Chas McDevitt

Chas McDevitt (* 4. December 1934 in Eaglesham in Glasgow , Scotland , as Charles James McDevitt ) is an English musician. He is one of the leading figures in skiffle , a very influential and popular musical style in Britain in the mid to late 1950s .

Live and act

McDevitt's family moved to Camberley , Surrey after the outbreak of World War II . As a teenager he learned the banjo by himself and began accordingly with blues artists such as Josh White . He also joined a local Dixieland jazz band. In 1955 he moved to London and now played with Ken Colyer's Crane River Jazz Band . At the same time he founded a small skiffle band that proved themselves as street performers in coffee bars and jazz clubs in Soho .

Chas McDevitt Skiffle Group - The Cotton Song as an American release on Chic Records

In late 1956, while recording the song "Freight Train" for Oriole Records - written by folk blues singer Elizabeth Cotten - studio owner Bill Varley suggested that the band add a singer. Folk singer Nancy Whiskey (actually Anne Wilson) was invited to join the Chas McDevitt Skiffle Group , and the song was re-recorded with her. The title became a hit in the UK in 1957 and reached number 5 in the UK Top 40 at the height of the skiffle boom . In the United States , the song was covered by Rusty Draper , who landed an even bigger hit. Nevertheless, the Chas McDevitt Skiffle Group appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show and their record became a million seller . In the same year, 1957, the band landed another chart placement in Great Britain with “Greenback Dollar” (# 28). Their success led them to touring with acts such as Slim Whitman and Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers . In addition, they replaced Jerry Lee Lewis on his ill-fated 1958 tour of the UK. The Chas McDevitt Skiffle Group was the only British skiffle band to achieve international success alongside Lonnie Donegan .

After Nancy Whiskey left the band in 1957, Chas McDevitt had less commercial success and his group disbanded in 1961. He then formed a duo with his wife Shirley Douglas until their professional and personal relationship ended in the 1970s. After that, McDevitt continued as the band leader of a newly formed group, and he was actively involved in charitable work . In 1997 there was a renewed appearance with Nancy Whiskey at the concert The Roots Of British Rock at the Royal Albert Hall.

Most recently, Chas McDevitt appeared on the BBC television show Never Mind The Buzzcocks .

literature

Holger Lührig: The British Skiffle Groups 1954–1958 - A discography with biographies, photographs and background material . Unna 1997.
Chas McDevitt: Skiffle - The Definite Inside Story . With prefaces by Joe Brown , Mark Knopfler and George Harrison . 2nd ed., Robson Books, 2012. ISBN 978-0-9574462-0-5 .

Web links

Individual evidence

^ Roberts, David: British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.), Guinness World Records Limited, London 2006, p. 338, ISBN 1-904994-10-5 .
↑ ^a ^b Roberts, as above, p. 338.
↑ Nancy Whiskey died at the age of 67 on February 1, 2003.

personal data
SURNAME	McDevitt, Chas
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	McDevitt, Charles James (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	British musician
DATE OF BIRTH	4th December 1934
PLACE OF BIRTH	Eaglesham near Glasgow , Scotland ,

[1] Roberts, David: British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.), Guinness World Records Limited, London 2006, p. 338, ISBN 1-904994-10-5 .

[Roberts,_wie_oben,_S._338-2] Roberts, as above, p. 338.

[3] Nancy Whiskey died at the age of 67 on February 1, 2003.