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. He was coaxed into his first band one night when someone approached him on the train, saying that they'd heard he was a good banjo player, and invited him to audition for a new group. Donegan and his band eventually hooked back up with his old friend Chris Barber, who'd kept his band going throughout the previous two years, and eventually Barber and Donegan linked up with fellow jazzman Ken Colyer, into a kind of supergroup led by Colyer. Among the many tens of thousands of British teens he inspired were members of the Beatles, Gerry & the Pacemakers, and the Searchers. The name "skiffle" was hung on this music as a way of referring to it on the group's posters. Sequel Records has decided to honor Lonnie Donegan with its Lonnie 2000 series, reissuing all of his classic Pye/Nixa sides from 1955 through 1962, and ShowcasePlus is the place to begin. 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. 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." He was successful enough, however, to be brought over to America to appear on the Perry Como Show, followed by an appearance on the Paul Winchell Show. Read Full Biography Overview Biography 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. He was successful enough, however, to be brought over to America to appear on the Perry Como Show, followed by an appearance on the Paul Winchell Show. 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." To find all LP'S with that song, just keep hitting next. by Bruce Eder. Donegan heard it all, even -- by his own admission -- stole a couple, and absorbed every note. 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. By the spring of 1955, he was signed to Pye Records, and his single, "Lost John," hit number two in England, although it never hit in America. WebLonnie Donegan Discography 1954 - 1961 Adapted from 'The Skiffle Craze' by Mike Dewe ~ Planet Books www.hillmanweb.com/rock/donegan/02.html New Orleans Joys - 1954 Decca (with The Chris Barber Jazz Band) July 13, 1954: London Lonnie Donegan (gtr, voc. Donegan was suddenly a star, with a public that wanted more music from him. [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 WebListen to Lonnie Donegan in unlimited on Qobuz and buy the albums in Hi-Res 24-Bit for an unequalled sound quality. Encouraged by the initial sales of New Orleans Joy, the company decided to push its luck by lifting individual songs off the album as singles. After his return, he formed a band of his own, which initially consisted of jazz guitarist Denny Wright, Micky Ashman on bass, and Nick Nichols on drums. 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. But in 1954, before anyone (especially anybody in England) knew what rock & roll was, Donegan was cool, and his music was hot. 's://ssl':'://www')+'.google-analytics.com'+'/siteopt.js?v=1&utmxkey='+k+'&utmx='+(x?x:'')+'&utmxx='+(xx?xx:'')+'&utmxtime='+new Date().valueOf()+(h? 2, Does Your Chewing Gum Lose It's Flavour (On The Bedpost Overnight) b/w Ace In The Hole unissued LD9. B WebListen to Lonnie Donegan in unlimited on Qobuz and buy the albums in Hi-Res 24-Bit for an unequalled sound quality. Carter's "Wabash Cannonball." The next month he was at Abbey Road Studios in London cutting a song for EMI's Columbia label. The man extending the invitation was Chris Barber, himself an aspiring young jazzman. Golden Hour [UK] GH 514 Lonnie Donegan's' Golden Hour Of Golden Hits: Rock Island Line; Jack ODiamonds; Tom Dooley; Puttin On The Style; Im Alabammy Bound; The UK King of Skiffle, Lonnie Donegan was born Anthony James Donegan MBE (April 29 1931 November 3 2002) in Bridgeton, Glasgow, before joing Chris Barbers Big Jazz Band. WebLonnie made his chart debut in January 1956 with Rock Island Line. Grand Coulee Dam Artist descriptions on Last.fm are editable by everyone. This group recorded two excellent blues numbers with Lonnie Donegan as vocal called "In the evening when de sun go down" and "The Midnight Special" After a year, Ken colyer stormed out of the group and Chris Barber took over. Unlike a lot of American rock & roll of the mid-'50s, and even more British attempts at the music from the same period and after, Donegan's music remains eminently enjoyable and enlivening. A In concert, the group's sound was fuller still, with Donegan and Wright sharing guitar chores with bearded, bespectacled Dick Bishop, who had played on Donegan's earliest records. [+] Eight CDs, and nearly 10 hours of music may seem like overkill to most onlookers, but this is a boxed set that truly justifies itself, once you've listened to it. Darling Corey, Tops With Lonnie ~ 1959 Subscription from 12,50/month His ethnic mix was Scottish/Irish. In 1983 Donegan toured England with Billy Joe Spears, and in 1984, he made his theatrical debut in a revival of the 1920 musical Mr. Cinders. Cumberland Gap Donegan mostly listened to swing and vocal acts such as Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, the Ink Spots, and the Andrews Sisters during the early '40s, although he also heard some Indian music on the BBC, and African songs as transliterated for movies. WebLonnie Donegan discography and songs: Music profile for Lonnie Donegan, born 29 April 1931. The next month he was at Abbey Road Studios in London cutting a song for EMI's Columbia label. Decca gave up on Donegan soon after, believing that skiffle was a flash-in-the-pan fad. 