists when they toured the UK
You can
or read about
Broadcasts
- Wed 23 Jan 2013 22:00Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 2
- Tue 26 Jan 2016 23:00Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 2
Song Profiles
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