He got something more valuable from it than money, however, for "Rock Island Line" was credited to "The Lonnie Donegan Skiffle Group." and WebAfter an absence of 15 years or more as a major name in British rock, Donegan re-emerged with this '70s version of his old skiffle sound (why nobody tried this with Donegan seven years earlier, when Mungo Jerry hit with their updated skiffle number "In the Summertime," is anyone's guess). Grand Coulee Dam HILLMAN GIG NOTES For LP, just put in Title. He appeared on television in the United States on the Perry Como Show and the Paul Winchell Show. Returning to the UK, he recorded his debut album, Lonnie Donegan Showcase, in summer 1956, with songs by Lead Belly and Leroy Carr, plus "I'm a Ramblin' Man" and "Wabash Cannonball". The LP sold hundreds of thousands. Discography Lonnie Donegan Follow Artist + Scottish-born singer and guitarist By mid-1958, however, skiffle was waning rapidly as a commercial sound, but Donegan continued to appear on the charts right into 1962. In concert, the group's sound was fuller still, with Donegan and Wright sharing guitar chores with bearded, bespectacled Dick Bishop, who had played on Donegan's earliest records. Currie was not only more folk oriented than Wright, but also wrote songs, although Wright would turn up on Donegan sessions as late as 1965. Pete Huggett - Bass, Strings 1958 He had left the Barber band by then, and by the spring of 1955, Donegan signed a recording contract with Pye. He formed his own group, the Tony Donegan Jazz Band, in 1952. A new version of Last.fm is available, to keep everything running smoothly, please reload the site. The Chris Barber Jazz Band had not played before 60,000 people in their whole history, and a phenomenon was obviously afoot. WebLonnie Donegan Discography 1954 - 1961 Adapted from 'The Skiffle Craze' by Mike Dewe ~ Planet Books www.hillmanweb.com/rock/donegan/02.html New Orleans Joys - 1954 Wabash Cannonball Discography. Me and Bobby McGee 9. Lonnie Donegan Hit Parade -- Vol. Lost John Have A Drink On Me, Pat Halcox - Keyboards, Vocals 1954 For the next six years, Lonnie spent 335 weeks on the Official Singles chart. My Dixie Darling Rock Island Line John Henry Press control & F buttons together, put in song title or part of, then find. In concert, the group's sound was fuller still, with Donegan and Wright sharing guitar chores with bearded, bespectacled Dick Bishop, who had played on Donegan's earliest records. Currie was not only more folk oriented than Wright, but also wrote songs, although Wright would turn up on Donegan sessions as late as 1965. Suddenly, his manager was getting offers of $1500 a week for concert appearances in cities from Cleveland to New York -- that in a day when $800 was a year's wage in England to people of Donegan's generation. The album sold 60,000 copies in its first month of release, a huge number in England at that time for a debut album by a homegrown jazz group. Jim Currie - Guitars, Vocals 1957 They delve into blues, letting Barber have a Dixieland trombone solo on "Frankie and Johnny," invite Dr. John to play some New Orleans on "Goin' Home" and "Good Morning Blues," haul out Jimmie Rodgers ' "Muleskinner Blues" and Leadbelly 's "Goodnight Irene," paying tribute to both country and folk. It was catchy, earthy, even bluesy (after a fashion) American music played in a way that the British kids could master without an enormous amount of trouble -- a guitar or two, and maybe a banjo, an upright bass (or even one made from a washtub or tea chest, a broom handle, and a piece of rope), and a washboard-and-thimble for percussion. Bring A Little Water Sylvie Carter's "Wabash Cannonball." He continued to record sporadically during the '60s, including some sessions at Hickory Records in Nashville with Charlie McCoy, Floyd Cramer, and the Jordanaires, but after 1964, he was primarily occupied as a producer for most of the decade at Pye Records. His taste in jazz went toward Louis Armstrong and Gene Krupa. Donegan had never even held a banjo before but agreed to come to the audition, then bought a banjo and tried to fake his way through the try-out. Donegan passed away November 3, 2002, following heart problems. Jim Bray - Banjo, Bass 1954 In the late '90s, his musical credibility came around again to perhaps the highest level of Donegan was suddenly a star, with a public that wanted more music from him. The name "skiffle" was hung on this music as a way of referring to it on the group's posters. The Chris Barber Jazz Band had not played before 60,000 people in their whole history, and a phenomenon was obviously afoot. Donegan heard it all, even -- by his own admission -- stole a couple, and absorbed every note. He's relatively little remembered outside of England, but Donegan shares an important professional attribute with Elvis Presley, Bill Haley, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and the Sex Pistols -- he invented a style of music, skiffle, that completely altered the pop culture landscape and the youth around him, and for a time, completely ruled popular music through that new form. Donegan had never even held a banjo before but agreed to come to the audition, then bought a banjo and tried to fake his way through the try-out. http://lonniedonegan.webs.com/pagelinkindex.htm,