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)
World Cup Willie
Lonnie Donegan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the papers tell us he's in the Hall of Fame
Wherever he goes, he'll be all the rage
'Cause he's the new sensation of the age
Dressed in red, white and blue, he's World Cup Willie
We all love him too, World Cup Willie
He's tough as a lion and never will give up
Willie, Willie, he's evry'body's fav'rite for the Cup
Well, we're all football crazy and it's plain to see
That we're all so happy, like one big family
Now we've found someone who makes the rafters ring
Welcome to a brand new soccer King
All dressed in red, white and blue, that's World Cup Willie
We all love him too, World Cup Willie
He's tough as a lion and never will give up
That's why Willie is fav'rite for the Cup
Yes! Willie, Willie, he's evry'body's fav'rite for the Cup
All the fans are waiting, how they'll spur him on
And those sixty nations will soon know Willie's song
Wherever he goes, he'll be all the rage
'Cause he's the new sensation of the age
All dressed in red, white and blue, that's World Cup Willie
We all love him too, World Cup Willie
He's tough as a lion and never will give up
That's why Willie is fav'rite for the Cup
Ev'rybody!
Willie, yes Willie, he's evry'body's fav'rite for the Cup
One more time!
Willie, Willie, he's evry'body's fav'rite for the Cup
The lyrics of Lonnie Donegan's "World Cup Willie" are an energetic and catchy tribute to a football player who has become a sensation of his time. The first stanza introduces us to this hall-of-fame football player who is dressed in the colors of his team, red, white, and blue. He is tough, strong-willed, and loved by everyone. The chorus follows, where we hear about "World Cup Willie" being everyone's favorite for the cup. The second stanza confirms our suspicions that everyone is crazy about football and that the community has finally found its king in Willie. The lines talk about how the people are united in their support for him, like one big family. The chorus repeats here, with the same energy as before. The final stanza tells us that all the fans are waiting eagerly to see Willie play and sing his song. The lines emphasize his popularity and how every place he goes, he is the talk of the town.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a football fellah, you all know his name
Everyone in the football community knows the name of the football player being referred to here.
And the papers tell us he's in the Hall of Fame
According to the newspapers, this player is in the Hall of Fame.
Wherever he goes, he'll be all the rage
This player is very popular wherever he goes.
'Cause he's the new sensation of the age
This player is considered to be the new sensation of the current era.
Dressed in red, white and blue, he's World Cup Willie
This football player is known as World Cup Willie and is wearing clothes with the colors of the national flag.
We all love him too, World Cup Willie
Fans of football also love this player, World Cup Willie.
He's tough as a lion and never will give up
This player is a strong contender and will never give up easily in a match.
That's why Willie is fav'rite for the Cup
Because of his skills and attitude, Willie is a favorite to win the Cup.
Well, we're all football crazy and it's plain to see
It's obvious that everyone is crazy about football.
That we're all so happy, like one big family
The football community feels like a family, and everyone is very happy.
Now we've found someone who makes the rafters ring
They have found a football player who makes the crowd go wild with excitement.
Welcome to a brand new soccer King
This player is welcomed as a new king of football.
All the fans are waiting, how they'll spur him on
All the fans are eagerly waiting to cheer and support this player in the match.
And those sixty nations will soon know Willie's song
Willie's popularity will soon spread to all the 60 nations participating in the Cup.
Yes! Willie, Willie, he's evry'body's fav'rite for the Cup
Willie is really popular and considered to be everybody's favorite to win the Cup.
Contributed by Henry J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Anna Cottage
I screamed and screamed when we, England, last won the World Cup back in ther 60s, and I had my World Cup Willy, made of straw, I loved him and waved him in the air every time on the tv England nearly scored and did. He got lost in house moves, so regret that. Lovely Lonnie Donegan, good memories, thanks for this.
Vincent Van Veritas
This is presumably what all pop music would have sounded like in 1965/1966 if the premise of the film 'Yesterday' had actually come true.
David Whitlock
Had a hunt in the loft today. Just found my original 45rpm copy of this !! Happy Days.....
Mark Miwurdz
I thought this would be picking up money now. Sadly a Mint copy is still only going for a fiver. There goes my idea of an investment lol
Sebastian Salinas Pino
el muy pegajosa no me quito de la cabeza el coro
Agustín Gómez
Second best FIFA world cup song ever
Cosme Fulanito
Agustín Gómez Third, the second is Vangelis (2002). Or maybe fourth (Mexico '86).
Richard Morris
to clear this up the record was released in 1965, which did seem a bit odd at the time as the world cup was in 1966
phill downes
but we were prepared back then.. we knew we had the team to do it..
Teddy Cranfield
good ol england. and lonnie r.i.p.