Lonnie Donegan dead-Guardian obit

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Lonnie Donegan, sultan of skiffle, dies at 71 

John Ezard
Tuesday November 5, 2002

Lonnie Donegan, father of skiffle, first global superstar of British 
pop and the first to popularise black music, has died on tour aged 
71, it was announced yesterday. 
His out-of-the blue hits in 1955 with versions of John Henry and 
Leadbelly's Rock Island Line at the age of 24 began a revolution in 
the charts and in the taste of the young. 

He remains admired by generations of younger artists, including Mark 
Knopfler, Brian May and Van Morrison. A spokeswoman for Donegan 
said: "In a career that covered over 50 years, he inspired nearly 
every major musician alive today." 

Donegan was due to sing in a tribute concert for George Harrison in 
London later this month. Paul McCartney once said of him: "When we 
were kids in Liverpool, the man who really started the craze for 
guitars was Lonnie Donegan. 

"We studied his records avidly. We all bought guitars to be in a 
skiffle group. He was the man." 

Donegan, who had a history of heart trouble, complained of feeling 
unwell after performing in Nottingham. He died in Peterborough at the 
home of friends. 

His death ends a career which started when he formed a band with the 
jazzman Chris Barber in the early 1950s. Barber, who is touring in 
Germany, could not be contacted. Last night his longstanding friend 
and associate Vic Gibbons said no one should be sad that Donegan was 
still in harness when he died. "He loved performing. It was not 
something he had to do financially." 

He added: "I think Chris will be particularly upset because their 
association has continued. There have been various anniversary 
concerts where they have reassembled the band complete with liniment 
and Zimmer frames". 

Donegan, who called himself Lonnie in homage to the black blues 
guitarist Lonnie Johnson, was the son of a Glasgow classical 
violinist. His father, often unemployed, moved the family to east 
London in 1933 and discouraged his son from a musical career. 

Donegan bought his first guitar at 14, learning from BBC radio to 
play songs like Frankie and Johnny and Puttin' on the Style. These 
led him to the music of Josh White, Bessie Smith and Leadbelly. 

In 1952 he formed a band with Barber and Ken Colyer, just deported 
from the US for playing with black musicians. "They did not think 
there could be money in it," Gibbons said. "The motive was 
commitment. They used to drive from London and Manchester and back 
the same day, for a £30 fee." 

Donegan took the word skiffle, meaning party, from a US record 
sleeve. In 1955 a BBC pop show host attacked an album by the band for 
jazzing up a number by Gracie Fields. 

Thanks to this the album sold well, prompting Decca to issue singles 
of Donegan's John Henry and Rock Island Line. These topped the 
British and US charts. 

"Because the music was so new, people could not get it into their 
heads that it would last a long time," Gibbons said. 

Donegan had a string of hits including novelty songs such as My Old 
Man's A Dustman, but by the mid-60s his glory days were over, and he 
retreated into comedy and cabaret. 

Elton John, Ringo Starr and Brian May paid tribute by playing on 
Donegan's 1978 album Puttin' on the Style, and Donegan teamed up with 
Van Morrison for a 1999 recording, Skiffle Sessions. 

In 1997 Donegan received a lifetime achievement award. In November 
2000 he collected an MBE from Buckingham Palace. Donegan said: "When 
Prince Charles presented it to me, he said 'Not before time Lonnie, 
not before time'. And I said 'You're damn right, mate' - or words to 
that effect." 

--- In peel@y..., Dougal McKinnon <d.mckinnon@s...> wrote:
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/2400229.stm
> 
> 
> 'Skiffle king' Donegan dies
> 
> Musician Lonnie Donegan, known as the "king of skiffle", has died 
aged 71. 
> The Glasgow-born singer was midway through a UK tour after 
recovering 
> from a heart operation earlier this year and was due to play a 
concert 
> in Stoke, Staffordshire, on Monday. 
> 
> One of the most successful recording artists of the pre-Beatles 
era, he
> had three number one hits and numerous top 10 entries in the UK 
chart. 
> 
> The star was with his wife and son when he died in Peterborough, 
> Cambridgeshire, on Sunday at about 0230 GMT. He had been 
complaining of
> back trouble shortly before he fell ill. 
> 
> Donegan was staying with friends during his tour. His last 
performance 
> was in Nottingham - the first city he played when he became a star 
in 
> 1957. 
> 
> The skiffle king's hits included Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its 
> Flavour, My Old Man's A Dustman, Cumberland Gap and Puttin' on the 
> Style. 
> 
> His more recent work with Van Morrison led to a resurgence in his 
> career. His skiffle music was a mixture of folk, jazz, gospel and 
the 
> blues. 
> 
> Dire Straits guitarist Mark Knopfler, who recently played with 
Donegan 
> in London, called him one of his greatest musical influences. 
> 
> Elvis recorded one of his songs, I'm Never Gonna Fall in Love 
Again, 
> and in 1978 Sir Paul McCartney was the driving force behind a 
tribute 
> album featuring appearances by Sir Elton John and Brian May. 
> 
> Afterthought 
> 
> Donegan has been described as Britain's first musical superstar and 
his
> skiffle music swept through the country in the 1950s. 
> 
> His single Rock Island Line, released almost as an afterthought by 
> Decca Records, sold three million copies after being played on BBC 
> radio and gave him a hit in the UK and the US. 
> 
> He quickly became a star in both countries although he had only 
ever 
> wanted to be a jazz banjo player. 
> 
> In May this year he had heart surgery in London and seemed to have 
been
> on the mend, although he had suffered from cardiac trouble since 
the 
> 1970s. 
> 
> Christened Anthony James, the star changed his name after a master 
of 
> ceremonies confused him with the American guitarist Lonnie Johnson, 
and
> the name stuck. 
> 
> He was married three times and has seven children. 
> 
> A private funeral service is expected although will there will be a 
> public memorial service later. 
> 
> dougal mckinnon
> (d.mckinnon@s...)