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)
Jack O'Diamonds
Lonnie Donegan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Jack o' diamonds is a hard card to find.
When you play the game of life
You've got trouble, you've got strife
Jack o' diamonds is a hard card to find
Life is like a game of cards
But it's very, very hard
Jack o' diamonds, Jack o' diamonds
Diamonds is a hard card to find
Jack o' diamonds, Jack o' diamonds
Diamonds is a hard card to find
Met a girl and lost my heart
Lack of money made us part
Jack o' diamonds is a hard card to find
She said life ain't just a bet
But I've never won it yet
Jack o' diamonds is a hard card to find
Jack o' diamonds, Jack o' diamonds
Diamonds is a hard card to find
Jack o' diamonds, Jack o' diamonds
Diamonds is a hard card to find
(Instrumental Break)
Jack o' diamonds, Jack o' diamonds
Diamonds is a hard card to find
Jack o' diamonds, Jack o' diamonds
Diamonds is a hard card to find
So if you throw diamonds back
You will never look back
Jack o' diamond is a hard card to find
You'll have learnt your lesson
But you may
Jack o' diamonds is a hard card to find
Jack o' diamonds, Jack o' diamonds
Diamonds is a hard card to find
Jack o' diamonds, Jack o' diamonds
Diamonds is a hard card to find
Well they say that ace is high
But I know that that's a lie
Jack o' diamonds is a hard card to find
The Queen of Hearts is way above
'Cause her heart is singing love
Jack o' diamonds is a hard card to find.
Jack o' diamonds, Jack o' diamonds
Diamonds is a hard card to find
Jack o' diamonds, Jack o' diamonds
Diamonds is a hard card to find.
Diamonds is a hard card to find.
The song "Jack O' Diamonds" by Lonnie Donegan and His Skiffle Group is about the elusiveness of the good things in life, represented metaphorically by the hard-to-find Jack o' Diamonds card in a game of cards. The song suggests that, like in a game of cards, in life, one can face troubles and strife, and finding the good things can be difficult. The lyrics also touch upon the themes of love, money, and the unpredictable nature of life. The singer speaks of having met a girl but losing her due to lack of money, and how despite being told that life is not just a bet, they have never won it yet.
The song seems to caution against throwing away good opportunities, represented by the diamonds card, as one may regret it later. The refrain "diamonds are a hard card to find" is repeated throughout the song, emphasizing the scarcity and value of the diamonds card, and by extension, the good things in life.
Interestingly, the song has been interpreted in different ways by different people. Some interpret it as purely a song about gambling and the game of cards, while others see it as a commentary on life and its uncertainties. Donegan's skiffle arrangement of the song, with its quick, upbeat tempo and use of folk instruments like the washboard, adds a lightheartedness to the song, making it a catchy and enjoyable tune.
Line by Line Meaning
Jack o' diamonds, Jack o' diamonds
Diamonds are being compared to Jack o' Diamonds, a card that is difficult to find and attain
Jack o' diamonds is a hard card to find.
The rarity and worth of diamonds is being compared to Jack o' Diamonds, emphasizing the difficulty in obtaining both
When you play the game of life
Life is being compared to a game of cards
You've got trouble, you've got strife
The game of life is not easy and can bring about many struggles and hardships
Life is like a game of cards
Reiteration of the comparison between life and cards
But it's very, very hard
Life is challenging and difficult just like trying to find Jack o' Diamonds
Met a girl and lost my heart
The singer has fallen in love with someone
Lack of money made us part
Financial struggles led to the end of their relationship
She said life ain't just a bet
The girl believes that life is more than just a game of chance
But I've never won it yet
The artist has yet to succeed in life or finding Jack o' Diamonds
Diamonds is a hard card to find
The chorus reinforces the idea that diamonds are rare and valuable
So if you throw diamonds back
If you don't appreciate what you have, you may lose it
You will never look back
You will regret not valuing what you had before losing it
You'll have learnt your lesson
Losing diamonds can be a valuable lesson
But you may
In spite of learning the lesson, you may still not be able to find or attain what you lost
Well they say that ace is high
The ace card is considered valuable and strong
But I know that that's a lie
The artist disagrees with the traditional value placed on the ace card
The Queen of Hearts is way above
The singer believes that the Queen of Hearts is more valuable than any other card
'Cause her heart is singing love
The Queen of Hearts represents the value of love
Diamonds is a hard card to find.
The chorus repeats the message of the difficulty in obtaining diamonds
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: J BAIRD, PD TRADITIONAL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@lindascarborough5551
Lonnie Did Good 💎💎💎💎💎
@red1dev
A unique talent the like which will be never seen again.
@rollini1
...absolutely
@eastoncolten6666
InstaBlaster...
@ianhall61
i had the great pleasure of meeting pete in guisborough in 2010 and may i say he was a true gent R.I.P mate
@vincentbuccieri9305
Heavy Song for the Time!
@twoslices
Absolutely BRILLIANT!!!!!
@Defrost2157
Wooo! You can't argue with someone who can make a classic song from 2 chords!
@tkdcoach
Blind Lemon Jefferson was all that, true. 😀
@heartofbow
Miss him.. Class act!!!