Some memories about Anacondas Skiffle Group by Steve Pank.

Steve Pank, Third Ear Band's former manager and driver, close friend of Glen Sweeney, Carolyn Looker, and Dave Tomlin, Ursula Smith's husband as well, kindly sent me these memories about the Anacondas Skiffle Group era...

 "Putting ‘Anacondas skiffle’  into google, I came across an amazing collection of press cuttings about the Anacondas skiffle group, and about the skiffle craze triggered by Lonnie Donegan. Glen Sweeney was a member of Anacondas and he was seen as the ace washboard player of the Croydon area, his first experience of stardom.  I remember when I took Glen to see his mother,  and he was telling her about the success of the Third Ear Band, and she replied  ‘Is this like when you won the Tommy Steele Cup?' I knew that he had played in a skiffle group,  the name ‘Anacondas’ was chosen to match the ‘Vipers’ group  who had a hit single  with  ‘Freight Train’.     

Skiffle was originally a traditional music that was played in Louisiana and along the Mississippi,  using domestic instruments like washboards and jugs.  When Trumpet player Ken Colyer returned  from New Orleans, and joined the Chris Barber jazz band, he brought the idea of skiffle with him. On Barber’s first LP,  guitar player Lonnie Donegan recorded  the  Leadbelly song ‘Rock Island Line’, backed jazz singer Beryl Bryden playing washboard and Chris Barber on double bass. The washboard was a corrugated plate of metal that was played wearing thimbles on the fingers. When issued as a single, Rock Island Line became big success in Britain and America and it launched the skiffle craze.  Sales of acoustic guitars skyrocketed, and tea chests,  rectangular plywood boxes, that were used for importing tea and were only used once, could be utilised as bass instruments. All of those in the later British Rock movement of the ‘60s had been influenced in some way or another by skiffle.

When Lonnie Donegan played three nights in Liverpool, George Harrison went there every night. Paul MaCartney first met John Lennon at a fete/garden party at Peter’s Church in Woolton Liverpool  where John was playing with his skiffle group, The Quarrymen. Ringo Starr also played in a skiffle group. He said his first experience of playing music on a snare drum was with a friend on a tea chest bass. Newspaper research showed  that at its peak, there were 5000 skiffle groups in Britain. Between 1956 and 1963 Lonnie Donegan had 31 top 30 singles and three were number ones.

On June22nd 1957 in Croydon Civic Hall, in front of 800 fans, and out of  12 contesting groups, The Anacondas won the skiffle contest and were awarded the Tommy Steel Cup.  In order to choose the winner, the organisers use a  ‘clapometer’ to measure the level of applause! The Anacondas also played in jazz clubs alongside bands like Mike Daniels Delta Jazzmen. They were a large group, with eight members.  I remember Glen telling me that he had an influence in the group because he was that bit older than the other members.
I still meet people who tell me that their first experience of playing music was with a skiffle group. The first record I ever bought was ‘The Rock Island line’."

 

Read my researches on the Anacondas here:

https://ghettoraga.blogspot.com/2023/10/the-anacondas-skiffle-group-stone-age.html (part 1) 

https://ghettoraga.blogspot.com/2023/10/the-anacondas-skiffle-group-story-some.html (part 2)

https://ghettoraga.blogspot.com/2023/11/the-anacondas-skiffle-group-story-end.html (part 3)

no©2025LucaChinoFerrari (unless you intend to make a profit. In which case, ask first)

The Anacondas Skiffle Group story: the end of the prehistoric events before the Third Ear Band (part 3/3).

(read the second part of the story HERE )

After the sudden success due to winning the band competition promoted by the Croydon Jazz Club...

July 5, the Croydon "Times and County Mail" announced the invitation of Anacondas for receiving the "Tommy Steele Trophy" as winner of the contest. 

