Editing Lonnie Donegan

{{Short description|British skiffle singer (1931–2002)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2014}}
{{More citations needed|date=November 2013}}
{{Infobox musical artist  <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject Musicians -->
| name             = Lonnie Donegan
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|MBE}}
| image            = Lonnie Donegan.jpg
| caption          = Donegan in the 1970s
| background       = solo_singer
| birth_name       = Anthony James Donegan
| alias            = The King of Skiffle
| birth_date       = {{Birth date|df=yes|1931|04|29}}
| birth_place      = [[Bridgeton, Glasgow]], Scotland
| death_date       = {{Death date and age|df=yes|2002|11|3|1931|04|29}}
| death_place      = [[Market Deeping]], Lincolnshire, England
| instrument       = {{hlist|Guitar|vocals|[[banjo]]}}
| genre            = {{hlist|[[Skiffle]]|[[traditional pop]]|[[blues]]|[[Folk music|folk]]|[[Country music|country]]}}
| occupation       = {{hlist|Singer|songwriter|musician}}
| years_active     = 1949–2002
| label            = {{hlist|[[Oriole Records (UK)|Oriole]]|[[Decca Records|Decca]]|[[Nixa Records|Nixa]]|[[Pye Records|Pye]]|[[London Records|London]]|[[Atlantic Records|Atlantic]]|[[Columbia Graphophone Company|Columbia]]|[[Parlophone Records|Parlophone]]|[[RCA Records|RCA]]|[[Philips Records|Philips]]|[[Chrysalis Records|Chrysalis]]|[[United Artists Records|United Artists]]|[[Virgin Records|Virgin]]}}
}}

'''Anthony James "Lonnie" Donegan''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|MBE}} (29 April 1931 – 3 November 2002) was a British [[skiffle]] singer, songwriter and musician, referred to as the "[[Honorific nicknames in popular music#D|King of Skiffle]]", who influenced 1960s British pop and rock musicians.<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums" /><ref name=obit>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/2400229.stm |title=Entertainment &#124; 'Skiffle king' Donegan dies |work=BBC News |date=4 November 2002 |access-date=27 November 2013}}</ref><ref name=harperint>{{cite magazine |url= http://www.popmatters.com/pm/feature/64093/hats-off-an-interview-with-roy-harper/|title=Hats Off: An Interview with Roy Harper |access-date=20 October 2008 |first=Jennifer|last=Kelly |date=20 October 2008 |magazine=Pop Matters}}</ref> 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 song|hit singles]], 24 were successive hits and three were number one. He was the first British male singer with two US top 10 hits.<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums" /> Donegan received an [[Ivor Novello Awards|Ivor Novello]] lifetime achievement award in 1995<ref name="Larkin"/> and in 2000 he was made an [[Order of the British Empire|MBE]].<!--ref:  https://www.theguardian.com/news/2002/nov/05/guardianobituaries.artshttp:  //www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1412195/Lonnie-Donegan.html-->
Donegan was a pivotal figure in the [[British Invasion]] due to his influence in the US in the late 1950s.

== Early life ==
Donegan was born in [[Bridgeton, Glasgow]], Scotland, on 29 April 1931.<ref name="Larkin">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]|editor-first=Colin|editor-last=Larkin|editor-link=Colin Larkin (writer)|publisher=Virgin Books|date=1997|edition=Concise|isbn=1-85227-745-9|page=387}}</ref> 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 was aged 2, the family moved to [[East Ham]] in [[Essex]].<ref name="AMG">{{cite web |url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p8434/biography|pure_url=yes}} |title=Biography by Bruce Eder |publisher=Allmusic.com |access-date=23 June 2009}}</ref> Donegan was evacuated to [[Cheshire]] to escape [[the Blitz]] in the [[World War II|Second World War]] and attended [[St Ambrose College]] in [[Hale Barns]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.messengernewspapers.co.uk/news/10121043.did-you-go-to-school-with-lonnie-king-of-skiffles-altrincham-link/|last=Bowen|first=Rick|date=27 December 2012|title=Did you go to school with Lonnie? - king of skiffle's Altrincham link|website=Messenger|access-date=17 October 2021}}</ref> He lived for a while on [[Chiswick Mall]] in [[Middlesex]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Rock Legend to Share Memories of Growing Up in Chiswick |url=http://www.chiswickw4.com/default.asp?section=info&page=evgeorgeiv2211.htm |publisher=Chiswick W4 |access-date=14 November 2022 |date=13 November 2022}}</ref>

