Pete Appleby - Drums 1961, BACK TO THE HILLMAN MAIN PAGE NOTE: He also wrote the song and first released it in 1959, to no success. WebLonnie Donegan Pop - Released by Castle Communications on 1/01/1985 16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo Starting at $117.99 My Old Man's A Dustman - The Singles As & Bs 1954 - 1961 Lonnie Donegan Vocal Music (Secular and Sacred) - Released by Jasmine Records on 10/12/2012 16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo Starting at $18.99 Talking Guitar Blues: The Very Best Of Rock Island Line - The Singles Anthology 1955-1967, Looney Tunes: 24 Greatest Stars, 24 Greatest Tunes, Anthems in Eden: An Anthology of British & Irish Folk 1955-1978, Young Persons Guide to Music: Songs You Should Hear, Robert Palmer: Deep Blues a list of mentioned musicians and songs, Number TWO across the nation - UK singles - The 50's (So Close and So Frustrating), The Best of Rock: The Essential CD Guide, by Alan Clayson, There were Mammoths when The pyramids were built moments in music, Bands from Europe that sound like they're from Mississippi. The details on the right-hand side refer to the CD in the Bear Family 8-CD set More Than Pye in the Sky and also to other items in my own collection. He moved with his mother to London at an early age, after his parents divorced. The three laid down four or five songs while the producer was away, and one of the songs chosen from among those five for the album was "Rock Island Line." Another compelling glimpse of the group can be found in the British jukebox movie The Six-Five Special (1957), based on the popular television series of the period, in which Donegan rips through a killer live rendition of "Jack 'O Diamonds," as well as a fine cover of Woody Guthrie's "The Grand Coulee Dam." Frankie and Johnny 5. c.November, 1957 Pinewood Film Studios, Bucks. By 1980, he was making regular concert appearances again, and a new album with Barber followed. Complete discography, ratings, reviews and more. Lonnie Donegan was born on 29 April 1931 in Glasgow, Scotland, UK. While Donegan was racking up hits -- "Bring a Little Water, Sylvie" (number seven), "Don't You Rock Me, Daddy-O" (number four), "Cumberland Gap (number six), and "Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavor On the Bedpost Overnight?" Nobody Loves Like An Irishman Lonnie Donegan | Discography | Discogs Before the smoke cleared, "Rock Island Line" also managed to reach the Top 20 in America, a major feat for a British artist at that time. If anyone has additions or corrections Id be pleased to know of them. It was country & western and blues records, especially those by Frank Crumit and Josh White, that really attracted Donegan's interests. He was the first British male singer with two US top 10 hits. Plus Review. Tom Dooley (Nov - 1958) As "Rock Island Line" took the country by storm, Decca suddenly had one of the bigger -- and most wholly unexpected -- hits in its history up to that time. Heart surgery in 1992 slowed Donegan down again, but by the end of the year he was touring once again with Chris Barber. Three years later he was the resident lead guitarist on producer Jack Goods groundbreaking TV show Boy Meets Girls. In 1949, he was drafted into the British Army. Please enable Donegan was suddenly a star, with a public that wanted more music from him. To look at Lonnie Donegan today, in pictures taken 40 years ago when he was topping the British charts and hitting the Top Ten in America, dressed in a suit, his hair cut short and strumming an acoustic guitar, he looks like a musical non-entity. The word, according to Donegan, was suggested by Ken Colyer's brother Bill, who remembered an outfit called the Dan Burley Skiffle Group, based in Chicago in the '40s. Putting On The Style The Chris Barber Jazz Band had not played before 60,000 people in their whole history, and a phenomenon was obviously afoot. WebScottish-born singer and guitarist who was the greatest star of skiffle, the souped-up folk style that predated British rock & roll. Lazy John. The man extending the invitation was Chris Barber, himself an aspiring young jazzman. On one occasion they opened for the blues musician Lonnie Johnson at the Royal Festival Hall. In six months, "Rock Island Line" sold three million copies, 50 times the initial sales of the album it came from, an extraordinary figure in anyone's accounting. He'd left the Barber band by then -- though Barber continued to play on his records into the middle of the following year -- enticed into a solo career by offers of huge amounts of money to embark on a solo performing career. (number three and number five in the U.S.) all in less than three years -- thousands