King of Skiffle
Encyclopedia
King of Skiffle is a music
al album
by Lonnie Donegan
. A CD
version of the album was released in the UK
on 18 February 1998 by Castle Music. The CD was also released by Pickwick under the title "The Best of Lonnie Donegan".
The first single
from the album that was released was a version
of Leadbelly
's "Rock Island Line
". It was the first debut record to go gold
in the UK, and reached the Top 10 in the United States
.
One of the songs, "My Old Man's a Dustman", reached #1 in the UK Singles Chart
in April 1960. It was ranked #29 on the "Top 100 Hits of 1960" chart from Canadian
Top 40 radio station
, CHUM
-AM. The song is popular today as a mobile phone
ring tone
.
The other main hits from the album are "Cumberland Gap" and "Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour (On the Bedpost Overnight?)" The latter was featured decades later in the Dr. Demento
radio program, a show specializing in novelty songs. The song also appears on the Dr. Demento 20th anniversary two-disc set.
This compilation album
is similar to a 1970 double album
(same name) with 22 stereo tracks released by Deutsche Vogue Schallplatten GmbH under the Pye
label
. "Rock Island Line" and "Wreck of the Old 97" are the exclusions, whilst the 1970 version included:
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
al album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by Lonnie Donegan
Lonnie Donegan
Anthony James "Lonnie" Donegan MBE was a skiffle musician, with more than 20 UK Top 30 hits to his name. He is known as the "King of Skiffle" and is often cited as a large influence on the generation of British musicians who became famous in the 1960s...
. A CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
version of the album was released in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
on 18 February 1998 by Castle Music. The CD was also released by Pickwick under the title "The Best of Lonnie Donegan".
The first single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
from the album that was released was a version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of Leadbelly
Leadbelly
Huddie William Ledbetter was an iconic American folk and blues musician, notable for his strong vocals, his virtuosity on the twelve-string guitar, and the songbook of folk standards he introduced....
's "Rock Island Line
Rock Island Line (song)
"Rock Island Line" is an American blues/folk song first recorded by John Lomax in 1934 as sung by inmates in an Arkansas State Prison, and later popularized by Lead Belly. Many versions have been recorded by other artists, most significantly the world-wide hit version in the mid-1950s by Lonnie...
". It was the first debut record to go gold
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
in the UK, and reached the Top 10 in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
One of the songs, "My Old Man's a Dustman", reached #1 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
in April 1960. It was ranked #29 on the "Top 100 Hits of 1960" chart from Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
Top 40 radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
, CHUM
CHUM
CHUM may refer to:* The former CHUM Radio division now known as Bell Media Radio* CHUM , a Toronto AM station* CHUM-FM, a Toronto FM station...
-AM. The song is popular today as a mobile phone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
ring tone
Ring tone
A ringtone or ring tone is the sound made by a telephone to indicate an incoming call or text message. Not literally a tone, the term is most often used today to refer to customizable sounds used on mobile phones.-Background:...
.
The other main hits from the album are "Cumberland Gap" and "Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour (On the Bedpost Overnight?)" The latter was featured decades later in the Dr. Demento
Dr. Demento
Barret Eugene Hansen , better known as Dr. Demento, is a radio broadcaster and record collector specializing in novelty songs, comedy, and strange or unusual recordings dating from the early days of phonograph records to the present....
radio program, a show specializing in novelty songs. The song also appears on the Dr. Demento 20th anniversary two-disc set.
Track list
- "Rock Island LineRock Island Line (song)"Rock Island Line" is an American blues/folk song first recorded by John Lomax in 1934 as sung by inmates in an Arkansas State Prison, and later popularized by Lead Belly. Many versions have been recorded by other artists, most significantly the world-wide hit version in the mid-1950s by Lonnie...
" - "Jack O DiamondsJack of Diamonds (song)Jack of Diamonds is a traditional folk song. It is a Texas gambling song that was popularized by Blind Lemon Jefferson. It was sung by railroad men who had lost money playing Coon can. At least twelve white artists recorded the tune before World War II...
