Skiffle

“Skiffle was the start of British rock music. It was all about feel rather than content. It had style.” Lonnie Donegan

Skiffle was the name given to the British revival of American folk blues kick-started by Lonnie Donegan’s ‘Rock Island Line’ in 1956. Donegan popularised this new, do-it-yourself style that young musicians could easily imitate.

Centred on the coffee bars of Soho, the younger post-war generation found not only a style of music that was their own but also a place to meet, exchange ideas and perform. The music industry woke up to the fact that there was a teenage music market and began to tailor their efforts towards new TV programmes such as Six-Five Special and 45 rpm singles.

The skiffle craze was short-lived. After Top 10 hits like the Chas McDevitt Skiffle Group’s ‘Freight Train’, British music had already begun to move on. But everyone from Cliff Richard and John Lennon to Jimmy Page picked up cheap guitars and learnt to play. The influential stars of tomorrow had been born.

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