Guest post by Nathan Arizona
A teenage John Lennon used to keep his ears glued to the BBC waiting, like thousands of other British teens, for a skiffle tune called “Rock Island Line.” Skiffle spoke to them — in an American accent. ”Rock Island Line,” the first big skiffle hit, was a souped-up version of a train song by American folk-bluesman Leadbelly, who had heard a work gang sing it on an Arkansas prison farm. The singer was Lonnie Donegan, a former banjo player in a Dixieland jazz band.
Skiffle, possibly related to depression-era rent parties, was a lot more exciting than the posh music for tea time usually heard on British radio. The bare-bones revival of various American roots styles was straightforward and exciting and could be played on washboards, kazoos and very cheap guitars.
Skiffle paved the way for the British folk and blues revivals of the ‘60s and ultimately for British Invasion rock. Future Beatle Lennon formed a skiffle band of his own called the Quarrymen and soon recruited fellow teens Paul McCartney. and George Harrison to join him. Jimmy Page, Roger Daltrey, Mick Jagger, Ronnie Woods, Eric Clapton, Robin Trower, Ray Davies, David Gilmore, Ritchie Blackmore and Van Morrison all played in skiffle bands.
Skiffle doesn’t always get its due in the histories of rock, but the musicians know. “No Lonnie Donegan, no Beatles,” Harrison said.
Mark Knopfler called Donegan “the first British rock star.” He wrote and recorded a song called “Donegan’s Gone” in 2004, two years after Donegan’s death. Morrison has made two skiffle albums over his long career. “If I get an opportunity to just have a jam,” he said, “skiffle is what I love to play.”
“Rock Island Line” was originally a “slave narrative” song from Mississippi plantations. It was first written down in 1928 by a member of the Rock Island Colored Booster Quartet, employees at a railroad freight yard in Little Rock. Donegan’s version is about tricking a railroad toll-taker who collected on industrial cargo but not livestock. The engineer tells him he’s carrying pigs, but as he rolls away he says, yeah, I got pigs — pig iron!
Donegan had 31 songs in the British Top 30 starting with “Rock Island Line,” No. 8 in 1956. It soon reached the same spot on U.S. charts. Three years later Donegan’s “Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavor on the Bedpost Overnight?” rose to No.5 in this country. But he never reached his British level of fame over here.
He begins the song with a lengthy but lively and amusing preamble setting things up. It’s an essential part of the performance and starts the momentum right away. This performance is from 1961. The very last shot shows two folks who look like cliches of the sort of Brits the skiffle guys wanted to avoid. I assume they’re presenters.
Donegan joined Van Morrison and Ronnie Wood in a loose performance of the song. You can’t tell from his face, but this is Van being happy.
Folklorist John Lomax recorded Arkansas prisoners singing an early version.
“Frankie and Johnny” was one of the old American songs Donegan put into overdrive.
