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)
Wreck of the Old '97
Lonnie Donegan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Said, "Steve, you're way behind time
This is not 38, this is Old 97
Put her into Spencer on time"
Then he turned around and said to his black, greasy fireman
"Shovel on a little more coal
And when we cross that White Oak Mountain
And then a telegram come from Washington station
This is how it read
"Oh that brave engineer that run Old 97
Is lyin' in old Danville dead"
'Cause he was going down a grade making 90 miles an hour
The whistle broke into a scream
He was found in the wreck with his hand on the throttle
Scalded to death by the steam
One more time
Oh, now all you ladies you'd better take a warning
From this time on and learn
Never speak hard words to your true-lovin' husband
He may leave you and never return, poor boy
The lyrics to "Wreck of the Old '97" describe the tragic train crash of Old 97, a Southern Railway fast mail train that derailed near Danville, Virginia in September 1903. The song tells the story from the perspective of the engineer, Steve, who receives orders to speed up and make up lost time. Despite warnings from his fireman, he pushes the steam engine faster and faster until the whistle breaks into a scream as they approach a steep mountain grade. The train derails and Steve is found scalded to death by the steam, while the song warns wives to be careful with how they speak to their husbands, as they may lose them forever.
The song highlights the pressure and danger that train engineers faced in the late 1800s and early 1900s, as they were expected to move fast and make up lost time to avoid losing their jobs. The tragic story of the Old 97 became famous in American folklore and was seen as a cautionary tale of the dangers of reckless driving and the importance of adhering to safety regulations.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, they gave him his orders at Monroe, Virginia
The man received his instructions in Monroe, Virginia.
Said, "Steve, you're way behind time
The man was told that he was running late, and he should speed up.
This is not 38, this is Old 97
The man was warned that the train he was driving was different from the other train.
Put her into Spencer on time"
The man was given instructions to make sure that the train arrived at Spencer station on time.
Then he turned around and said to his black, greasy fireman
The man spoke to his African American fireman, who was covered in coal soot.
"Shovel on a little more coal
The man asked his fireman to add more coal to the train engine.
And when we cross that White Oak Mountain
The man pointed out a landmark they would see on their route.
Watch Old 97 roll"
The man expressed pride in the train they were driving.
And then a telegram come from Washington station
A message was sent to them from the Washington station.
This is how it read
The message was read out loud.
"Oh that brave engineer that run Old 97
The message spoke about the driver who was operating Old 97.
Is lyin' in old Danville dead"
The driver had died in an accident in Danville.
'Cause he was going down a grade making 90 miles an hour
The driver was going too fast down a slope and was at a speed of 90 miles per hour.
The whistle broke into a scream
The train's whistle made a loud and unsettling sound.
He was found in the wreck with his hand on the throttle
The driver was found dead in the crash, still holding onto the train's throttle.
Scalded to death by the steam
The driver died due to severe burns from the steam.
One more time
The chorus is repeated.
Oh, now all you ladies you'd better take a warning
An advice given to all women listening to the song.
From this time on and learn
Women are being urged to learn.
Never speak hard words to your true-lovin' husband
Women should not use harsh words against their beloved husbands.
He may leave you and never return, poor boy
Otherwise, husbands may choose to leave their wives forever.
Contributed by Joseph F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ghostly Whimbrel
Pure music.
Phantomsbreath
That drummer is having the time of his life. :P
Sinologist 1967
Danville, Virginia is the town of my birth so I am drawn to this song
Hugh Jones
Skiffle musique