Skiffle: The Definitive Inside Story

In the late 1950s, Brian Bird wrote a book about skiffle not long before skiffle’s decline. The book was superficial largely because Bird did not know just how widespread the skiffle craze was. Chas McDevitt, by contrast, is steeped in its history. I’m sure he researched his book thoroughly, and he started with an advantage that neither money nor thoroughness can buy: it was all there in his head. Not only was Chas “in it from the beginning” but he was also an enthusiastic and dedicated performer. His skiffle group was one of the earliest and most successful, and in...