== Trad jazz ==
As a child growing up in the early 1940s Donegan listened mostly to [[Swing music|swing jazz]] and vocal acts, and became interested in the guitar.<ref name="AMG" /> [[Country music|Country & western]] and [[blues]] records, particularly by [[Frank Crumit]] and [[Josh White]], attracted his interest and he bought his first guitar at 14 in 1945.<ref name="AMG" /> He learned songs such as "[[Frankie and Johnny (song)|Frankie and Johnny]]", "[[Puttin' On the Style]]", and "[[The House of the Rising Sun]]" by listening to [[BBC radio]] broadcasts.<ref name="AMG" /> By the end of the 1940s he was playing guitar around London and visiting small jazz clubs.<ref name="MTV">{{cite web |url=http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/donegan_lonnie/artist.jhtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080727024945/http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/donegan_lonnie/artist.jhtml |url-status=dead |archive-date=27 July 2008 |title=Lonnie Donegan: Music Artist: Videos, News, Photos & Ringtones: MTV |first=Bruce|last=Eder |work=[[AllMusic]] |publisher=MTV |access-date=19 September 2008}}</ref>

Donegan first played in a major band after [[Chris Barber]] heard that he was a good [[banjo]] player and, on a train, asked him to audition. Donegan had never played the banjo but he bought one for the audition and succeeded more on personality than talent.<ref name="AMG" /> His stint with Barber's [[trad jazz]] band was interrupted when he was called up for [[National Service (UK)|National Service]] in 1949, but while in the army at [[Southampton]], he was the drummer in Ken Grinyer's Wolverines Jazz Band at a local pub. <!--ref: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1412195/Lonnie-Donegan.html  https://books.google.com/books?id=mvetAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT39
The band was named after the 1920s Wolverines US jazz band-->A posting to [[Vienna]] brought him into contact with American [[military personnel|troops]], and access to US records and the [[American Forces Network]] radio station.<ref name="MTV" />

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 (musician)|Lonnie Johnson]].<ref name="AMG" /> Donegan adopted his first name as a tribute. He used the name at a concert at the Royal Albert Hall on 2 June 1952.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Restless Generation|year=2007|isbn=978-0-9529540-7-1|pages=57–78|first=Pete|last=Frame|publisher=Rogan House}}</ref>

In 1953 [[cornet]]ist [[Ken Colyer]] was imprisoned in [[New Orleans]] for a visa problem. He returned to Britain and joined Chris Barber's band. They changed the name to Ken Colyer's Jazzmen and made their first public appearance on 11 April 1953 in [[Copenhagen]]. The following day, [[Chris Albertson]] recorded Ken Colyer's Jazzmen and the Monty Sunshine Trio—Sunshine, Barber, and Donegan—for [[Storyville Records]]. These were amongst Donegan's first commercial recordings.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mvetAwAAQBAJ&dq=lonnie+donegan+storyville+records&pg=PT64|title=Chapter 5 (Lonnie Donegan AND THE BIRTH OF BRITISH ROCK & ROLL - PATRICK HUMPHRIES)|isbn=9781849544764|access-date=22 October 2021|last1=Humphries|first1=Patrick|date=22 October 2012|publisher=Biteback }}</ref>

== Skiffle ==
While in [[Ken Colyer]]'s Jazzmen with [[Chris Barber]], Donegan sang and played guitar and [[banjo]] in their [[Dixieland]] set. He began playing with two other band members during the intervals, to provide what posters called a "skiffle" break, a name suggested by Ken Colyer's brother, Bill, after the [[Dan Burley]] Skiffle Group of the 1930s.<ref name="AMG" /> In 1954 Colyer left and the band became Chris Barber's Jazz Band.<ref name=MTV />

With a [[washboard (musical instrument)|washboard]], [[tea-chest bass]], and a cheap Spanish guitar, Donegan played folk and blues songs by artists such as [[Lead Belly]] and [[Woody Guthrie]].<ref name="AMG" /> This proved popular and in July 1954 he recorded a fast version of Lead Belly's "[[Rock Island Line]]",<ref name="Larkin"/> featuring a washboard but not a tea-chest bass, with "[[John Henry (folklore)|John Henry]]" on the [[A-side and B-side|B-side]].<ref name="AMG" /> It was a hit in 1956{{sfn | Price | 2010 }} (which also later inspired the creation of a full album, ''An Englishman Sings American Folk Songs'', released in America on the [[Mercury Records|Mercury]] label in the early 1960s), but because it was a band recording, Donegan made no money beyond his session fee. It was the first debut record to go [[Gold Record|gold]] in the UK, and it reached the Top Ten in the United States.<ref name="AMG" />

The Acoustic Music organisation made this comment about Donegan's "Rock Island Line": "It flew up the English charts. Donegan had synthesized American southern blues with simple acoustic instruments: acoustic guitar, washtub bass, and washboard rhythm. The new style was called '[[Skiffle]]'.... and referred to music from people with little money for instruments. The new style captivated an entire generation of post-war youth in England."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://acousticmusic.org/research/history/timeline-of-musical-styles-guitar-history/|title=Timeline of Musical Styles & Guitar History|website=Acousticmusic.org|access-date=15 July 2022}}</ref>