of skiffle groups were springing up all over England. To look at Lonnie Donegan today, in pictures taken 40 years ago when he was topping the British charts and hitting the Top Ten in America, dressed in a suit, his hair cut short and strumming an acoustic guitar, he looks like a musical non-entity. Nov 20/21, 1998 Whitla Hall, Belfast (The Skiffle Sessions with Van Morrison, Chris Barber, et al), I Know Where I'm Going unissued LD9 C C Rider (Going Down The Road) " LD9, She Was Big, She Was Blonde, She Was Beautiful " LD9. Donegan heard it all, even -- by his own admission -- stole a couple, and absorbed every note. His taste in jazz went toward Louis Armstrong and Gene Krupa. Wright, a jazz player devoted to Django Reinhardt, proved to be one of the best blues axemen in England at the time, while Ashman and Nichols made up an exceptionally tight rhythm section. By mid-1958, however, skiffle was waning rapidly as a commercial sound, but Donegan continued to appear on the charts right into 1962. Donegan was born as Anthony James Donegan in Glasgow, Scotland, the son of a professional violinist. They delve into blues, letting Barber have a Dixieland trombone solo on "Frankie and Johnny," invite Dr. John to play some New Orleans on "Goin' Home" and "Good Morning Blues," haul out Jimmie Rodgers ' "Muleskinner Blues" and Leadbelly 's "Goodnight Irene," paying tribute to both country and folk. (number three and number five in the U.S.) all in less than three years -- thousands of skiffle groups were springing up all over England. WebMore Than "Pye in the Sky" Review. Before long, he was working backwards from Josh White to Blind Lemon Jefferson, Bessie Smith, and Leadbelly, among others, and by the end of the '40s, Donegan was as literate in American blues as anyone born in England. Donegan was a pivotal figure in the British Invasion due to his influence in the US in the late 1950s. Cumberland Gap The album, New Orleans Joy, featured songs representative of the group's live set, including a selection from Donegan's skiffle repertory -- the skiffle group, consisting of Donegan, Barber on bass, and their friend Beryl Bryden playing rhythm on washboard, recorded its vocal numbers only after arguing vociferously with the Decca producer, who wanted an instrumental number. 2023 XANDRIE SA - 45 rue de Delizy, 93692 Pantin CEDEX, France. LONNIE DONEGAN DISCOGRAPHY compiled by Dave Moore, Cake Walkin Babies (instrum.) Donegan had never even held a banjo before but agreed to come to the audition, then bought a banjo and tried to fake his way through the try-out. The first band he ever played in was the trad jazz band led by Chris Barber, who approached him on a train asking him if he wanted to audition for his group. Listen to Lonnie Donegan in unlimited on Qobuz and buy the albums in Hi-Res 24-Bit for an unequalled sound quality. Aint You Glad Youve Got Religion. Rock Island Line John Henry The next month he was at Abbey Road Studios in London cutting a song for EMI's Columbia label. What's more, his music, like that of Presley and Haley, was vital to the early musical careers and future histories of the Beatles, the Stones, and hundreds of other groups. Colyer quit the group early in 1954, and Barber took over the leadership. Returning to the UK, Donegan recorded his debut album, Lonnie Donegan Showcase, in the summer of 1956, which featured songs by Lead Belly and Leroy Carr, plus "I'm a Ramblin' Man" and "Wabash Cannonball". The master of ceremonies at the show made a mistake in his announcement, introducing the American guitarist as "Tony Johnson" and the British banjo man as "Lonnie Donegan." 2020, Pop - Released by Weishaupt Music & Entertainment on 3 mei 2017, Country - Released by Master Tape Records on 10 okt. Donegan cut his first album, Showcase, in the summer of 1956, featuring songs by bluesmen Leadbelly and Leroy Carr, not to mention moody traditional blues like "I'm a Ramblin' Man" and A.P. Among those he worked with during this period was future Moody Blues guitarist-singer Justin Hayward. Press control & F buttons together, put in song title or part of, then find. Donegan was only paid a few pounds for the recording, and received no royalties. AllMusic relies heavily on JavaScript. A above March 1958 sessions, Pye Studios, London, Baby Don't You Know That's Love unissued CD3, c.October 1958 poss Pye Studios, London (Les Bennetts, gtr), Lonnie's Skiffle Party - Pt.1 N 15165 CD3, Bewildered ("Relax with Lonnie") NEP 24107 CD3, c.November 1958 Scottish TV Studios, Glasgow, Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour N 15181, P 2042107 CD4, My Only Son Was Killed In Dublin (Dying Rebel) unissued CD4, Battle Of New Orleans ("ruddy British") N 15206 LD2, Battle Of New Orleans ("bloomin' British") N 15206 CD4, c. early September, 1959 Royal Aquarium, Great Yarmouth, September 10/11, 1959 Pye Studios, London (Clyde Valley Stompers), October 22, 1959 Pye Studios, London ("Lonnie Rides Again"), Talking Guitar Blues (British version) N 15237 CD4, c.February 1960 Gaumont Cinema, Doncaster, My Old Man's A Dustman (alt) Polydor 2042 107 LD8, March 5, 1960 New York City ("Yankee Doodle Donegan"), Nobody Understands Me NEP 24127, Atl 2063 CD5, March 10, 1960 New York City (George Barnes, gtr), Sorry, But I'm Gonna Have To Pass NEP 24127, Atl 2123 CD5, Black Cat (Crossed My Path Today) N 15312 CD5, c.August 1961 Winter Gardens Pavilion Theatre, Blackpool, I'll Never Fall In Love Again N 15446 CD6, I'll Never Fall In Love Again (alt) unissued CD6, c.May 1962 Pye Studios, London ("Sing Hallelujah") (Denny Wright, gtr), Good News, Chariot's A'Comin' NPL 18073 CD6, Noah Found Grace In The Eyes Of The Lord " CD6, c.November 1962 poss Brighton, Sussex (w. Max Miller), Cajun Joe (The Bully of the Bayou) (F639) Hick 1345 CD7, Fisherman's Luck (F640) N 15679, Hick 1267 CD7, Louisiana Man (F641) N 15893, Hick 1299 CD7, Interstate Forty (alt) (F642) NPL 18126 CD7, There's A Big Wheel (F644) N 15679, Hick 1267 CD7, Lovey Told Me Goodbye (F647) Hick 1299 CD7, c. early 1965 IBC or Marquee Studios, London ("The Folk Album"), Where In This World Are We Going " , N 15993 CD7, c.June 1965 IBC or Marquee Studios, London, c.October 1966 poss London (Joe Brown, bjo), Who Knows Where The Time Goes " ,F12984 LD1, Come To Australia (Great Uncle Albert Is Dead) Intercord 145001 LP, Jump Down, Turn Around (Pick A Bale of Cotton) Ariola 12604 LD5, 1974 Peer Studios, Hamburg, Germany ("Lonnie Donegan Meets Leinemann"), Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour " LP, 1975 Peer Southern Studio ("Lonnie Donegan Meets Leinemann - Country Roads"), 1975 Bonn, Germany (Chris Barber Great Reunion Concert), June 5, 1975 Fairford Hall, Croydon ("The Great Reunion Album"), Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour Intercord 145 001 LP, Hit Me Across The Head With A Spoon Mama " LP, March 2, 1977 Air Recording Studios, Oxford St., London (Wrigley's Jingles), 1981 ("The Shakin' Pyramids & Lonnie Donegan" EP), June 5, 1981 ("Lonnie Donegan Jubilee Concert"), 1984 ("Hooked On Number Ones - 100 Non-stop Hits"), 1987 (Monty Sunshine - "Mama Don't Allow"), Ma, He's Making Eyes At Me Pinorrekk HB-P-7012, Issued 1998 ("Muleskinner Blues") (with Van Morrison *), This album was originally called Rock Island Line Rolls On. Diggin My Potatoes / Bury My Body (1956) . Each of those was a success, and eventually "Rock Island Line" came up as a 45 rpm release. He turned to a music hall style with "My Old Man's a Dustman" which was not well received by skiffle fans, or in an attempted but ultimately unsuccessful American release by Atlantic in 1960, but it reached number one in the UK Singles Chart. By mid-1958, however, skiffle was waning rapidly as a commercial sound, but Donegan continued to appear on the charts right into 1962. Suddenly, his manager was getting offers of $1500 a week for concert appearances in cities from Cleveland to New York -- that in a day when $800 was a year's wage in England to people of Donegan's generation. WebIt was over half a century ago in 1958, as Lonnie Donegan was ruling the charts with Rock Island Line, that Joe joined his first band, the Spacemen Skiffle Group, at the age of 17. Each of those was a success, and eventually "Rock Island Line" came up as a 45 rpm release. A new version of Last.fm is available, to keep everything running smoothly, please reload the site. With three Number 1s (Cumberland Gap, Gamblin Man/ Putting On The Style, My Old Mans A Dustman) as well as having hits that peaked at every position in the Top 10. 2 (Aug. 22/23, 1956 Becky Deen 11. Pete Huggett - Bass, Strings 1958 Donegan went on to make a series of popular records with successes including "Cumberland Gap" and, particularly "Does Your Chewing Gum Lose It's Flavour (On The Bedpost Over Night)", his only hit song in the U.S., released on Dot. In 1976, however, after another series of shows and recordings in Germany, Donegan suffered a heart attack that left him sidelined, and he moved to California to recuperate. He began playing guitar around London, and going to the small jazz clubs springing up around the city. WebLonnie made his chart debut in January 1956 with Rock Island Line. B Donegan's group had a flexible line-up, but was generally formed by Denny Wright or Les Bennetts (of Les Hobeaux and Chas McDevitt's skiffle groups) playing lead guitar and singing harmony vocals, Micky