Brendan Siris

April 7, 2015
Dr. Deys
History of Rock and Roll Final
The Man Who Started British Rock and Roll
When people think of the all time great British rock bands, they think The Beatles, The Clash,
Led Zeppelin, Queen, The Rolling Stones and so on. The artist that often goes unmentioned is the one
who started it all in Britain. That artist is Anthony James, or Lonnie, Donegan. The majority of people
today do not know who he is, and those who do might only remember him for playing skiffle music.
Donegan, however, may be the single most influential person in the history of British rock music.
Artists such as George Harrison and Brian May both stated that he was the person who made them
decide to pick up a guitar. Donegan is the person that gave the average Joe a chance to make a name for
themselves as a musician. If not for him, we likely would have missed out on some of the artists that
have brought us joy when we needed it most, or even just helped us relax on a stressful day. The artists
that Donegan inspired have made a significant impact on a countless amount of people. Lonnie
Donegan is an unsung artist because despite being a pioneer in British rock, his music was drowned out
by the folk revival in the United States, and because people lost interest in the skiffle genre after the
1950's.
From the day he was born Donegan was destined to be a musician. His father was a professional
violinist, and even played with the Scottish National Orchestra. Since his childhood Donegan always
wanted to play the guitar. He grew up listening mainly to traditional American music by artists such as
Josh White and Frank Cummett. Donegan's love for this style of music grew even more during his time
in the armed forces. While serving, Donegan borrowed these types of records from the American
soldiers he befriended. (encyclopedia.com) After his time in the service, Donegan formed a band called
the Tony Donegan Jazz Band. He went on to play both the guitar and banjo for Ken Colyer's Jazzymen.

While playing with the Jazzymen, Donegan was reunited with Chris Barber, Donegan's friend from
their military days. Between sets during their shows, Barber and Donegan would play some of their
own music, a unique version of energizes folk. These songs played in between sets began known as
skiffle breaks (encyclopedia.com).
Donegan learned how to play mainly by listening to the radio. He learned popular songs from
the time such as Puttin' On the Style and The House of the Rising Sun. Growing up he mainly
listened to swing jazz music. Eventually, Donegan became good enough to play around London at local
jazz clubs, which is how his name got some attention. It was not until word got out that he could play
the banjo very well that he got his first opportunity in Ken Colyer's band. An interesting fact is that
before he bought a banjo for the audition with Ken Colyer's band, Donegan had actually never even
played the banjo before. This goes to show how talented of an all around musician he was.
Anthony James went with the nickname Lonnie to pay tribute to his roots in blues music.
Lonnie Johnson was a blues musician that gained popularity in the mid 1920's. Donegan was a fan of
him his entire life, and was honored when he was given the nickname Lonnie. People started referring
to Anthony as Lonnie, because similar to Johnson, he often put a new and exciting twist to the music
that was popular at the time.
It was not until 1955 when Donegan's interesting new skiffle sound took off. This happened
when Donegan recorded a cover of the classic blues song Rock Island Line. This song was originally
written by Clarence Wilson in 1929, and is a staple in the catalog of most blues musicians. This song
has been covered by artists such as Bobby Darin, Johnny Cash, and Little Richard. Another song that
Donegan covered and turned into a hit was Cumberlan Gap, a song whose origins are not exactly
known. The earliest known reference to the song was by Horace Kephart in 1913
(secondhandsongs.com). Both of these songs were originally blues and folk songs that Donegan took
and revamped with a whole new energy and vibe. This excited a lot of people and helped Donegan's
music get attention.

