Jean Van den Bosch, guitarist and vocalist, was one of the original three members of The Vipers Skiffle Group

The Vipers Skiffle Group

The Vipers Skiffle Group – later known simply as The Vipers - were one of the leading British groups during the skiffle period of the mid to late 1950s, and were important in the careers of radio and television presenter Wally Whyton, coffee bar manager Johnny Martyn, wire salesman Jean Van den...

 along with Wally Whyton

Wally Whyton

Wallace Victor "Wally" Whyton was a British musician, songwriter and radio and TV personality.Born in London, England, Whyton grew up listening to jazz, blues and folk music, and learned to play first the piano, then trombone, and finally guitar...

 and Johnny Martyn

Johnny Martyn

Johnny Martyn, born Johnny Martyn Booker , was a musician and coffee bar manager. He was one of the original members of The Vipers Skiffle Group. Fellow musician and Vipers member Wally Whyton were members of The Original Soho Skiffle Group...

. They were later joined by Tony Tolhurst on bass

Bass (instrument)

Bass describes musical instruments that produce tones in the low-pitched range. They belong to different families of instruments and can cover a wide range of musical roles...

 and John Pilgrim on percussion and washboard

Washboard

A washboard is a tool designed for hand washing clothing. With mechanized cleaning of clothing becoming more common by the end of the 20th century, the washboard has become better known for its originally subsidiary use as a musical instrument....

. Originally a wire salesman before he joined, Van den Bosch left the group in 1958. He was described by fellow Viper, John Pilgrim, as having a "deep baritone voice and percussive guitar style"

Sources

• 45-rpm.org.uk, Vipers
• All Media Guide, "The Vipers Skiffle Group", Popular Artist Biographies. Answers.com 10 December 2009.
• MSN Music, The Vipers
• Pilgrim, John, Johnny Booker: Lead singer with the Vipers, The Independent
  The Independent
  The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
  
  , 26 March 2007