On July 8, the band received the "Tommy Steele Trophy" at the Savoy Cinema, Croydon. It is reported in the "Croydon Times" on next Friday:

On August 27 they play at the Savoy Cinema in Wandsworth in an evening called "The Skiffle Night". News of this is given by the "South Western Star" that announcing the presence of the Anacondas writes:

 

"The Skiffle Nights are to be tried out for four weeks and if proven successful they will become a regular feature throughout the winter months. "But," manager Cave points out, "over enthusiastic teenagers in the audience will be asked to restrain themselves if they wish the shows go on because any resulting rowdyism will definitely mean the end of "Skiffle at the Savoy"."

 

On November the band play a set a concert at the Croydon Civic Hall in aid for a fund a social centre. "The Stage" reports it on November 26.

On 14 November, the band is quoted in a long article titled "On the Bandstands" about the many Skiffle groups on the scene published by "The Stage"...

On 14 December at Jazz Club, Anacondas in concert with Seth Marsh's Jazzband (Croydon "Times and County Mail", 13-12-1957)

On December 17th, Anacondas play at the Granada of Thornton Heath in a evening announced as "The Anacondas in Folk, Blues and Skiffle" ("Norwood News", 13 December).

Same gig but announced by Croydon "Times and County Mail" on 13 Dec. 

Few days later, Anacondas was quoted in an article printed on Croydon "Times and Country Mail" on 20 December 1957 about a strange event...

Then, on December 20th, the band is on stage at the Park Lane Ballroom (Croydon) for an event promoted by the Jazz Club, "Festival of Jazz Boxing Night", with other five bands involved: Teddy Layton Jazzband, Bell-Holloway Big Nine, Jupiter Jazzband, Saffron Valley Group and Nomade Group.

On January 21th, 1958 the band is on stage at the Granada of Thornton Heath (Croydon "Times and County Mail", 17 January, 1958).

Same event announced by Croydon "Times and County Mail" on 17 January.

At this point the news about the band disappeared from the newspapers. 

Despite their local notoriety, the numerous concerts they played, and the prestigious recognition they received, The Anacondas never transcended the limits of the provincial dimension to become a professional group at a national level.

In the absence of direct evidence, it's plausible that the six musicians after months of sacrifice decided to give up. So, it was probably the end of The Anacondas, which occurred, as Glen recounted, overnight. 

The cause? A newspaper investigation in late 1957 established that there were 50,000 active skiffle bands in England... reason why.

no©2023 LucaChinoFerrari (unless you intend to make a profit. In which case, ask first)

The Anacondas Skiffle Group story: some prehistoric events before the Third Ear Band (part 2/3).

(For reading the first part of the story click HERE)

Our story about the very first known band involved Glen Sweeney is now focused on the Croydon area, where the young Glen (born Gordon) moved his first steps in the music business. In the absence of direct witnesses, it's the local press to guide us in this account...

The period is first half 1957-beginning 1958, the band The Anacondas Skiffle Group - a non-professional six musicians band who's playing in the Croydon area and becoming soon a sort of local heroes. In their repertoire there are songs as "Frankie and Johnny", "Green Back Dollar" and the teenagers favourite "Puttin' on the Style".

Local news reports inform us that on April 12, 1957 the Anacondas play at the Park Lane Jazz Club of Coydon, located at the Park Lane Ballroom, with on the same bill the Dick Charlesworth Jazzband (Croydon "Times and County Mail", 12 April 1957).

Three days later, on Monday 15 April, for the Bank Holiday Monday they are at the same club playing with two other bands, Seth Marsh Jazzband and Saffron Valley Band.

 

On May 11, the Anacondas play at the Streatham Baths for the Communist Party (!). It is announced by "The News" (the Streatham local newspaper) the day before.

 

 

In June, the Croydon Jazz Club, sponsored by the local Croydon "Times and County Mail" newspaper, launches a competition for young skiffle bands called "The Amateur Skiffle Group Competition" in which eight bands participate. 

The event is featured by the "Times and County Mail" on the 14th in an article entitled "Winning skifflers will receive cup and cash":

 

It's June 22, 1957. That night at the Croydon Civic Hall, in front of about 800 young fans, it's really the Anacondas who win. 

It is reported in the Croydon "Times and County Mail" a week later on June 28 with an extensive report:

 

 

On the same page, an article goes into the facts of the evening:

 

The effect on press and public is immediate, and from then on they will be invited often to play in the surrounding area.

