Lonnie Donegan Father: At the age of 71, Lonnie Donegan, the father of skiffle and the first to popularise black music, died while on tour. At the age of 24, his 1955 hits with John Henry and Leadbelly’s Rock Island Line Revolutionized the charts and the tastes of young people. “Lonnie Donegan Obituary,” by Keith Woods from Tales From The Woods. Onstage, he was a very different person. Donegan planted the seed, as I explain in my ‘Woods Awakes’ story from issue 10.
Lonnie Donegan, who died on 3 November 2002 in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, while on tour, is remembered in Tales From The Woods. The editorial board of ‘Tales From The Woods’ will never forget Lonnie’s performance at the Royal Albert Hall just before Christmas in 1999. The man completely blew us away with a spectacular, back-to-his-roots performance. He sang all of the great skiffle classics that revolutionized British popular music in the mid-1950s, backed by his own highly professional backing band and old pals like Chris Barber, Bill Wyman, and Joe Brown. He played a lot of blues, reminding them that he was the first to bring blues to a young audience decades ago.
Donegan’s success paved the way for early British blues pioneers like Alexis Korner, Cyril Davis, and others, introducing the blues to a generation of young children who would go on to form bands like the Rolling Stones, the Yardbirds, and a slew of other young outfits that fueled the early to mid-1960s blues boom. According to ‘Tales From The Woods,’ Lonnie wasn’t the first to popularise blues or Black-American folk music. He was our Bill Haley, Elvis, Lewis, or Vincent. Several of us would see Lonnie at Queen Elizabeth Hall again within a year. It wasn’t a star-studded affair, but it was entertaining nonetheless.
Lonnie Donegan, who was He?
Lonnie Donegan is a British singer-songwriter. The “King of Skiffle” impacted British pop singers in the 1960s. Before The Beatles, he was Britain’s most popular and influential music artist, receiving an MBE in 2000. (which article, incidentally, can be found on our website should you feel the need to reacquaint yourself). I used to sing “Rock Island Line” with my pal Roger, who was pretending to play the guitar (the first air guitarist?). Before Gene Vincent’s appearance on ‘Boy Meets Girl,’ Lonnie left me ‘All Shook Up.’
The Chris Barber Jazz Band was formed on May 31, 1954, after Barber and Donegan’s more creative approach clashed with Colyer’s jazz purity. They followed up with the release of New Orleans Joy. Barber requested that Donegan’s skiffle tunes be included in the CD. Before Decca grudgingly published ‘Rock Island Line’ in 1956 with Beryl Brydon on washboard, a couple of instrumentals from the album were released as singles. Donegan’s rendition of Leadbelly’s song reached the top of the charts on both sides of the Atlantic. The next year, Donegan toured the United States with the Johnny Burnette Trio (Johnny, Dorsey, and Paul Burlinson).
Donegan formed the Anthony Donegan Jazz Band after becoming proficient on the guitar and banjo. He supported himself by delivering for a photographer. He played with early jazz lovers such as trombonist Chris Barber, trumpeter Ken Colyer, and clarinetist Monty Sunshine as an enthusiastic amateur, but this came to an end when Donegan was called up for National Service in 1949. Even so, he continued to play and joined The Wolverines, a military jazz band. Thousands of skiffle bands formed in the United Kingdom. Lonnie’s recordings of ‘Lost John,’ ‘Cumberland Gap,’ ‘Bring A Little Water Sylvie,’ and ‘Battle Of New Orleans’s outlasted the brief skiffle trend.
What is the Tom Jones song by Lonnie Donegan?
In 1967, Tom Jones and Elvis Presley covered I’ll Never Fall In Love Again by Lonnie Donegal. The relatives of Peter Donegan witnessed his audition for The Voice. The first episode aired on January 5, 2019. Only Tom Jones turned against him because of their odd friendship. Lonnie had 31 UK Top 30 singles, three of which were #1. The first British male vocalist to have two Top 10 successes in the United States. His songs include Rock Island Line, Gamblin’ Man, Midnight Special, Battle of New Orleans, and My Old Man’s a Dustman.
The influence of first-generation British Rock’n’Roll acts was and still is, evident; for example, Marty Wilde appeared on the television show ‘The Good Old Days,’ which was based on a turn-of-the-century music hall (the series ran for a vast number of years through the Sixties and Seventies); Joe Brown’s persona is as much a part of his persona as his love of country music and Rock’n’Roll; Wee Donegan’s case was This side of him was already visible in 1957 with the comical hit ‘Puttin’ On The Style,’ and even more so in 1959 with the song ‘Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour On The Bedpost Overnight,’ which reached number three in the United Kingdom and number five in the United States. ‘My Old Man’s A Dustman’ was the number one song for four weeks in 1960.
‘Pick A Bale Of Cotton,’ his penultimate hit, was released in 1962; the follow-up, a lighthearted duet with Max Miller (the Cheeky Chappie), was a flop. The man who brought the blues to the young was lost to cabaret and pantomime when the British blues boom emerged from smoky clubs and into the mainstream. (www.coloradoriveradventures.com) Lonnie went to Lake Tahoe in 1976, when he had his first heart attack and required open-heart surgery, delaying his return to the stage for the first time in 25 years. Ronnie Wood, Rory Gallagher, Brian May, and Elton John were persuaded by Adam Faith to create a comeback album in 1978.
When are we going to see Peter?
Peter will return for the final round of The Voice. It hasn’t been announced when it will air on ITV. Peter Donegan, the son of Lonnie Donegan, who wrote a song for Tom Jones in the 1960s, got emotional during his audition for The Voice 2019. The son of late British singer Lonnie Donegan, Peter Donegan, auditioned for The Voice. Tom Jones was Peter’s only ally, and the two formed an unbreakable friendship. Tom inquired about Peter’s relationship with Lonnie Donegan. When Peter confirmed he was, Tom alerted the crowd and coaches Olly Murs, Jennifer Hudson, and Will. I concur with Lonnie.
Legacy
On his 2004 album Shangri-La, Mark Knopfler included the song “Donegan’s Gone” as a homage to Donegan. His sons starred in a Donegan-inspired musical. Lonnie D was the title of the Chas & Dave tribute song that opened the programme. Peter Donegan formed a band to promote his father’s music, and he has since joined his father’s band, which includes Eddie Masters on bass. Their 2009 album was titled “Here We Go Again.” For the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, Anthony Donegan, Donegan’s eldest son, put together a band and performed “World Cup Willie.” The song “Katherine of Oregon” by Al Stewart is a homage to Donegan. Donegan or a composite of him is described in “Class of ’58.”
Is there an Instagram account for Peter Donegan?
Peter Donegan’s Twitter handle is @peterdonegan1983. Puttin’ on the Smile was recorded with “Lenny Goonagain,” who travels to Brighton and discovers a “obscure folk melody at the top of the American hit parade,” re-records it, and becomes the UK’s number one. During the Tonight Show spat between Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien, David Letterman referred to Jimmy Fallon as “Lonnie Donegan.” Judy Garland is played by Judy Donegan in the 2019 film. He permits her to perform once more in the final (fictitious) scene.