Donegan's next number 1 single was a song that he personally wrote, entitled Gamblin Man.
This song spent 2 weeks at number one in the British charts, despite being nothing special in terms of
lyrics. The song tells the story of a man who lives a non-stop life, gambling every where he goes. The
man in the song loves the life he lives, which includes women falling in love with him everywhere he
goes. The song became very popular not for these lyrics, but for its ability to blend traditional blues and
folk lyrics with an up tempo rock and roll beat. His ability to do this undoubtedly inspired several other
musicians to fuse these genres together.
Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour (On The Bedpost Overnight) is another one of
Donegan's classics. This is an upbeat and happy song, which is what makes it so catchy. This song was
incredibly radio friendly, which is what led to the long lasting popularity of the song. The song is
alluded to in a Ray Stevens song, and has even been covered by the Muppets. The song was also used
as part of a smarties jingle. Out of all of Donegan's songs, this is most likely the one that has best
survived the test of time.
Another number 1 single that Donegan wrote and recorded is My Old Man's a Dustman. This
song is to the same beat as My Old Man's a Fireman, a military song which is likely where Donegan
came up with the tune. This song is much more well written than some of his other hits. The song talks
about his father's struggles, working a low paying job. While talking about a more serious subject,
Donegan manages to keep the song light and fun, making it very radio friendly. This song ended up
reaching number 1 in four different countries. The song reached number 1 in the United Kingdom,
Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, while also placing in the top 10 in several countries, including the
United States.
Donegan is also very well known for his stellar live performances. In 1957 he released a live
album to fill a gap between his studio albums. The album received critical acclaim, earning a rating of
4.5/5 stars from allmusic.com. Donegan is noted for playing exceptionally well on this album,
performing difficult solos that he never usually played. Bruce Eder of allmusic.com writes, The nine

Conway Hall tracks are some of the best live blues-based music you're likely to hear from this period,
every bit as bracing and important as Muddy Waters' live recordings from England from a year later
(allmusic.com). Eder drawing this comparison to Muddy Waters is significant because Waters'
recordings are viewed as an essential piece of blues music history. When Eder makes this comparison it
shows how inspirational Donegan's recordings were in the world of blues music.
The main reason why Lonnie Donegan's name has faded recently is because of the style of
music that he played. Donegan was known as the King of Skiffle because this is the style of music
that he typically played. Skiffle music is a unique genre that combines elements of jazz, blues, and folk
music. There are many instruments used in skiffle music that are not commonly used in genres such as
rock and roll or pop. These instruments include guitar, washboard, ceramic jugs, washtub, and the
kazoo. The instruments used both greatly helped, and hurt, skiffle music in certain areas. A fair amount
of people liked this music because anybody could play it and be good at it. Bands such as the Beatles
only exist because they were drawn to the ease of starting a skiffle band. From there their music
evolved and they became one of the undisputed greatest bands of all time.
As stated in the previous paragraph, the obscure instruments used in skiffle music also hurt its
popularity and growth. A reason why many people do not remember skiffle is because during its revival
in the 1950's the American rock and roll scene was all over the mainstream radio waves. Artists such as
Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, and Elvis Presley dominated the charts across the United States. This is the
type of music that the majority of the kids were listening to. Skiffle music was mainly only enjoyed by
the kids of Britain. Another reason why skiffle never caught on much in the United States is because
during the skiffle revival in the United Kingdom, there was a traditional folk revival starting in the
United States. Artists such as Pete Seegar, The Kingston Trio, and The Weavers wered some of the
major bands behind this. This folk revival sort of drowned out the skiffle craze, keeping it mainly
centered in Britain.
The American folk revival helped prevent the spread of skiffle into the United States. Unlike the

