Skiffle

[oldslapper]

Not a genre I have given serious consideration to before, however I’ve been asked to join a new “project” by someone who I respect a great deal. 
Never one to turn down an opportunity to try something new musically, I said yes.

Did a bit of homework and was surprised at the high energy and some great bass playing on old school Lonnie D recordings. 
I have, to my shame, rather snobbishly viewed skiffle and LD as novelty music.

It’s proper punk energy some of it.

 But I’m going to have to up my stamina and get my slap chops up to scratch, particularly the syncopated lines that are quite groovy!

Any tips on players to look out for/ listen to from you Skifflers?

Cheers

John 

[wateroftyne]

Ah, well... I can possibly help a bit here (with the caveat that I don't play upright bass) :-)

Lonnie's old songs are - often - incredible. It's a shame he's more well known for tat like Chewing Gum and Dustman. Listen to Black Girl, for example. It's not a million miles from Nirvana's version.

It's basically about dynamics, breathless energy and that relentless pulse which comes from the bass.

Chris Barber is the source for this, really.  Check out Lonnie & Van Morrison's latter-day album 'The Skiffle Sessions'. it's incredible.

Here's something I was part of for a number of years - just incredible fun, and the audiences love it.

 

[oldslapper]

Nice stuff! 😊

 I’ve played in a swing quartet that did a few uptempo tunes and, as you say, audiences love it. 
 

Listening to LD’s Cumberland Gap was a revelation! So much energy. 
Thanks for the recommendation too I’ll check them out. 

[bassace]

I suppose in one sense skiffle started it off for us. The most expensive item was the guitar and after Rock Island Line cheap guitars were coming in consignments of 200. Tea chest bass and washboard and, hey presto, you had a skiffle group. You didn’t worry about PA, if there was one at the hall, then great but otherwise........ This was the first time young people had heard a live band playing with any greater energy that your average turgid dance quartet.

Your friend, Bassace, started his public performances on washboard while learning to play the trombone. Then when we had a front line together we strapped the skiffle group on the back and we found we had a band. And this just happened without any clear intentions.

Chris Barbers jazz band has only recently come to a close with the ill health of the leader himself. The Lonnie Donnegan Skiffle Group came from within the band with Chris himself playing double bass.

Only last Tuesday I played with Chas McDevitt, now 84 and one of the original Skiffle players whose early career took him to an appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. He’s written a very good book on the subject which I think is still available.

[oldslapper]

What a great story, and exciting to be at the beginning of the revolution 😎

 Do you play in the South West at all? Love to come and listen. 
 

If this works out, I will give serious consideration to making a TeaChest bass. 😊

The BL wants an authentic approach as possible.  

[wateroftyne]

13 minutes ago, oldslapper said:

What a great story, and exciting to be at the beginning of the revolution 😎

 Do you play in the South West at all? Love to come and listen. 
 

If this works out, I will give serious consideration to making a TeaChest bass. 😊

The BL wants an authentic approach as possible.  

It's worth bearing in mind Lonnie's band never used a tea chest bass 🙂

Edited December 17, 2019 by wateroftyne

[oldslapper]

Just now, wateroftyne said:

It's worth bearing in mind Lonnie's band never used a teachest bass 🙂

Ah ok. I do tend to get a bit carried away.😊 Be fun making one though 🥳 

[bassace]

19 minutes ago, wateroftyne said:

It's worth bearing in mind Lonnie's band never used a tea chest bass 🙂

That’s quite correct, although Wiki erroneously has him with a tea chest. He had Chris Barber, followed by Micky Ashman. We decided to graduate from a tea chest and went up to Chas Footes in Denman Street where they had a cellar with lots of DBs at all sorts of prices. We chose the cheapest at £35 and got into conversation with a nice tall guy about the strength, or otherwise, of the E string. It was only after he had left the shop that the assistant said ‘that was Ray Brown’. Happy days, 1954 as I remember.