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. 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. Unlike a lot of American rock & roll of the mid-'50s, and even more British attempts at the music from the same period and after, Donegan's music remains eminently enjoyable and enlivening. Showcase . And he did it in 1954, before Elvis was known anywhere outside of Memphis and before Bill Haley was perceived as anything but a Western swing novelty act. www.hillmanweb.com Chris Barber - Bass, Vocals He's relatively little remembered outside of England, but Donegan shares an important professional attribute with Elvis Presley, Bill Haley, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and the Sex Pistols -- he invented a style of music, skiffle, that completely altered the pop culture landscape and the youth around him, and for a time, completely ruled popular music through that new form. Me and Bobby McGee 9. WebLonnie Lonesome Traveller. He appeared on television in the United States on the Perry Como Show and the Paul Winchell Show. Returning to the UK, he recorded his debut album, Lonnie Donegan Showcase, in summer 1956, with songs by Lead Belly and Leroy Carr, plus "I'm a Ramblin' Man" and "Wabash Cannonball". The LP sold hundreds of thousands. It was an enormous hit in 1956 (which also later inspired the creation of a full album, An Englishman Sings American Folk Songs, released in America on the Mercury label in the early 1960s) but ironically, because it was a band recording, Donegan made no money from this recording beyond his original session fee. Encouraged by the initial sales of New Orleans Joy, the company decided to push its luck by lifting individual songs off the album as singles. c.November, 1957 Pinewood Film Studios, Bucks. Sorted by Bestseller, Vocal Music (Secular and Sacred) - Released by Jasmine Records on 10/12/2012, Folk - Released by M. i. G. - music on 30/09/2016, Pop - Released by Castle Communications on 1/01/1985, Pop - Released by Sanctuary Records on 11/04/2000, Rock - Released by Castle Communications on 1/09/2016, Folk - Released by Before 1962 Recordings on 17/09/2020, Rock - Released by Vantage Music on 4/10/2016, Folk - Released by Bridge Pa Digital on 28/05/2019, Pop - Released by Sanctuary Records on 12/12/2000, Pop - Released by Castle Communications on 1/01/1957, Pop - Released by Retro Music Box on 25/06/2020, Pop - Released by Weishaupt Music & Entertainment on 3/05/2017, Country - Released by Master Tape Records on 10/10/2019, Pop - Released by All I Have To Do Is Dream on 15/11/2019, Pop - Released by Sanctuary Records on 8/09/2014, Country - Released by Black Marlin Records on 29/11/2014, Country - Released by Black Sheep Music on 4/01/2012. Acts who have peaked at every position in the Top 10, LONNIE DONEGAN PRESENTS KENNY BALL AND HIS JAZZMEN, Eurovision 2023: Who is the UK's 2023 entry? 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. 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." Nobody Loves Like An Irishman N 15129 CD2, March 10, 1958 Pye Studios, London ("Lonnie"), Ain't You Glad You Got Religion NPT 19027 CD3, I've Got Rocks In My Bed (alt) unissued CD3, poss. The Chris Barber Jazz Band, as they became known, were popular enough to justify the recording of an album for Britain's Decca Records label. The Official Charts guide to Eurovision 2023, Ellie Goulding's new album Higher Than Heaven will arrive two weeks late, Albums coming in 2023: Ed Sheeran, Miley Cyrus, Mimi Webb and more, What Number 1 vindication means for Miley Cyrus and Lana Del Rey's campaigns, Libianca talks People, collaborating with J Hus and Dave and more, Ed Sheeran announces release of acoustic album Subtract, 10 years in the making, Matilda The Musical makes it three weeks at Number 1, Who is Mae Stephens - the 19-year-old behind viral hit If We Ever Broke Up, Official Trending Chart: Pink, Niall, Mae Stephens and more, BRING A LITTLE WATER SYLVIE/DEAD OR ALIVE, DOES YOUR CHEWING GUM LOSE ITS FLAVOUR (ON THE BEDPOST OVERNIGHT). In 1949, he was drafted into the British Army. They were successful enough that the National Jazz Federation asked the band to play a show at Festival Hall with American ragtime pianist Ralph Sutton and blues/jazz legend Lonnie Johnson. 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