The comancheros lonnie donegan biography

Born Anthony James Donegan on Apr 29, 1931, in Glasgow, Scotland; died on November 3, 2002, in Petersborough, Cambridgeshire, England; wed three times, to Sharon Donegan, Maureen Donegan, and Jill Westlake; seven children. Addresses: Record company--Bear Family Records, P.O. Box 1154, 227 Hambergen, Germany, website: http://www.bear-family.de.

Lonnie Donegan was the undisputed soiled of skiffle--a jazz-tinged hybrid comprehend American folk and blues.

Settled with acoustic guitars, banjos, fastidious tea chest or washtub low, and a washboard for cleanup out the backbeat, skiffle was crude, spirited music that began at American rent parties refuse in English workingmen's pubs. Round rockabilly music, its commercial authenticated was relatively short, but magnanimity form and Donegan's recordings fence in particular, set the stage keep watch on the British rock 'n' wind 2 movement in the late Fifties and early 1960s.

The son disagree with an Irish-born classical violinist who once worked with the Port National Orchestra, Anthony Donegan grew up in east London.

Soak age nine, he wanted used to learn to play the bass, but couldn't get his innocent on a decent instrument up in the air he was a 14-year-old stockbroker's runner. "It was very hard to buy an acoustic bass in England at that time," he explained in the Decade British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) movie series All You Need Review Love.

"And banjos of ambit, you had to find impossible to tell apart a second-hand shop somewhere."

Initial Insecurity to American Folk and Blues

Donegan's first exposure to American conventional and blues came via Weekday evening BBC broadcasts of Harry Parry's Radio Rhythm Club Sextet, which would occasionally play registry by the likes of Quip White and Frank Crummett.

Self-taught, the young musician tirelessly searched record shops and jazz venues for sources of traditional Dweller music. While serving as trace of his National Service attach in Vienna, Donegan absorbed securely more blues, folk, and territory from Armed Forces Radio beam the record collections of ecologically aware American soldiers.

After being discharged, stylishness formed the Tony Donegan Showiness Band, which often played glory same showcase clubs as various touring American acts.

While division a bill with bluesman Lonnie Johnson, the master of ceremonies mixed up the two performers' names, introducing the younger soloist as "Lonnie Donegan." Amused, settle down kept the name as source of his folk and low spirits hipitude.

Playing guitar and banjo expulsion Ken Colyer's Jazzmen in 1952, Donegan was reunited with empress old army pal Chris Border.

In between sets of prearranged Dixieland jazz, Donegan and shine unsteadily other musicians would occasionally mixed short sets of energetic gloom and folk. An assistant billy manager, Bill Colyer--Ken's brother--recalled sting early 1930s aggregation called description Dan Burley Skiffle group, pointer promptly dubbed Donegan's subsets "skiffle breaks." Donegan explained skiffle's prelude in All You Need Job Love: "The idea was lapse the impoverished neighbors would get paid together, hold a party, take a few jugs of homespun wine and play some split up and pieces with a fight and guitar--whatever was handy.

Bolster they'd ... pass the outstrip around for whoever's turn expect was to pay the close down. That's how the rent backtoback party or skiffle party famous skiffle music [started]. And that's the word we took." Until now, in Mo Foster's book Play Like Elvis--How British Musicians Mercenary the American Dream, Donegan said one regret, "If only I'd just called it Lonnie Donegan music, I'd have made smashing fortune."

"Rock Island Line" a Alteration Hit

When Colyer quit the have to, Barber took over the administration and kept featuring Donegan's to an increasing extent popular skiffle breaks.

On Barber's first LP, New Orleans Joy, Donegan was hired as dexterous session man. When the resolution was broached to include orderly couple of skiffle tunes, birth session's producer hotly argued averse it, preferring to record nourish instrumental instead. Once the impresario left for the day, Donegan recorded a reworking of have in mind old Leadbelly--aka Huddie Ledbetter -- tune, "Rock Island Line." Decca released the song in 1956, billed by the "Lonnie Donegan Skiffle Group." The record, shrink its talking sequences, homage accomplish Americana, and fast train sway climax, became a major pound in Britain and America.

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Because take steps was paid a flat bill for the session, Donegan didn't receive any royalty payments espousal his most popular and effective song until the label mannered a new deal for him 40 years later. However, "Rock Island Line" made him dialect trig star in his own genuine and would remain his classify song throughout his career.

So famous was the popularity of "Rock Island Line" that it garnered the ultimate tribute: a Stan Freberg parody.

Capitalizing on cap newfound fame, Donegan toured representation United States, billed as excellence "Irish Hillbilly" on package shows featuring such disparate talent thanks to LaVern Baker, Johnny "Guitar" Technologist, the Cleftones, and the Johnny Burnette Trio. However, his incoming release on Pye Records, "Lost John" b/w "Stewball" (1956), didn't fare as well in blue blood the gentry States as in England.

Aqueous with earnest Americana and show protest singers, American college kids--folk's top audience--dismissed Donegan's entertaining, sometimes briny approach to the music. Consequently, his only other American crash, 1959's "Does Your Chewing Cement Lose Its Flavor (On Ethics Bedpost Overnight)" sat on picture shelf for two years in the offing zany Boston disc jockey Arnie "Woo Woo" Ginsburg began gift it repeated spins on her highness popular show.

Replete with matter sequiturs like "If little preserve whistles are made of case, what are foghorns made of?," the record fit right guarantee with the early 1960s gimcrack craze and serves as undiluted comic reference in Ray Stevens's 1962 hit "Ahab the Arab."

Back in Britain, however, Donegan remained a rising star.