" - "Tom DooleyTom Dooley (song)"Tom Dooley" is an old North Carolina folk song based on the 1866 murder of a woman named Laura Foster in Wilkes County, North Carolina. It is best known today because of a hit version recorded in 1958 by The Kingston Trio. This version was a multi-format hit, reaching #1 in Billboard, the...
" - "Puttin' On the StylePuttin' On the StylePuttin' On the Style was a 1957 hit for skiffle artist Lonnie Donegan. It was recorded live at the London Palladium and released as a double A side along with Gamblin' Man and reached #1 in the UK charts in June and July 1957, where it spent two weeks in this position.This was the last record to...
" - "I'm Alabammy BoundI'm Alabama Bound"I'm Alabama Bound" is a ragtime melody composed by Robert Hoffman in 1909. Hoffman "respectfully" dedicated it to one M. T. Scarlata. The cover of its first edition advertises the music as "Also Known As The Alabama Blues" which has led some to suspect it of being one of the first blues songs...
" - "Wabash CannonballWabash Cannonball"The Wabash Cannonball" is an American folk song about a fictional train, thought to have originated in the late nineteenth century. Its first documented appearance was on sheet music published in 1882, titled "" and credited to J. A. Roff...
" - "Wreck of the Old 97"
- "The Battle of New OrleansThe Battle of New Orleans"The Battle of New Orleans" is the title of a song written by Jimmy Driftwood. The song describes the 1815 Battle of New Orleans from the perspective of an American soldier; the lyrics are evidently intended to be comical. It has been recorded by many artists, but the singer most often associated...
" - "Bring a Little Water Sylvie"
- "Nobody Loves Like an Irishman"
- "Michael Row the Boat AshoreMichael Row the Boat AshoreMichael, Row the Boat Ashore is an African-American spiritual. It was first noted during the American Civil War at St. Helena Island, one of the Sea Islands of South Carolina....
" - "Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour (On the Bedpost Overnight?)"
- "My Old Man's a Dustman"
- "Cumberland GapCumberland Gap (folk song)"Cumberland Gap" is an Appalachian folk song that likely dates to the latter half of the 19th century and was first recorded in 1924. The song is typically played on banjo or fiddle, and well-known versions of the song include instrumental versions as well as versions with lyrics...
" - "Don't You Rock Me Daddy-O"
- "Grand Coulee DamGrand Coulee Dam (song)"Grand Coulee Dam" is an American folk song written in 1941 by Woody Guthrie, during a brief period when he was commissioned by the Bonneville Power Administration to write songs as part of a documentary film project about the dam and related projects....
" - "Have a Drink On Me"
- "Gamblin' ManGamblin' ManGamblin' Man was a 1957 hit for skiffle artist Lonnie Donegan. It was recorded live at the London Palladium and released as a double A side along with Puttin' On the Style and reached #1 in the UK charts in June and July 1957, where it spent two weeks in this position...
" - "Nobody's ChildNobody's Child (song)"Nobody's Child" is a song written by Cy Coben and Mel Foree. It was first recorded by Hank Snow in 1949 and it became one of his standards, although it did not chart for him...
"
This compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
is similar to a 1970 double album
Double album
A double album is an audio album which spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically records and compact discs....
(same name) with 22 stereo tracks released by Deutsche Vogue Schallplatten GmbH under the Pye
Pye Records
Pye Records was a British record label. In its first incarnation, perhaps Pye's best known artists were Lonnie Donegan , Petula Clark , The Searchers , The Kinks , Sandie Shaw and Brotherhood of Man...
label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
. "Rock Island Line" and "Wreck of the Old 97" are the exclusions, whilst the 1970 version included:
- "Seven Golden Daffodils"
- "Rock O' my Soul"
- "Fort Worth Jail"
- "Jimmy Brown the Newsboy"
- "Frankie and Johnny"