[oldslapper]

🤦🏻‍♂️😎😂

[SpondonBassed]

1 hour ago, oldslapper said:

If this works out, I will give serious consideration to making a TeaChest bass. 😊

 

1 hour ago, oldslapper said:

Ah ok. I do tend to get a bit carried away.😊 Be fun making one though 🥳 

 

If you do, please put a Build Diary topic up.  I'd love to see that.

[oldslapper]

Just now, SpondonBassed said:

 

 

If you do, please put a Build Diary topic up.  I'd love to see that.

Do we have a comedy corner thread? 😂

But yes I will of course. 

[SpondonBassed]

I'm just in the middle of reading Shout, a book that goes into the history of the Beatles.  The Quarrymen started out with a tea chest bass.

[wateroftyne]

2 minutes ago, SpondonBassed said:

I'm just in the middle of reading Shout, a book that goes into the history of the Beatles.  The Quarrymen started out with a tea chest bass.

...singing 'Putting on the Style' amongst others. Elvis also sang Lonnie's 'I'll Never Fall in Love Again'.

There can't be many (any?) others who've had songs covered by Elvis AND The Beatles... 🙂

Edited December 17, 2019 by wateroftyne

[SpondonBassed]

1 minute ago, oldslapper said:

Do we have a comedy corner thread? 😂

I'm serious.  The tea-chest bass has earned its place in bass culture on both sides of the Atlantic.  It's good for a laugh, granted, but it's also something that got impoverished would-be musicians into the game

[Cato]

My dad is a huge Lonnie Donnegan fan so I grew up listening to a lot of his stuff in the car.

I don't think the OP's 'punk energy' description is too far off.

Although there was a level of technical proficiency not found in most punk groups in Donegan's bands, a lot of the music definitely has that same raw, exuberant feel to it.

Edited December 17, 2019 by Cato

[wateroftyne]

11 minutes ago, Cato said:

I don't think the OP's 'punk energy' description is too far off.

Hell yes...

 

[oldslapper]

What got me referring to punk was remembering the excitement when I was 15/16 when punk exploded in 76. 
I hear and feel a similar energy, diy mentality, “anyone can do this” attitude in the early skiffle stuff I’ve been listening to. 

Just less gobbing 😂

[casapete]

21 minutes ago, wateroftyne said:

There can't be many (any?) others who've had songs covered by Elvis AND The Beatles... 🙂

Chuck Berry springs to mind, but struggling for any more.

Think 'What I'd say' by Ray Charles may also qualify?

[oldslapper]

18 hours ago, SpondonBassed said:

I'm serious.  The tea-chest bass has earned its place in bass culture on both sides of the Atlantic.  It's good for a laugh, granted, but it's also something that got impoverished would-be musicians into the game

Well I’ve actually sourced a big ol’ Tea Chest locally today. So perhaps I’m committed now. Watch for comedy build diary which will be very short, but I’ve got some ideas on making it a bit different.

[Rich]

There used to be a completely brilliant busking quartet in Swindon called the Lost T-shirts Of Atlantis, their standup bass was epic; the body was an old tin bath with a plywood lid, and the neck was a length of stair bannister. I so wish I had a photo of it. Talk about the perfect skiffle bass.

[oldslapper]

I’ve seen someone playing one with a drum stick (hitting the string), so am thinking of doing the same. One man rhythm section. I play drums too, so will possibly attach a small splash to the box.

I can see this getting a life of its own! 

[Matt P]

i can't comment on playing Skiffle but i can recommend the book that Billy Bragg wrote a couple of years ago https://www.amazon.co.uk/Roots-Radicals-Rockers-Skiffle-Changed/dp/0571327745  a really enjoyable history of how skiffle developed and where it led.

 

Matt 

[chris_b]

Was this Lonnie's high point?

 

[MrCrane]

23 hours ago, SpondonBassed said:

I'm serious.  The tea-chest bass has earned its place in bass culture on both sides of the Atlantic.  It's good for a laugh, granted, but it's also something that got impoverished would-be musicians into the game

Danny Thompson started off on the tea chest bass. Didn't seem to do him any harm.

[Stub Mandrel]

My late mum's best friend ran the (or a) Lonnie Donegan Fan Club.