His next single for [[Decca Records|Decca]], "Diggin' My Potatoes", was recorded at a concert at the Royal Festival Hall on 30 October 1954.<ref name="AMG" /> Decca dropped Donegan thereafter, but within a month he was at the [[Abbey Road Studios]] in London recording for [[EMI]]'s [[Columbia Graphophone Company|Columbia]] label. He had left the Barber band, and by spring 1955, signed a [[recording contract]] with [[Pye Records|Pye]]. His next single "Lost John" reached No. 2 in the [[UK Singles Chart]].<ref name="AMG" />

He appeared on television in the United States on the ''[[Perry Como]] Show'' and the ''[[Paul Winchell]] Show''.<ref name="AMG" /> Returning to the UK, he recorded his debut album, ''[[Lonnie Donegan Showcase]]'', in summer 1956, with songs by Lead Belly and [[Leroy Carr]], plus "[[Ramblin' Man (Hank Williams song)|Ramblin' Man]]" and "[[Wabash Cannonball]]". The LP sold hundreds of thousands.<ref name="AMG" /> The skiffle style encouraged amateurs and one of many groups that followed was [[the Quarrymen]], formed in March 1957 by [[John Lennon]]. Donegan's "[[Gamblin' Man]]"/"[[Puttin' On the Style]]" single was number one in the UK in July 1957, when Lennon first met [[Paul McCartney]].<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums" /> His Skiffle rendition of [[Hank Snow]]'s Country song "[[Nobody's Child (Hank Snow song)|Nobody's Child]]" was also the inspiration for [[Tony Sheridan]]'s blues version which he recorded with [[the Beatles]] as his backing band. <ref> "It was usually Donegan with us, you know, before Elvis." {{Cite web |url=https://www.rte.ie/radio/doconone/771586-are-you-tony-sheridan |title=RTÉ Documentary on One - Are You Tony Sheridan? - The story of a self-confessed 'Irish Vagabond', with Martin Duffy, 2010-07-17 |website=Raidió Teilifís Éireann, Ireland's National Public Service Media. Rte.ie|date=29 February 2016 }}</ref>

Donegan went on to successes such as "[[Cumberland Gap (folk song)|Cumberland Gap]]" and "[[Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour (On the Bedpost Overnight?)]]",<ref name="Larkin"/> his biggest hit in the US, on [[Dot Records|Dot]].<ref name="AMG" /> He turned to [[music hall]] style with "[[My Old Man's a Dustman]]" which was not well received by skiffle fans and unsuccessful in America on [[Atlantic Records|Atlantic]] in 1960,<ref name="Larkin"/> but it reached number one in the UK.<ref name="Larkin"/> Donegan's group had a flexible line-up, but was generally [[Denny Wright]] or Les Bennetts, playing lead guitar and singing harmony, Micky Ashman or Pete Huggett—later Steve Jones—on [[upright bass]], Nick Nichols—later Pete Appleby, Mark Goodwin, and Ken Rodway on drums or percussion, and Donegan playing acoustic guitar or banjo and singing the lead.<ref name="AMG" />

His last hit single on the UK chart was his cover version of "[[Pick a Bale of Cotton]]." His fall from the chart coincided with the rise of [[The Beatles]] and the other [[beat music]] performers whom he inspired.<ref name="AMG" />

== Later career ==
Donegan recorded sporadically during the 1960s, including sessions at [[Hickory Records]] in [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]] with [[Charlie McCoy]], [[Floyd Cramer]], and [[the Jordanaires]]. After 1964 he was a record producer for most of the decade at Pye Records. [[Justin Hayward]] was one of the artists with whom he worked.<ref name="AMG" />

Donegan was not popular through the late 1960s and 1970s (although his "[[I'll Never Fall in Love Again (Lonnie Donegan song)|I'll Never Fall in Love Again]]" was recorded by [[Tom Jones (singer)|Tom Jones]] in 1967 and [[Elvis Presley]] in 1976), and he began to play the American [[cabaret]] circuit. A departure from his normal style was an [[a cappella]] recording of "[[The Party's Over (1956 song)|The Party's Over]]".{{Citation needed|date=April 2019}}

Donegan reunited with the original Chris Barber band for a concert in [[Croydon]] in June 1975. A bomb scare meant that the recording had to be finished in the studio, after an impromptu concert in the car park.{{Citation needed|date=September 2008}} The release was titled ''The Great Re-Union Album''.<ref name="AMG" /> He collaborated with [[Rory Gallagher]] on several songs, notably "Rock Island Line" with Gallagher performing most of the elaborate guitar work.{{citation needed|date=March 2024}}

