Donegan was born as Anthony James Donegan in Glasgow, Scotland, the son of a professional violinist. His ethnic mix was Scottish/Irish. He moved with his mother to London at an early age, after his parents divorced. Inspired by blues music and New Orleans jazz bands he heard on the radio, he resolved to learn the guitar, and bought his first at the age of fourteen.
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. Barber had heard that Donegan was a good banjo player; in fact, Donegan had never played the banjo at this point, but he bought one and managed to bluff his way through the audition. His stint in this group was interrupted, however, when he was called up for National Service in 1949. He also played in Ken Colyer's group
In 1952, he formed his first own group, the Tony Donegan Jazzband, which found some work around London. On one occasion they opened for the blues musician Lonnie Johnson at the Royal Festival Hall. Donegan was a big fan of Johnson, and took his first name as a tribute to him. The story goes that the host at the concert got the musicians' names confused, calling them "Tony Johnson" and "Lonnie Donegan", and Donegan was happy to keep the name.
With a washboard, a tea-chest bass and a cheap Spanish guitar, Donegan entertained audiences with folk and blues songs by artists such as Leadbelly and Woody Guthrie. This proved so popular that in July 1954 he recorded a fast-tempoed version of Leadbelly's "Rock Island Line", featuring a washboard but not a tea-chest bass, with "John Henry" on the B-side. 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. (Nevertheless, Donegan received considerable music publishing royalties from "Rock Island" simply by claiming the British copyright on an unregistered song which was considered to be in the Public Domain. This led to the peculiar situation that any "cover" version of "Rock Island Line" which was released on record in Britain from 1956 showed the song composition credited to Lonnie Donegan.) It was the first debut record to go gold in the UK, and reached the Top Ten in the United States. His next single for Decca, "Diggin' My Potatoes", was recorded at a concert at the Royal Festival Hall on 30 October 1954.[4] Decca dropped Donegan thereafter, but within a month he was at the Abbey Road Studios in London recording for EMI's Columbia label. He had left the Barber band by then, and by the spring of 1955, Donegan signed a recording contract with Pye. His next single "Lost John" reached #2 in the UK Singles Chart.
His success at the time saw Donegan sent to the United States, where he appeared on television on both Perry Como Show and Paul Winchell Show. 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 LP was a hit, securing sales in the hundreds of thousands.[4] The popular skiffle style encouraged amateurs to get started, and one of the many skiffle 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 on the UK chart in July 1957, when Lennon first met Paul McCartney.
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. 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. 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.
He continued to appear regularly in the UK charts until 1962, before succumbing to the arrival of The Beatles and beat music.
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). 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.
http://www.p.griggsy.btinternet.co.uk/Untitled/Lonnie.html (Memories of Lonnie Donegan by Paul Griggs)
Fort Worth Jail
Lonnie Donegan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nobody cares about me cause I ain't got no dough
No 5 so black and shiny took me down, took me down to to jail
My good gal said so long daddy cause I can't go your bail
Well I'm down in Fort Worth jailhouse, feeling mighty low
Ain't nobody cares about me cause I ain't got no dough
Me and Sally Ann so dreary, honey turn, turn the lights down low
Well I'm down in Fort Worth jailhouse, feeling mighty low
Ain't nobody cares about me cause I ain't got no dough
Dream all days that I'll be goin' down that lonely road so long
Looking for my stockyard baby though I know she's done me wrong
All you ramblin' men take a warning don't go near that big cowtown
Never trust a stockyard baby cause she always lets you down
In Lonnie Donegan's song "Fort Worth Jail," the singer describes his dire situation in the Fort Worth jailhouse. He's feeling extremely low and lonely because he doesn't have any money, and as a result, nobody cares about him. He's been arrested for some unknown reason, and his "good gal" was unable to post his bail, which means he's all alone in the cell. The singer is asking someone to feed him corn because he's so hungry and he's reminiscing about his lost love, Sally Ann, who promised to stick with him through thick and thin but didn't come through for him when he needed her most.
The lyrics of "Fort Worth Jail" capture a snapshot of a particularly difficult time in the singer's life. He's in jail, destitute, and lonely. The theme of heartbreak and betrayal surfaces in the song, as the singer believes that his lover, Sally Ann, has let him down. There's a sense of resignation in his voice, as he acknowledges that his life is going to be difficult for the foreseeable future. In addition, the song touches on larger themes such as the harsh realities of life for those who are financially struggling and the fact that sometimes people aren't who they appear to be.
Line by Line Meaning
Way down in Fort Worth jailhouse feeling mighty low
I am feeling really sad and hopeless being locked up in the Fort Worth jailhouse.
Nobody cares about me cause I ain't got no dough
People are ignoring me because I have no money to offer.
No 5 so black and shiny took me down, took me down to to jail
The police arrested me and took me to jail in a shiny black car.
My good gal said so long daddy cause I can't go your bail
My girlfriend couldn't secure my release from jail and said goodbye to me.
Me and Sally Ann so dreary, honey turn, turn the lights down low
I am feeling very depressed with Sally Ann and want the lights off.
Oh feed me corn hombre, sending them and never letting go
I am asking for food and not willing to let go until I get it.
Dream all days that I'll be goin' down that lonely road so long
I keep daydreaming about going down a lonely road for a long time.
Looking for my stockyard baby though I know she's done me wrong
I am searching for my girlfriend who I know has betrayed me.
All you ramblin' men take a warning don't go near that big cowtown
I am advising all travelers to stay away from the big cowtown.
Never trust a stockyard baby cause she always lets you down
I warn not to put your faith and trust in a stockyard baby, as they always disappoint.
Contributed by Nathan L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@ericfry5759
Thanks for ALL your Lonnie music.
Those of us lucky to have been buyers of Lonnie in the 50s, can remember the “Revolution” he started.
As an old “git” of 84, I still really enjoy the music and the memories you provide.
Lonnie used to play with Chris Barber at The Wood Green Jazz Club, which is where I first heard him.
Great days, great memories.
Eric .
@RockinRedRover
if you look for this same live track elsewhere on Youtube, it includes Lonnie talking to Chris Barber before and after the number.
@alainzilka1018
Excellent 👍
@KEEPONROCKINKID
What a great performance. I wore the grooves out of my original 78 record playing this over and over.
@lanc3man
Lonnie 'The King' - R.I.P.
@RockinRedRover
Brilliant, and a word for the band too, especially Les Bennetts on lead guitar.
@MaybeBrayDad
Does anyone know who his guitarist was during this period? He did some superb work on this, in particular on Whoa Buck (b side of Fort Worth Jail - live version was little licks to die for) yet I can’t find a credit for him anywhere.
@alanoneill3065
Can anyone name the band please?
@johnabrams8679
The band formally the Tony Donegan Jazz Band and then the Lonnie Donegan Skiffle Group. Musicians with Lonnie on this track - Les Bennetts , Lead Guitar, John 'Nick' Nicols, Drums, Pete Huggett, Double Bass and the backing duo Miki & Griff. Great music.
@alanoneill3065
@@johnabrams8679 Thank you very much...thats great!