The Vipers Skiffle Group
Encyclopedia
The Vipers Skiffle Group – later known simply as The Vipers - were one of the leading British
groups
during the skiffle
period of the mid to late 1950s, and were important in the careers of radio
and television
presenter
Wally Whyton
, coffee bar manager Johnny Martyn
, wire salesman Jean Van den Bosch
, instrument repairer Tony Tolhurst, journalist
John Pilgrim, record producer
George Martin
, and several members of The Shadows
.
, originally as a trio
of singer
-guitarist
s comprising Whyton, Johnny Martyn
(born John Martyn Booker, 1934 - 2007), and Jean Van den Bosch
. Later that summer they added a rhythm section
, Tony Tolhurst (bass) and John Pilgrim (washboard
), and took up residency at the renowned Soho
music
venue, the 2i's Coffee Bar. There, they sometimes jammed
with musician and singer Tommy Hicks, later known as Tommy Steele
. In September 1956 they were offered an audition with George Martin
at Parlophone Records, and won a recording contract
.
Their second single
, "Don't You Rock Me Daddy-O", produced by Martin, reached number 10 in the UK Singles Chart
in early 1957. Although the songwriting
credits were given to Whyton, the song
is a variant of the folk
standard "Sail Away Ladies", as recorded
by Uncle Dave Macon
in the 1920s. The group came into direct competition with Lonnie Donegan
on the rival Pye
label
, who imitated Whyton's arrangement
s but had the bigger hits
, both with "Don't You Rock Me Daddy-O" and with its follow-up "Cumberland Gap
". However, the Vipers’ version of the latter song again made the UK
Top 10, and was followed by their last chart
hit, "Streamline Train". Significantly, Martin later commented that working with the Vipers gave him important experience in working with informally trained (Whyton being a skilled trad jazz
trombonist
), but enthusiastic group of musician
s.
The Vipers Skiffle Group continued to record
, and for a time were one of the biggest stage attractions among British groups and were second only to Donegan in terms of their skiffle based success. Whyton and Booker also made an album
released in the U.S.
called The Original Soho Skiffle Group, a showcase for traditional folk and blues
music
, with sleeve notes by Nat Hentoff
. However, by 1958 the skiffle craze was over, and the Vipers dropped the "Skiffle Group" designation from their name.
As The Vipers, the group at one point added Hank Marvin
, Jet Harris
and Tony Meehan
, who would go on to form The Drifters, later The Shadows
. However, the group finally disintegrated when their recording contract ran out in 1960. Whyton later moved on to a successful career as a radio and television presenter.
In 1999, Paul McCartney
covered the Vipers' "No Other Baby" (written by Bob Watson and Dickie Bishop) in his retrospective covers
album, Run Devil Run
.
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...
groups
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
during the skiffle
Skiffle
Skiffle is a type of popular music with jazz, blues, folk, roots and country influences, usually using homemade or improvised instruments. Originating as a term in the United States in the first half of the twentieth century, it became popular again in the UK in the 1950s, where it was mainly...
period of the mid to late 1950s, and were important in the careers of radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
presenter
Presenter
A presenter, or host , is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an exhibit. Likewise, a master of ceremonies is a person that hosts or presents a show...
Wally Whyton
Wally Whyton
Wallace Victor "Wally" Whyton was a British musician, songwriter and radio and TV personality.Born in London, England, Whyton grew up listening to jazz, blues and folk music, and learned to play first the piano, then trombone, and finally guitar...
, coffee bar manager Johnny Martyn
Johnny Martyn
Johnny Martyn, born Johnny Martyn Booker , was a musician and coffee bar manager. He was one of the original members of The Vipers Skiffle Group. Fellow musician and Vipers member Wally Whyton were members of The Original Soho Skiffle Group...
, wire salesman Jean Van den Bosch
Jean Van den Bosch
Jean Van den Bosch, guitarist and vocalist, was one of the original three members of The Vipers Skiffle Group along with Wally Whyton and Johnny Martyn. They were later joined by Tony Tolhurst on bass and John Pilgrim on percussion and washboard. Originally a wire salesman before he joined, Van den...
, instrument repairer Tony Tolhurst, journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
John Pilgrim, record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
George Martin
George Martin
Sir George Henry Martin CBE is an English record producer, arranger, composer and musician. He is sometimes referred to as "the Fifth Beatle"— a title that he often describes as "nonsense," but the fact remains that he served as producer on all but one of The Beatles' original albums...
, and several members of The Shadows
The Shadows
The Shadows are a British pop group with a total of 69 UK hit-charted singles: 35 as 'The Shadows' and 34 as 'Cliff Richard and the Shadows', from the 1950s to the 2000s. Cliff Richard in casual conversation with the British rock press frequently refers to the Shadows by their nickname: 'The Shads'...
.
History
The group formed in the spring of 1956 in central LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, originally as a trio
Trio (music)
Trio is generally used in any of the following ways:* A group of three musicians playing the same or different musical instrument.* The performance of a piece of music by three people.* The contrasting section of a piece in ternary form...
of singer
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
-guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
s comprising Whyton, Johnny Martyn
Johnny Martyn
Johnny Martyn, born Johnny Martyn Booker , was a musician and coffee bar manager. He was one of the original members of The Vipers Skiffle Group. Fellow musician and Vipers member Wally Whyton were members of The Original Soho Skiffle Group...