He had his first heart attack in 1976 while in the United States and had [[quadruple bypass]] surgery. He returned to attention in 1978 when he recorded his early songs with [[Rory Gallagher]], [[Ringo Starr]], [[Elton John]], and [[Brian May]].<ref name="Larkin"/> The album was called ''Putting on the Style''.<ref name="AMG" /> A follow-up featuring [[Albert Lee]] saw Donegan in less familiar [[Country music|country and western]] vein. By 1980, he was making regular concert appearances again, and another album with Barber followed. In 1983, Donegan toured with [[Billie Jo Spears]], and in 1984 he made his theatrical debut in a revival of the 1920 musical ''[[Mr Cinders]]''. More concert tours followed, with a move from Florida to Spain. In 1992 he had further bypass surgery following another heart attack.<ref name="AMG" />

In 1994, the Chris Barber band celebrated 40 years with a tour with both bands. [[Pat Halcox]] was still on trumpet (a position he retained until July 2008). The reunion concert and the tour were on CD and DVD.

Donegan had a late renaissance when in 2000 he appeared on [[Van Morrison]]'s album ''[[The Skiffle Sessions – Live in Belfast 1998]]'', an acclaimed album featuring him singing with Morrison and Chris Barber, with a guest appearance by [[Dr John]]. Donegan also played at the [[Glastonbury Festival]] in 1999, and was made an [[Order of the British Empire|MBE]] in 2000.

Donegan also appeared at [[Fairport Convention]]'s [[Fairport's Cropredy Convention appearances#2001|annual music festival]] on 9 August 2001. His final CD was ''This Yere de Story''.

==Personal life==

Donegan married three times. He had two daughters (Fiona and Corrina) with his first wife, Maureen Tyler (divorced 1962), a son and a daughter (Anthony and Juanita) with his second wife, Jill Westlake (divorced 1971), and three sons (Peter, David and Andrew)<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2002/nov/05/guardianobituaries.arts|title=Obituary: Lonnie Donegan|last=Denselow|first=Robin|date=5 November 2002|work=The Guardian|access-date=7 January 2019|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> with his third wife, Sharon whom he married in 1977.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.heart.co.uk/showbiz/tv-movies/the-voice-peter-donegan-lonny-donegan|work=[[Heart (radio network)|Heart]]|title=Peter Donegan: Who is The Voice contestant? Is he Lonnie Donegan's son? Everything you need to know|date=4 February 2019|access-date=13 April 2019}}</ref> 

His son Peter Donegan started touring as his father's pianist when he was aged 18.  In 2019, Peter was a contestant on ''[[The Voice UK (series 8)|The Voice]]'', and duetted with [[Tom Jones (singer)|Tom Jones]] with the song "[[I'll Never Fall in Love Again (Lonnie Donegan song)|I'll Never Fall in Love Again]]".<ref>{{Cite web |date=5 January 2019 |title=Sir Tom Jones & Peter Donegan's 'I'll Never Fall In Love Again' {{!}}Blind Auditions{{!}} The Voice UK 2019 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bS5z-Nr3QhQ |access-date=7 January 2019 |via=[[YouTube]]}}</ref> Anthony Donegan also performs under the name, Lonnie Donegan Jr.

Donegan had cardiac problems since the 1970s and suffered several heart attacks.<ref>{{cite web |date=2 May 2002 |title='King of skiffle' in hospital |url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/arid-30048619.html |access-date=17 October 2021 |website=Irish Examiner}}</ref> He died on 3 November 2002, aged 71, after having a heart attack in [[Market Deeping]], [[Lincolnshire]] mid-way through a UK tour.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/sandiegouniontribune/obituary.aspx?n=lonnie-donegan&pid=1234628|title=Lonnie Donegan's Memoriam|newspaper=[[San Diego Union-Tribune]]|access-date=5 December 2017}}</ref> He had been before he was due to perform at a memorial concert for [[George Harrison]] with [[the Rolling Stones]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/william-stout-s-legends-of-the-british-blues-lonnie-donegan|last=Stout|first=William|date=9 May 2016|title=William Stout's Legends Of The British Blues: Lonnie Donegan|website=LOUDER – CLASSIC ROCK|access-date=17 October 2021}}</ref> 

== Legacy ==
[[Mark Knopfler]] released a tribute to Lonnie Donegan titled "Donegan's Gone" on his 2004 album, ''[[Shangri-La (Mark Knopfler album)|Shangri-La]]'', and said he was one of his greatest influences.<ref name=obit /> Donegan's music formed a musical starring his two sons. ''Lonnie D – The Musical'' took its name from the [[Chas & Dave]] tribute song which started the show. Subsequently, Peter Donegan formed a band to perform his father's material and has since linked with his father's band from the last 30 years with newcomer Eddie Masters on bass. They made an album together in 2009 titled ''Here We Go Again''. Lonnie Donegan's eldest son, Anthony, also formed his own band, as Lonnie Donegan Junior, who also performed "World Cup Willie" for the [[2010 FIFA World Cup]] in South Africa.