Ashman or Pete Huggett - later Steve Jones - on upright bass, Nick Nichols - later Pete Appleby and Mark Goodwin - on drums or percussion and Donegan playing acoustic guitar or banjo and singing the lead. BINGO! Putting On The Style. Currie was not only more folk oriented than Wright, but also wrote songs, although Wright would turn up on Donegan sessions as late as 1965. In 1976, however, after another series of shows and recordings in Germany, Donegan suffered a heart attack that left him sidelined, and he moved to California to recuperate. Add 1: In the early fifties after Donegan was demobbed from National Service he joined Chris Barber and Ken Colyer and others called Ken Colyer's Jazzmen which consisted of Ken Colyer (trumpet), Chris Barber (trombone), Monty Sunshine (clarinet), Lonnie Donegan (banjo), Jim Bray (bass) Dickie Bishop (Guitar) and Ron Bowden (drums). Aint No More Cane On The Brazos. He began playing guitar around London, and going to the small jazz clubs springing up around the city. He got something more valuable from it than money, however, for "Rock Island Line" was credited to "The Lonnie Donegan Skiffle Group." In 1952, he formed the Tony Donegan Jazzband, which played around London. On 28 June 1952 at the Royal Festival Hall they opened for the blues musician Lonnie Johnson. Donegan adopted his first name as a tribute. He used the name at a concert at the Royal Albert Hall on 2 June 1952. New artists, most notably Tommy Steele and, later, Cliff Richard, started out playing skiffle music and put their own stamp on the material before moving on to other sounds. The name "skiffle" was hung on this music as a way of referring to it on the group's posters. Nick Nicholls - Drums 1956 His bluff didn't work but the mix of personalities did, and he was in Barber's first band. Dick Bishop - Guitars, Vocals 1955 More concert tours followed, along with a move from Florida to Spain. How Long How Long Blues The master of ceremonies at the show made a mistake in his announcement, introducing the American guitarist as "Tony Johnson" and the British banjo man as "Lonnie Donegan." The Chris Barber Jazz Band had not played before 60,000 people in their whole history, and a phenomenon was obviously afoot. ), BBC Radio, London, April 18, 1955 "Jazz Club", BBC Radio, London, May 9, 1955 "Jazz Club", BBC Radio, London, (In The Evening) When The Sun Goes Down CD8, May 19, 1955 IBC Studios, London ("Backstairs Session"), Harmonica Blues (CB hca) Polygon unissued CD1, January 9, 1956 "Jazz Club", BBC Radio, London, January 11, 1956 IBC Studios, London ("Skiffle Session"), The Ballad Of Jesse James (DB vcl) Nixa NJE1017 CD1, ?? Singles. The family, which moved to East London in 1933, had no desire to see him go into a dead-end profession. This is a preliminary attempt at a chronological discography. Suddenly, his manager was getting offers of $1500 a week for concert appearances in cities from Cleveland to New York -- that in a day when $800 was a year's wage in England to people of Donegan's generation. The single had a 22-week run on the English charts, peaking at number eight. He was an actor and composer, known for. More concert tours followed, along with a move from Florida to Spain. It was through BBC broadcasts around 1946 that Donegan first started learning to play songs like "Frankie and Johnny," "Putting on the Style," and "House of the Rising Sun." The record was a hit, racking up sales in the hundreds of thousands. Dixie Darling 4. WebLonnie Donegan & His Skiffle Group albums and discography on AllMusic including all best, old, and new album information. He is referred to as the "King of Skiffle" and is often cited as a large influence on the generation of British musicians who became famous in the 1960s. Bob Watson - Vocals 1955, Lonnie Donegan - Guitars, Vocals, Banjo Donegan had 31 UK top 30 hit singles, 24 were successive hits and three were number one. In 1976, however, after another series of shows and recordings in Germany, Donegan suffered a heart attack that left him sidelined, and he moved to California to recuperate. In 1967, His song "I'll Never Fall In Love Again" was a #1 US,#4 UK Pop hit for, ("Mule Skinner Blues", "Ham 'N' Eggs", "Nobody's Child", "Ham 'N' Eggs"), ("(It Looks Like) I'll Never Fall in Love Again"), (" (It Feels Like) I'll Never Fall in Love Again"), ? 's://ssl':'://www')+'.google-analytics.com'+'/siteopt.js?v=1&utmxkey='+k+'&utmx='+(x?x:'')+'&utmxx='+(xx?xx:'')+'&utmxtime='+new Date().valueOf()+(h? As "Rock Island Line" took the country by storm, Decca suddenly had one of the bigger -- and most wholly unexpected -- hits in its history up to that time. http://lonniedonegan.webs.com/pagelinkindex.htm,