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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZVIPERS, TheUK skiffle group formed '56 with various personnel incl. Jet Harris, Hank B. Marvin, Tony Meehan, Wally Whyton (d 22 Jan. '97) and Tommy Steele. They grew out of the London coffee-bar scene, in time centred on Soho's 2I's (two eyes), thought to be a guaranteed springboard to success: Whyton told Pete Frame (Rock Family Trees '79), 'I remember Adam Faith complaining to me that he'd been singing at the 2I's for about two months but still wasn't nationally famous yet.' If Lonnie Donegan was king of skiffle, the Vipers were the crown princes; they scored with infl. singles 'Pick A Bale Of Cotton', 'Don't You Rock Me Daddy-O', 'Cumberland Gap', 'Maggie May', 'Streamline Train' '56--7, made strides in musicianship led by Whyton, turning to amplifiers '58, later becoming Cliff Richard's backing group the Shadows. Whyton became a folk and country singer (also a writer, his best-known song 'Leave Them A Flower'), worked in TV (hosted children's show 5 O'Clock Club) and radio, hosting folk and country music programmes (presented Country Club for 20 years; his last BBC series was Musical Families Of Ireland '96). 10,000 Years Ago-- Wally Whyton And The Vipers '96 on Bear Family was a three-CD compilation. |