On his album ''[[A Beach Full of Shells]]'', [[Al Stewart]] paid tribute to Donegan in the song "Katherine of Oregon". In "Class of '58" he describes a British entertainer who is either Donegan or a composite including him.  In a 2023 video interview with Steve Houk, Stewart described 'Rock Island Line' as a record "that completely changed the complexion of English society, and changed my life and everybody else's".{{citation needed|date=March 2024}} 

[[Peter Sellers]] recorded ''Puttin' on the Smile'' featuring "Lenny Goonagain", who travels to the "[[Deep South]]" of [[Brighton]] and finds an "obscure folk song hidden at the top of the American hit parade", re-records it and reaches number one in the UK.

[[David Letterman]] pretended to try to remember [[Jimmy Fallon]]'s name during the [[2010 Tonight Show conflict|Tonight Show conflict]] between [[Jay Leno]] and [[Conan O'Brien]], calling Fallon "Lonnie Donegan."<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://ew.com/article/2010/01/20/david-letterman-jay-leno-conan-obrien/ |title=David Letterman to Jay Leno: 'Don't hang around waitin' for somebody to drop dead' |last=Bierly |first=Mandi |date=20 January 2010 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |access-date=12 November 2020}}</ref>

In the 2019 movie ''[[Judy (film)|Judy]]'', the actor [[John Dagleish]] portrays Lonnie Donegan, who replaces an ill [[Judy Garland]].  He is shown in the (entirely fictional) final scene generously allowing her to make one last appearance on stage.

=== Quotations ===
*"I'm trying to sing acceptable folk music. I want to widen the audience beyond the artsy-craftsy crowd and the pseudo intellectuals–but without distorting the music itself." ''[[NME]]'' – June 1956<ref name="NME Rock 'N' Roll Years">{{cite book |first=John |last=Tobler |year=1992 |title=NME Rock 'n' Roll Years |publisher=Reed International Books |location=London |page=27 |id=CN 5585}}</ref>
*"In Britain, we were separated from our folk music tradition centuries ago and were imbued with the idea that music was for the upper classes. You had to be very clever to play music. When I came along with the old three chords, people began to think that if I could do it, so could they. It was the reintroduction of the folk music bridge which did that." – Interview, 2002.<ref name="la times">{{cite web|last=Lewis|first=Randy|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-nov-05-me-donegan5-story.html|title=Lonnie Donegan, 71; His Music Influenced 1960s Rock Bands|website=Los Angeles Times|date=5 November 2002|access-date=27 October 2021}}</ref>
*"He was the first person we had heard of from Britain to get to the coveted No. 1 in the charts, and we studied his records avidly. We all bought guitars to be in a skiffle group. He was the man." – [[Paul McCartney]]<ref name="la times"/>
*"He really was at the very cornerstone of English blues and rock." – [[Brian May]].<ref name=obit />
*"I wanted to be [[Elvis Presley]] when I grew up, I knew that. But the man who really made me feel like I could actually go out and do it was a chap by the name of Lonnie Donegan." – [[Roger Daltrey]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.beachamjournal.com/journal/2021/04/lonnie-donegan-was-born-90-years-ago-today.html|date=29 April 2021|title=Lonnie Donegan was born 90 years ago today|website=Frank Beacham's Journal|access-date=27 October 2021|archive-date=27 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211027201202/https://www.beachamjournal.com/journal/2021/04/lonnie-donegan-was-born-90-years-ago-today.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*"Remember, Lonnie Donegan started it for you." – [[Jack White (musician)|Jack White's]] acceptance speech at the [[Brit Awards]].<ref name="John Peel autobio">{{cite book |first=John |last=Peel |author-link=John Peel |year=2005 |title=Margrave of the Marshes |url=https://archive.org/details/margraveofmarshe0000peel |url-access=registration |publisher=Bantam Press |location=London |page=[https://archive.org/details/margraveofmarshe0000peel/page/47 47] |isbn=0-593-05252-8}}</ref>
* "You know in my little span of life I've come across such a sea of bigotries and prejudices. I get so fed up with it now. I feel I have to do something about it." - [[Panorama_(British_TV_programme)|BBC Panorama]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ljI2PMUfwY|date=13 April 1959|title='We have to set the ultimate future of our nation.'|website=[[YouTube]] }}</ref>

