If you were to ask current music fans what they know about Johnny Duncan, most would either not recognize the name or would think of the country music star who first rose to prominence in the 1970s. But there was an earlier Johnny Duncan and his story makes for a fascinating tale, one that involves early rock and roll, the Beatles, and something called skiffle.
It's a story that starts with Duncan's Depression-era birth, which — depending on the source — was either in Tennessee or Michigan. What is for sure is that he was drafted and sent to England in the early 1950s, where he met and married a pretty local girl. Eventually he and his new wife returned to the States, but Duncan's English rose seemed to wilt so far from home and they ended up going back in England.
Duncan's musical side was beginning to appear by then, and he began trying to make a living playing and singing bluegrass-flavored country music for British audiences. He helped sell himself by affecting a broad Southern accent and claiming experience with Bill Monroe's bluegrass group. He began to attract some fans and was also noticed by bandleader Chris Barber, who had recently lost budding skiffle star Lonnie Donegan to a solo career.
Donegan would go on to become the "king of skiffle," but maybe we should pause here for a definition. Wikipedia puts it this way: "Skiffle [is] a type of folk music with jazz, blues and country influences, usually using homemade or improvised instruments...as well as more conventional instruments such as acoustic guitar and banjo."
And Merriam-Webster adds that is is "a derivative form of music formerly popular in Great Britain featuring vocals with a simple instrumental accompaniment."
Article comments
1 - life of the beatles
Interesting - I hadn't heard of him, but it's quite possible the Beatles were influenced by his early skiffle records. The Beatles also of course knew Chris Barber, whose band recorded McCartney's "Cat Call."
2 - Patrick Baker
Hi,
My grandmother, Elizabeth Duncan, was Johnny's cousin and knew him as a boy. I can confirm that he raised in Oliver Springs, TN on Windrock Mountain. His father, Columbus Duncan, worked in the mines there and after his parents divorced his mother, Ruth Duncan, who lived in Knoxville, would often go up to visit him and his brothers along with my grandmother. My grandmother recalls seeing him play guitar and sing as a teenager before he moved away. His mother later moved to Michigan and my grandmother thinks that some of the boys may have moved there with her.
3 - bruce melton
johnny is my cousin, i was born in wind rock,my dads sister was his mother.i also play guitar and sing,i played in a band in the sixtys.i never got to meet him,but i have wanted to be like him sence i was 8 years old.i now live in crossville tn