By April 1956, less than two years after its formation in July 1954, Chris Barber’s Jazz Band was well on its way to becoming Britain’s top musical attraction. Several popular LPs and EPs had been recorded, and the band was continually touring the country as well as appearing frequently at multi-band recital concerts at London’s prestigious Royal Festival Hall. This culminated in their first solo concert in the main RFH auditorium on Saturday 28th April 1956.

By this time the skiffle craze was in full swing, encouraging banjo player, guitarist and vocalist Lonnie Donegan to set out on his own. Bassist Micky Ashman left at more or less the same time as Donegan: their replacements were Dick Smith on bass, Dick Bishop on banjo and guitar, and Johnny Duncan in the skiffle group. Dick Bishop also played in the re-constituted Chris Barber Skiffle Group.

As we note below, this mid-1956 lineup of the band made comparatively few recordings, but one of them – Petite Fleur – became a surprise international hit, reaching the Top 10 in the United States, laying the foundation for several successful North American tours over the next few years.