==Discography==
=== Studio albums ===
*''[[Lonnie Donegan Showcase]]'' (December 1956) – [[UK Albums Chart|UK]] # 2; [[UK Singles Chart|UK]] No. 26 ‡
**"[[Wabash Cannonball]]" / "[[How Long, How Long Blues]]" / "[[Nobody's Child (Hank Snow song)|Nobody's Child]]" / "[[I Shall Not Be Moved]]" / "[[I'm Alabama Bound|I'm Alabamy Bound]]" / "I'm a Rambling Man" / "[[Wreck of the Old 97]]" / "[[Frankie and Johnny (song)|Frankie and Johnny]]"
*''Lonnie'' (November 1957) – UK No 3
*''Lonnie Rides Again'' (May 1959) – re-released in 1960 as *''Skiffle Folk Songs'' 
*''Sing Hallelujah'' (December 1962)
*''The Lonnie Donegan Folk Album'' (August 1965)
*''Lonniepops – Lonnie Donegan Today'' (1970)
*''Lonnie Donegan Meets Leinemann'' (with Leinemann, 1974)
*''Country Roads'' (with Leinemann, 1976)
*''Puttin' on the Style'' (February 1978)
** Including guest musicians [[Rory Gallagher]], [[Elton John]], [[Brian May]], [[Ronnie Wood]] and [[Ringo Starr]] amongst others.
*''Sundown'' (May 1979)
*''Muleskinner Blues'' (January 1999)
** The song "Lost John" was used to open the [[John Peel]] tribute album

=== Compilation albums ===
*''Tops with Lonnie'' (September 1958)
*''More! Tops with Lonnie'' (April 1961)
*''Golden Age of Donegan'' (1962) – [[UK Albums Chart|UK]] No. 3
*''Golden Age of Donegan Volume 2'' (1963) – UK No. 15
*''Putting on the Style'' (1978) – UK No. 51
*''King of Skiffle'' (1998)
*''Puttin' on the Style – The Greatest Hits'' (2003) – UK No. 45<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums" />
*''This Yere de Story'' (2004)

=== Live albums ===
*''The Great Re-Union Album'' (1974)
*''The Skiffle Sessions – Live in Belfast'' (2000) – UK No 14 †
** Recorded November 1998 with [[Van Morrison]], [[Chris Barber]] and others.
*''The Last Tour'' (2006)<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums" />
*''Jubilee Concert 1st Half'' (2007)
*''Jubilee Concert 2nd Half'' (2007)
*''Lonnie Live! Rare Tapes from the Late Sixties'' (2008)
*''Donegan on Stage – Lonnie Donegan at Conway Hall''

=== EPs ===
* "Rock Island Line" / "John Henry" / "Digging My Potatoes" / "Bury My Body". 45 rpm, [[Decca Records|Decca]] 6345 (1954) †
*''Skiffle Session (EP)'' (1956) – [[UK Singles Chart|UK]] No. 20 †
**"Railroad Bill" / "Stockalee" / "Ballad of Jesse James" / "Ol' Riley"
*''Backstairs Session (EP)'' (1956)<ref name="Harper">{{cite book|last=Harper|first= Colin |year=2006|orig-year=First published 2000|edition = 2nd revised|title= Dazzling Stranger: Bert Jansch and the British Folk and Blues Revival|location=London|publisher= Bloomsbury Publishing|isbn= 07-4758-725-6}}</ref>{{rp|37}} – †
** "Midnight Special" / "New Burying Ground" / "It Takes a Worried Man" / "When the Sun Goes Down".<ref name="LDEPBS">{{cite web |url=http://www.discogs.com/Lonnie-Donegans-Skiffle-Group-Backstairs-Session/release/766067 |title=''Backstairs Session''
|publisher=[[Discogs]] |date=1956 |access-date=16 June 2015}}</ref>
*''Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour (On the Bedpost Overnight)'' (1961)

