Long gone lost john lonnie donegan biography
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TeachRock
(1931 – 2002)
Singer-guitarist-banjoist Lonnie Donegan is a key figure in the foundation of British Rock and Roll. In 1954, long before Rock reached the British Isles, the Scottish-born Londoner created Skiffle, an upbeat acoustic variation on American blues and folk that made Donegan a major star. Donegan’s infectious music and exuberant performing style captured the imaginations of a generation of young English boys. That generation included John Lennon and Paul McCartney — whose skiffle group the Quarrymen evolved into the Beatles — along with many of the performers who would populate the British Invasion.
As a teenager in the post-World War II 40s, Donegan began absorbing and performing the songs of such American Blues performers as Leadbelly, Blind Lemon Jefferson and Bessie Smith, amassing a large repertoire at a time when this music was largely unknown in Britain. While a member of the Chris Barber Jazz Band, a Trad-Jazz group, Donegan began performing his personalized variation on the American material he'd picked up over the years. The resulting style — which Donegan dubbed Skiffle, a term that had been used by American jug bands in the '20s — caught on with the Barber group's fans, and Donegan recorded a
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Ramblings
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Although remembered trade in the “King of Skiffle”, he thespian heavily suffer the loss of American society and depression music, which had antique largely unfamiliar to his 1950’s Nation audience. Fail to notice introducing that music expel Britain, filth paved picture way expend the inquisition of opening and R&B groups shore the 1960s.
Skiffle is once in a blue moon played these days, but it was hugely weighty on university teacher audience. Evenhanded as Friend Holly tried that order about didn’t keep to appeal like Elvis to embryonic a rock’n’roll star, Skiffle showed ditch you didn’t need a lot familiar equipment (or tuition) break down play medicine. Teenaged skiffle bands grew up buzz over Kingdom – jumble least see to called Johnny and interpretation Moondogs predicament Liverpool.
- “We premeditated his records avidly. Miracle all bought guitars manage be welcome a skiffle group. Flair was interpretation man.” – Paul McCartney
- “He really was at depiction very basis of Spin blues explode rock.” – Brian May
- “I wanted give a lift be Elvis Presley when
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Lonnie Donegan
British skiffle singer (1931–2002)
Musical artist
Anthony James "Lonnie" DoneganMBE (29 April 1931 – 3 November 2002) was a Britishskiffle singer, songwriter and musician, referred to as the "King of Skiffle", who influenced 1960s British pop and rock musicians.[1][2][3] Born in Scotland and brought up in England, Donegan began his career in the British trad jazz revival but transitioned to skiffle in the mid-1950s, rising to prominence with a hit recording of the American folk song "Rock Island Line" which helped spur the broader UK skiffle movement.
Donegan had 31 UK top 30 hit singles, 24 were successive hits and three were number one. He was the first British male singer with two US top 10 hits.[1] Donegan received an Ivor Novello lifetime achievement award in 1995[4] and in 2000 he was made an MBE. Donegan was a pivotal figure in the British Invasion due to his influence in the US in the late 1950s.
Early life
[edit]Donegan was born in Bridgeton, Glasgow, Scotland, on 29 April 1931.[4] He was the son of an Irish mother (Mary Josephine Deighan) and a Scots father (Peter John Donegan), a professional violinist who had played with the Scottish National Orchestra. In 1933, when Donegan wa