(born John Martyn Booker, 1934 - 2007), and Jean Van den Bosch
Jean Van den Bosch
Jean Van den Bosch, guitarist and vocalist, was one of the original three members of The Vipers Skiffle Group along with Wally Whyton and Johnny Martyn. They were later joined by Tony Tolhurst on bass and John Pilgrim on percussion and washboard. Originally a wire salesman before he joined, Van den...
. Later that summer they added a rhythm section
Rhythm section
A rhythm section is a collection of musicians who make up a section of instruments which provides the accompaniment section of the music, giving the music its rhythmic texture and pulse, also serving as a rhythmic reference for the rest of the band...
, Tony Tolhurst (bass) and John Pilgrim (washboard
Washboard
A washboard is a tool designed for hand washing clothing. With mechanized cleaning of clothing becoming more common by the end of the 20th century, the washboard has become better known for its originally subsidiary use as a musical instrument....
), and took up residency at the renowned Soho
Soho
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster and part of the West End of London. Long established as an entertainment district, for much of the 20th century Soho had a reputation for sex shops as well as night life and film industry. Since the early 1980s, the area has undergone considerable...
music
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...
venue, the 2i's Coffee Bar. There, they sometimes jammed
Jam session
Jam sessions are often used by musicians to develop new material, find suitable arrangements, or simply as a social gathering and communal practice session. Jam sessions may be based upon existing songs or forms, may be loosely based on an agreed chord progression or chart suggested by one...
with musician and singer Tommy Hicks, later known as Tommy Steele
Tommy Steele
Tommy Steele OBE , is an English entertainer. Steele is widely regarded as Britain's first teen idol and rock and roll star.-Singer:...
. In September 1956 they were offered an audition with George Martin
George Martin
Sir George Henry Martin CBE is an English record producer, arranger, composer and musician. He is sometimes referred to as "the Fifth Beatle"— a title that he often describes as "nonsense," but the fact remains that he served as producer on all but one of The Beatles' original albums...
at Parlophone Records, and won a recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
.
Their second 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...
, "Don't You Rock Me Daddy-O", produced by Martin, reached number 10 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 early 1957. Although the songwriting
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
credits were given to Whyton, the song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
is a variant of the folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
standard "Sail Away Ladies", as recorded
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
by Uncle Dave Macon
Uncle Dave Macon
Uncle Dave Macon , born David Harrison Macon—also known as "The Dixie Dewdrop"—was an American banjo player, singer, songwriter, and comedian...
in the 1920s. The group came into direct competition with 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...
on the rival 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,...
, who imitated Whyton's arrangement
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
s but had the bigger hits
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
, both with "Don't You Rock Me Daddy-O" and with its follow-up "Cumberland Gap
Cumberland Gap
Cumberland Gap is a pass through the Cumberland Mountains region of the Appalachian Mountains, also known as the Cumberland Water Gap, at the juncture of the U.S. states of Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia...
". However, the Vipers’ version of the latter song again made 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...
Top 10, and was followed by their last chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
hit, "Streamline Train". Significantly, Martin later commented that working with the Vipers gave him important experience in working with informally trained (Whyton being a skilled trad jazz
Trad jazz
Trad jazz - short for "traditional jazz" - refers to the Dixieland and Ragtime jazz styles of the early 20th century in contrast to any more modern style....
trombonist
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
), but enthusiastic group of musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
s.
The Vipers Skiffle Group continued to record
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
, and for a time were one of the biggest stage attractions among British groups and were second only to Donegan in terms of their skiffle based success. Whyton and Booker also made an 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...
released in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
called The Original Soho Skiffle Group, a showcase for traditional folk and blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
music
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...
, with sleeve notes by Nat Hentoff
Nat Hentoff
Nathan Irving "Nat" Hentoff is an American historian, novelist, jazz and country music critic, and syndicated columnist for United Media and writes regularly on jazz and country music for The Wall Street Journal....
. However, by 1958 the skiffle craze was over, and the Vipers dropped the "Skiffle Group" designation from their name.
As The Vipers, the group at one point added Hank Marvin
Hank Marvin
Hank Brian Marvin is an English guitarist, best known as the lead guitarist for The Shadows. The group, which primarily performed instrumentals, was formed as a backing band for vocalist Cliff Richard...
, Jet Harris
Jet Harris
Jet Harris, MBE was an English musician. He was the bass guitarist of The Shadows until April 1962, and had subsequent success as a soloist and as a duo with the drummer Tony Meehan....
and Tony Meehan
Tony Meehan
Daniel Joseph Anthony "Tony" Meehan was a founder member of the British group The Shadows with Jet Harris, Hank Marvin and Bruce Welch...
, who would go on to form The Drifters, later The Shadows
The Shadows
The Shadows are a British pop group with a total of 69 UK hit-charted singles: 35 as 'The Shadows' and 34 as 'Cliff Richard and the Shadows', from the 1950s to the 2000s. Cliff Richard in casual conversation with the British rock press frequently refers to the Shadows by their nickname: 'The Shads'...
. However, the group finally disintegrated when their recording contract ran out in 1960. Whyton later moved on to a successful career as a radio and television presenter.
In 1999, Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
covered the Vipers' "No Other Baby" (written by Bob Watson and Dickie Bishop) in his retrospective covers
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...
album, Run Devil Run
Run Devil Run
Run Devil Run is the eleventh solo studio album by Paul McCartney, released in 1999. It features covers of both familiar and obscure 1950s rock and roll songs, along with three new McCartney songs written in the same style...
.
External links
- [ Allmusic entry]