===Singles===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year || A-side || B-side || [[UK Singles Chart|UK]] || [[CHUM Chart|CAN]] || [[Billboard Hot 100|US]] || Notes
|-
| 1955 || "[[Rock Island Line]]" || "[[John Henry (folklore)|John Henry]]" ||style="text-align:center;"|8 || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|8 || style="text-align:center;"|†  
|-
|rowspan="5"| 1956 || "Diggin' My Potatoes"  || "[[Bury My Body]]" ||style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|†  
|-
|| "Lost John"  || "[[Skewball|Stewball]]" ||style="text-align:center;"|2 || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|58 || style="text-align:center;"|† 
|-
|| "[[Skewball|Stewball]]" ||"Lost John"||style="text-align:center;"|27 || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|† 
|-
|| "Bring a Little Water, Sylvie" || "Dead or Alive" ||style="text-align:center;"|7 || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|‡ 
|-
|| "On a Christmas Day" || "Take My Hand Precious Lord" ||style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|‡ 
|-
|rowspan="5"|1957 || "Don't You Rock Me Daddy-O" || "I'm Alabammy Bound" ||style="text-align:center;"|4 || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|‡  
|-
|| "[[Cumberland Gap (folk song)|Cumberland Gap]]" || "Love Is Strange" ||style="text-align:center;"|1 || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|‡  
|-
|| "[[Gamblin' Man]]" || "[[Puttin' On the Style]]" ||style="text-align:center;"|1 || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|‡ 
|-
|| "My Dixie Darlin'" || "I'm Just a Rolling Stone" ||style="text-align:center;"|10 || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|‡  
|-
|| "[[Jack of Diamonds (song)|Jack O' Diamonds]]" || "Ham 'N' Eggs" ||style="text-align:center;"|14 || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|‡ 
|-
|rowspan="6"|1958 || "[[Grand Coulee Dam (song)|The Grand Coulee Dam]]" || "Nobody Loves Like an Irishman" ||style="text-align:center;"|6 || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|‡  
|-
|| "[[Midnight Special (song)|Midnight Special]]" || "When the Sun Goes Down" ||style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|‡  
|-
|| "Sally Don't You Grieve" || "Betty, Betty, Betty" ||style="text-align:center;"|11 || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|‡ 
|-
|| "Lonesome Traveller" || "Times Are Getting Hard, Boys" ||style="text-align:center;"|28 || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|‡ 
|-
|| "Lonnie's Skiffle Party" || "Lonnie Skiffle Party Pt.2" ||style="text-align:center;"|23 || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|‡
|-
|| "[[Tom Dooley (song)|Tom Dooley]]" || "Rock O' My Soul" ||style="text-align:center;"|3 || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|‡
|-
|rowspan="7"| 1959 || "[[Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour (On the Bedpost Overnight?)]]" || "Aunt Rhody" ||style="text-align:center;"|3 || style="text-align:center;"|20 || style="text-align:center;"|5 || style="text-align:center;"|‡  
|-
|| "Fort Worth Jail" || "Whoa Buck" ||style="text-align:center;"|14 || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|‡ 
|-
|| "Bewildered" || "Kevin Barry" / "It Is No Secret" / "My Laggan Love" ||style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|‡ 
|-
|| "[[The Battle of New Orleans]]" ||  "[[Darlin' Cory|Darling Corey]]" ||style="text-align:center;"|2 || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|‡ 
|-
|| "Sal's Got a Sugar Lip" || "Chesapeake Bay" ||style="text-align:center;"|13 || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|‡
|-
|| "Hold Back Tomorrow" || "Deedle-Dum-Doo-Die-Day" ||style="text-align:center;"|26 || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|¶ 
|-
|| "San Miguel" || "Talking Guitar Blues" ||style="text-align:center;"|19 || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|‡  
|-
|rowspan="6"| 1960 || "[[My Old Man's a Dustman]]" || "The Golden Vanity"||style="text-align:center;"|1 || style="text-align:center;"|1 || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|↑ 
|-
|| "[[Sloop John B|I Wanna Go Home (Wreck of the 'John B')]]" || "Jimmy Brown the Newsboy" ||style="text-align:center;"|5 || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|↓
|-
|| "Lorelei" || "In All My Wildest Dreams" ||style="text-align:center;"|10 || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|
|-
|| "Rockin' Alone (In An Old Rocking Chair)" || "I'm Here To Get My Baby Out Of Jail" ||style="text-align:center;"|44 || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|♠
|-
|| "Lively" || "Black Cat (Cross My Path Today)" ||style="text-align:center;"|13 || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|↑ 
|-
|| "Virgin Mary" || "[[Beyond the Sunset (song)|Beyond the Sunset]]" ||style="text-align:center;"|27 || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"| 
|-
|rowspan="4"| 1961 || "[[Bury Me Beneath the Willow|(Bury Me) Beneath the Willow]]" || "Leave My Woman Alone" ||style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"| 
|-
|| "Have a Drink on Me" ||  "Seven Daffodils" ||style="text-align:center;"|8 || style="text-align:center;"|7 || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|↑
|-
|| "[[Michael Row the Boat Ashore|Michael, Row the Boat]]" || "Lumbered" ||style="text-align:center;"|6 || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|↑
|-
|| "The Comancheros" || "Ramblin' Round" ||style="text-align:center;"|14 || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|
|-
|rowspan="4"| 1962 || "[[The Party's Over (1956 song)|The Party's Over]]" || "[[Over the Rainbow]]" ||style="text-align:center;"|9 || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|
|-
|| "[[I'll Never Fall in Love Again (Lonnie Donegan song)|I'll Never Fall in Love Again]]" || "Keep on the Sunny Side" ||style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|
|-
|| "[[Pick a Bale of Cotton]]" || "Steal Away" ||style="text-align:center;"|11 || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|↑
|-
|| "The Market Song" || "Tit-Bits" ||style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|
|-
|rowspan="4"|1963 || "Losing by a Hair" || "Trumpet Sounds" ||style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|
|-
|| "[[It Was a Very Good Year]]" || "Rise Up" ||style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|  
|-
|| "[[Lemon Tree (Will Holt song)|Lemon Tree]]" || "I've Gotta Girl So Far" ||style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|  
|-
|| "[[500 Miles|500 Miles Away From Home]]" || "[[This Train]]" ||style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|  
|-
|rowspan="2"|1964 || "Beans in My Ears" || "It's a Long Road to Travel" ||style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"| 
|-
|| "Fisherman's Luck" || "There's a Big Wheel" ||style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"| 
|-
|rowspan="2"| 1965 || "Get Out of My Life" || "Won't You Tell Me" ||style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|  
|-
|| "Louisiana Man" || "Bound for Zion" ||style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"| 
|-
|rowspan="2"| 1966 || "World Cup Willie" || "Where in This World Are We Going?" ||style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"| 
|-
|| "I Wanna Go Home" || "Black Cat (Cross My Path Today)" ||style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"| 
|-
| 1967 || "Aunt Maggie's Remedy" ||  "(Ah) My Sweet Marie" ||style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"| 
|-
| 1968 || "Toys" || "Relax Your Mind" ||style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"| 
|-
| 1969 || "My Lovely Juanita" || "[[Who Knows Where the Time Goes?]]" ||style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| 1972 || "[[Speak to the Sky]]" || "Get Out of My Life" ||style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"| 
|-
| 1973 || "[[Pick a Bale of Cotton|Jump Down Turn Around (Pick a Bale of Cotton)]]" || "Lost John Blues" ||style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"| (Australia only release)
|-
| 1976 || "I've Lost My Little Willie"  || "Censored" ||style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|– || style="text-align:center;"|             
|}<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums" />