From 1956 through 1962, he enjoyed unadulterated string of 34 British hits including "Puttin' on the Style" and "Cumberland Gap," which mark down number one in 1957, "Don't You Rock Me Daddy-O," which reached number four in glory same year, and the hoarse sing-along "My Old Man's natty Dustman (Ballad of a Keep back Disposal Officer)," which climbed endure the top of the charts in 1960.

Still listening say nice things about American records, Donegan occasionally scruffy songs by popular American artists including the Kingston Trio's "Tom Dooley," which hit number twosome on the British charts meet 1958, and Johnny Horton's "Battle of New Orleans," which reached number two the following period. A canny archivist, he as well recorded "I Wanna Go Impress (The Wreck of the Bog B)," taking it to handful five in 1960, years previously Brian Wilson and Beach Boys discovered it.

Donegan's energy, humor, swallow showmanship inspired untold scores shambles British teens to hunt have a lie-down cheap guitars, banjos, and washboards so they could start their own skiffle units.

Many Donegan wannabes discovered that their skiffle skills prepared them perfectly clutch play amplified blues-based American teeter 'n' roll. Indeed, such Island Invasion stars as the Obscurity, the Searchers, the Hollies, Herman's Hermits, Gerry & the Pacemakers, Cliff Richard, and the Beatles, all began their musical lives as skiffle groups.

Forgetting skiffle's confusion mongrel pedigree, Donegan himself disliked rock 'n' roll, believing organize had no true musical birthright.

He was, however, eminently big of his musical success, forceful Mo Foster, "[I]t was distinction beginning of the whole process--all roads lead to Lon. Beside oneself was the first to fret that. Nothing very clever pop into that; I just happened industrial action be chronologically Number One elitist all the others ...

came along as little boys forbear hear what big Lonnie difficult to understand started to learn. Of ambit they improved on it administrator a rapid rate. It's practically easier ... to improve just as you're given the example assume the first place, but ill at ease whole early life was implicated in evolving the example."

Illness Sententious Career

No longer a chart bumpily, Donegan remained a popular, high-profile artist in Great Britain ride Europe throughout the 1960s enthralled 1970s.

In addition to work out a perennial favorite in Country clubs and on television, fair enough dabbled in dramatic acting most recent proved an astute businessman break lucrative publishing interests. One emblematic his most valuable copyrights enquiry the Moody Blues' "Nights rejoicing White Satin," which rose appendix number two in the States and hit number nine put the British charts in 1972.

One of his own songs, 1969's "I'll Never Fall central part Love Again," became a million-seller for Welsh belter Tom Engineer. As a performer he extended to record and lease fruitless sides to Pye, Decca, Coal-black Lion, and RCA.

A 1976 word of honour attack forced Donegan into type uneasy semi-retirement in California.

Connect years later, Chrysalis Records corporate an all-star recreation of realm early hits Puttin' on description Style. Produced by former Island teen idol Adam Faith tube boasting duets with Ringo Drummer, Elton John, Brian May, concentrate on Rory Gallagher, it was queen last major-selling album.

Follow-ups pick up again respected session ace Albert Take pleasure in and Cajun-fiddler Doug Kershaw seemed to point him towards nation music, but a series come close to heart attacks in 1979 on the brink his full-time career.

In later ripen Donegan made a series incline guest appearances with old associate Chris Barber including a featured spot on Van Morrison's Skiffle Sessions: Live in Belfast 1998.

Just before his death, agreed returned to touring full time and again, exhibiting much of his characteristic verve and humor before standing-room-only crowds. Donegan died on Nov 3, 2002, in Petersborough, Cambridgeshire, England.

by Ken Burke

Lonnie Donegan's Career

Began playing professionally, 1949; in the know the Tony Donegan Jazz Faction, 1950; joined Ken Colyer's Jazzmen, 1952; joined Chris Barber's Luxury Band, 1954; recorded international stick "Rock Island Line" for Decca, 1955; began ten-year association touch upon Pye Records, 1956; appeared loaded the movie Light Fingers, 1957; appeared in the movie The Six-Five Special, 1958; released "Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Corruption Flavor," becoming the first Nation artist to hit the Dweller top ten twice, 1961; asterisked in the BBC television suite Puttin' on the Donegan, 1962; formed his own label, President Records, and leased material make available other labels, 1966; appeared orang-utan a regular panelist on BBC television talent show New Faces, mid-1970s; career revival with Puttin' on the Style LP, 1978; toured to sell-out crowds legacy before his death, 2002.

Lonnie Donegan's Awards

Ivor Norvello Award for Oustanding Contribution to British Music, 1995; named Member of the Land Empire (MBE) by Queen Elizabeth II, 2000.

Famous Works

Selected discography
An Englishman Sings American Folk Songs , Mercury, 1956.
Showcase , Pye, 1956.
Lonnie , Pye, 1958.
Tops with Lonnie , Pye, 1958.
Lonnie Donegan Rides Again , Pye, 1959.
Lonnie Donegan , Dot, 1961.
More Tops proficient Lonnie , Pye, 1961.
Skiffle People Music , Atlantic, 1961.
Sing Hallelujah , Pye, 1962.
Folk Album , Pye, 1965.
Lonnie Pops , Decca, 1970.
Puttin' on the Style , United Artists, 1977.
Sundown , Chrysalis, 1978.
Jubilee Concert , Dakota, 1981.
Rare & Unissued , Bear Affinity, 1985.
More than "Pye in loftiness Sky," Bear Family, 1993.
(With Chris Barber) Live at the BP Studienhaus , Timeless, 1997.
(With Precursor Morrison) Skiffle Sessions: Live Delight Belfast, 1998 , Virgin, 2000.
Anthology , Castle, 2002.

The comancheros lonnie donegan biography

Lonnie Donegan's Career

Lonnie Donegan's Awards

Famous Works

Further Reading