 

A rare photo of the band with Glen Sweeney sitting front center.

 

(to be continued)

no©2023 LucaChinoFerrari (unless you intend to make a profit. In which case, ask first)

The Anacondas Skiffle Group story: the Stone Age of Glen Sweeney and the Third Ear Band (part 1/3).

Historiographical Background

It is well known that Glen Sweeney's musical beginnings date back to the 1950s and were consummated in the area of Croydon, Surrey, where he was born in 1924.
The percussionist rarely went into the details of that season, preferring by far to gloss over the period when, in the early 1960s, he moved in search of his fortune to London, where he found work as a busker, dishwasher, and clerk in antique stores in Soho (in one of those stores he met, his colleague, Carolyn Looker, a lifelong companion). Turner in modern jazz groups first, free jazz later, without great fortunes, playing in "terrible places" (his words), "strange clubs that I'm sure were run by white slave traders. I used to play with a pianist and bass player. I always had a quartet that was "rehearsing" but they always collapsed before they actually got off the ground." (1)

As for his beginnings, almost nothing. A few vague words even to Carolyn or lifelong friend Steve Pank. I also attempted to elaborate on his early musical experiences with him, but he considered them irrelevant, of little interest. Only a hint of militancy in a Skiffle band, where he played washboard. Aptitude confirmed in interviews with the press, to which he would simply say, “like most people on the scene today, I started with Skiffle in a very suburban basis. I was washboard king of Croydon and that sort of area. But that died one weekend when there were about 5,000 skiffle groups and only eight gigs.” (2)

Or, in what is probably the longest and most in-depth interview, provoked by interviewer Nigel Cross:“(…) I as totally into the scene – jazz drums – when a couple of guys I knew did an interval at a club I was hanging out at and their washboard player cracked up under the strain. I immediately leapt in, sussing I simple it must be and became moderately famous overnight because it was only local talent; it wasn’t difficult to do. (...)”

 

The Anacondas: Glen Sweeney to the far left.

Cross: Tell me more about the Anacondas band?

Sweeney: “It came and went. One of the high spots was residency at the Driftbridge Hotel in Reigate, because it was local. We used to play there every Sunday and pull a decent crowd, because we were ethnic skiffle – we played the actual band’s numbers. This was were I met Ginger Baker – we were doing the interval when Ginger was playing with some trad band – Charlesworth – after we’d done out set, and Ginger came up to me and threatened to do me over for doing all his band’s numbers! After that I really got to know the guy and he was great! What happened with Skiffle was – one Saturday or Sunday it ended! I’ve no idea what happened – I think the scene got so full of Skiffle groups that it just killed itself.” (3) 

 

 

New materials surfaced!

When by now the history of the Anacondas seemed dead and buried, destined for absolute oblivion, in January 2023 thanks to the Facebook pages dedicated to the band by friend Mirco Delfino (https://www.facebook.com/third.ear.band/), Chris Shields, Sweeney's nephew, came forward and posted an old photo of the Anacondas, apparently colorized from the original black-and-white, and a business card of guitarist and leader John Hall on the back of which are listed (with writing that looks like Sweeney's) the names of the musicians: 

 

John Hall - guitar and vocals

Alan Carder - harmonica 

Norman Strong - guitar

Colin Burrons - banjo

Gordon (Glen) - washboard 

Roy Bance - tube bass 

 

Only clue, the nephew's comment: "Old picture of my uncle, on washboard, first band he had. They won the Tommy Steele skiffle group cup."

 

 

Notes: 

(1) "Me and my Music. Glen Sweeney: Third Ear Band", in
"Disc & Music Echo", 11 April 1970.

(2) As above.

(3) N. Cross, "The Return of the Acid Prankster. Glen Sweeney tells the Third Ear Story", in "Unhinged", Summer 1990. 

 

 (to be continued)

Read part two at: 

https://ghettoraga.blogspot.com/2023/10/the-anacondas-skiffle-group-story-some.html

 

no©2023 LucaChinoFerrari (unless you intend to make a profit. In which case, ask first)