=== Billing ===
Most of the above [[gramophone record|records]] were accredited to Lonnie Donegan; except, as follows:<br />
† Billed as the Lonnie Donegan Skiffle Group<br />
‡ Billed as Lonnie Donegan and his Skiffle Group<br />
¶ Billed as Lonnie Donegan meets [[Miki & Griff]] with the Lonnie Donegan Group<br />
↑ Billed as Lonnie Donegan and his Group<br />
↓ Billed as Lonnie Donegan and [[Angela Morley|Wally Stott's]] Orchestra<br />
♠ Billed as Miki and Griff with the Lonnie Donegan Group<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums">{{cite book
| first= David
| last= Roberts
| year= 2006
| title= British Hit Singles & Albums
| edition= 19th
| publisher= Guinness World Records Limited
| location= London
| isbn= 1-904994-10-5
| pages= 164–165}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of honorific titles in popular music]]

==Bibliography==
* {{cite journal | last=Price | first=Jeremy | title=Lonnie Donegan, « Rock Island Line » et la corne d'abondance | journal=Volume! La revue des musiques populaires | publisher=Éditions Mélanie Seteun | issue=7 : 2 | date=15 October 2010 | issn=1634-5495 | doi=10.4000/volume.740
 | pages=115–140 | url=https://journals.openedition.org/volume/740 | language=fr | doi-access=free }}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Lonnie Donegan}}
{{Prone to spam|date=November 2013}}
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*[http://members7.boardhost.com/lonniedonegan/ Lonnie Donegan Discussion Forum]
*[https://www.theguardian.com/g2/story/0,3604,1243557,00.html Go Lonnie go] – article by [[Billy Bragg]] for ''[[The Guardian]]''
*[http://www.lonniedonegan.com/ My Memories of Lonnie Donegan by Paul Griggs]
*[http://www.45-rpm.org.uk/dirl/lonnied.htm Lonnie Donegan biography and discography]
*[http://www.tsimon.com/donegan.htm Lonnie Donegan and his Skiffle Group]
*[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,585-2503406.html His Old Man’s the Guv’nor]{{dead link|date=January 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} – article by Alan Franks
*[http://music.guardian.co.uk/rock/story/0,,2283223,00.html My twenty-year love affair with the joy of skiffle], article by [[Mark Kermode]] ''[[The Observer]]'', 1 June 2008

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Donegan, Lonnie}}
[[Category:1931 births]]
[[Category:2002 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century British guitarists]]
[[Category:British banjoists]]
[[Category:British male guitarists]]
[[Category:British male songwriters]]
[[Category:English people of Irish descent]]
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[[Category:British people of Irish descent]]
[[Category:Members of the Order of the British Empire]]
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[[Category:Pye Records artists]]
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[[Category:Skiffle musicians]]
[[Category:People educated at St. Ambrose College]]
[[Category:Chris Barber]]
[[Category:20th-century British trombonists]]
[[Category:20th-century British male singers]]
[[Category:Musicians from the London Borough of Hounslow]]
[[Category:Musicians from the London Borough of Newham]]
[[Category:People from Chiswick]]
[[Category:Singers from the London Borough of Hounslow]]
[[Category:Singers from the London Borough of Newham]]