The Melody Web what each genre heard, and what it passed on

heard passed on Click or tap a node to recenter. Use a connecting line, or Influence, for the story.

Heard

Blues genre · 1860–

Skiffle’s songbook is blues and songster material (Lead Belly as the usual crate) played on cheap acoustic kit.

Influence
Jug band genre · 1915–1940

Skiffle takes jug band’s homemade kit and street-song book as a British youth style.

Influence
New Orleans jazz style · 1890–1930

Skiffle takes British trad’s New Orleans songbook and band-show interval and recodes it as washboard-and-guitar youth music.

Influence

Skiffle

genre · 1956–1959

Mid-1950s British youth music: American folk, blues, and jug-band songs on cheap acoustic kit (Donegan, washboard, tea-chest bass). It is the club door into British blues and British beat. Jug band supplies the homemade kit; Blues supplies the Lead Belly songbook; New Orleans jazz supplies the Barber trad-band interval. Lead Belly is a mediator, not a node. British trad-jazz leftover as a scene name on the New Orleans file. Folk-revival leftover as a contested British-club hop (MacColl hostility). Country leftover as extra songbook.

Listen

  1. Rock Island Line Lonnie Donegan (1955) YouTube · Spotify
  2. Cumberland Gap Lonnie Donegan (1957) YouTube · Spotify
  3. Don't You Rock Me Daddy-O Lonnie Donegan (1957) YouTube · Spotify
  4. Freight Train Chas McDevitt / Nancy Whiskey (1957) YouTube · Spotify
  5. Putting On the Style Lonnie Donegan (1957) YouTube · Spotify

Passed on

British beat style · 1963–1966

British beat keeps skiffle’s youth-club band and American-song job and electrifies it.

Influence
British blues style · 1962–

British blues keeps skiffle’s American Black-song job and youth-club band and plugs in.

Influence

Blues → Skiffle

melodyform and structurefunction and contextstrength: highwell documented1955–1958recordingoral

Mechanism

Skiffle’s songbook is blues and songster material (Lead Belly as the usual crate) played on cheap acoustic kit. Strength high. Jug band supplies the homemade ensemble; this hop is the songs. Lead Belly is a mediator, not a node.

Evidence

Rock Island Line and related Donegan 45s; Gillett and Palmer on that crate.

Debate

Whether this is folk, not blues. The named Lead Belly book sits on blues and songster ground; folk-revival is a sibling scene, not the parent.

Mediators

artist: Lonnie Donegan; artist: Lead Belly

Jug band → Skiffle

instrumentationmelodyperformance practicestrength: highwell documented1955–1958recordingoral

Mechanism

Skiffle takes jug band’s homemade kit and street-song book as a British youth style. Strength high. Donegan is the hinge. Lead Belly is a related crate, not a second jug-band node.

Evidence

Washboard and tea-chest as jug-band transfers; Gillett on Donegan’s American book.

Debate

Whether Lead Belly is the real parent. He is a named singer in the same crate; the kit and the comic street song are the jug-band hop.

Mediators

artist: Lonnie Donegan

New Orleans jazz → Skiffle

instrumentationmelodyperformance practicestrength: mediumwell documented1953–1957oralrecording

Mechanism

Skiffle takes British trad’s New Orleans songbook and band-show interval and recodes it as washboard-and-guitar youth music. Strength medium. Blues and jug-band remain the song-and-kit parents; this hop is the Barber-band door. British trad-jazz leftover as a scene name on the New Orleans file.

Evidence

Donegan’s spots with Chris Barber; Rock Island Line (Gillett, Grove).

Debate

Whether skiffle is already trad jazz. The revival concert job is New Orleans jazz’s British copy; the tea-chest youth craze is skiffle’s.

Mediators

artist: Chris Barber; artist: Lonnie Donegan

Skiffle → British beat

performance practicefunction and contextinstrumentationstrength: highscholarly consensus1960–1964oralrecording

Mechanism

British beat keeps skiffle’s youth-club band and American-song job and electrifies it. Strength high. The Quarrymen-to-Beatles path is the usual hinge. R&B and rock and roll remain the other beat parents.

Evidence

Beatles and related beat groups’ skiffle years; Gillett on that succession.

Debate

Whether this is already British blues. Blues clubs are a parallel door; skiffle is the mass youth door.

Mediators

artist: The Beatles; artist: The Quarrymen

Skiffle → British blues

function and contextperformance practiceinstrumentationstrength: highwell documented1960–1964oralrecording

Mechanism

British blues keeps skiffle’s American Black-song job and youth-club band and plugs in. Strength high. Korner/Barber are the usual hinge. Chess records are the other school.

Evidence

Mayall and early Stones personnel from skiffle; Gillett on that succession.

Debate

Whether Barber’s jazz band is the real door. Skiffle is the youth mass; Barber is the older hinge named on the british-blues node.

Mediators

artist: Alexis Korner; artist: Lonnie Donegan