skiffle revival in the United Kingdom, the folk revival grew exponentially after the 1950's. The bands
that started the folk revival laid a foundation for the growth of folk music, whereas the skiffle revival
laid the foundation for rock and roll to take over. Following the success of 1950's bands such as the
Kingston Trio, Joan Baez was the next artist to further push folk music into widespread popularity.
Baez went on to have a tremendously successful career, that continues even to this day. Bob Dylan is
one of the greatest known folk musicians to ever live, and he has countless hit songs that are still
popular today. These include songs such as Tangled Up In Blue, The Times They Are a Changin',
and Mr. Tambourine Man. Because of artists such as Baez and Dylan in the 1960's, folk music was
able to not only survive, but thrive while living side by side with rock music. Unfortunately for
Donegan, since there were no major skiffle groups in the 1960's, the genre was not able to survive
alongside rock the same way folk music did.
The bands that were influenced to start playing by skiffle music are ultimately what killed the
genre in the early 1960's. This is because when the British rock and roll scene took off, it almost
completely took over the British airwaves. By the early 1960's the likes of Elvis Presley and other rock
and roll musicians were dominating the charts, even in Britain. This theme of rock music taking over
did not change, with bands such as the Beatles, the Kinks, and the Rolling Stones. While Donegan's
skiffle music laid the foundation for rock music to take over the charts, that exact takeover is what led
to the downfall of skiffle music.
While Donegan is not a very popular artist in today's world, it is hard to believe that many
people today do not know who he is. The inspiration that Donegan gave other musicians is clear,
however it seems as though it overshadows the accomplishments he made in his career. He recorded 31
top 30 United Kingdom singles, and 2 United States top 10 singles. The Guinness Book of British Hit
Singles and Albums stated that before the Beatles, Donegan was Britain's most successful and
influential recording artist. Some of his hit singles include his cover of Rock Island Line, My Old
Man's a Dustman, and I'll Never Fall in Love Again. He has been covered by artists such as Tom

Jones, Elvis Presley, and Johnny Cash. The fact that artists as important as these three have covered his
songs shows how much Donegan's music meant to them.
Lonnie Donegan is an unsung hero of rock music because of all of the future generations of
musicians that he, in some way, inspired. A quote from John Peel best describes Donegan's role in the
progression of British rock music. He said, Without Lonnie, there would have been nothing He was
sort of discredited, and people picked on more fashionable names to advance as the fathers of British
popular music. But they were wrong, frankly. I think Lonnie was actually it (John Peel). Peel was one
of the most famous radio disc jockeys of all time before his death in 2004. Peel is famous for his wide
variety of tastes, introducing bands such as The White Stripes and The Smiths to the radio in the United
Kingdom. This shows that Peel knew what he was talking about when it came to rock music, so when
he outright says that Lonnie Donegan deserves credit for starting the rock movement in Britain, that
statement bears a lot of meaning.
George Harrison of The Beatles, one of the most famous guitarists of all time, would have never
started playing the guitar if it wasn't for Lonnie Donegan. When Harrison was hanging out with his
friend from school, Paul McCartney, they began enjoying Donegan's music together. Harrison stated
that while he was at McCartney's house, they began teaching themselves to play guitar out of a book
which included several of Donegan's songs. This inspired Harrison to go out and purchase a guitar of
his own, and everything took off from there. In an interview with Disc magazine, Harrison said,
Lonnie and skiffle seemed made for meit was easy music to play if you knew two or three chords,
and youd have a tea-chest as bass and washboard and you were on your way (George Harrison). This
quote is significant to Donegan as an unsung artist because Harrison was not the only musician drawn
to the simplicity of Donegan's skiffle style. The fact that just about anybody could pick up a guitar and
start playing drew a large crowd of people who wanted to start playing.
Another person who grew up listening to Donegan's skiffle music is Brian May. May grew up in
an average middle class family in the London borough of Hampton. May once said, He was the King

of Skiffle he spawned the whole culture of everyone playing guitars. I think thats one of the great
things about him, he made music that everyone could play; it was never like that before (Brian May).
May later went on to become Rolling Stone's 26th greatest guitarist of all time, and the lead guitarist and
a composer for the band Queen. May grew up as an average kid, but after finding inspiration through
Donegan's music he went on to achieve greatness.
Roger Daltrey of The Who grew up wanting to be the next big rock star. He listened to the likes
of Elvis Presley and he dreamed of becoming the next big thing. Daltrey said, I wanted to be Elvis
Presley when I grew up, I knew that. But the man who really made me feel like I could actually go out
and do it was a chap by the name of Lonnie Donegan (Roger Daltrey). Daltrey's future did not look
too bright after he decided to try becoming a rock star rather than attending college. A lot of people,
such as his parents, told him that this was a mistake. Daltrey however, drew inspiration from Donegan's
ability to make music something that everybody can do. While working as a sheet metal worker Daltrey
started a skiffle band named the Detours, through which he started playing with John Entwistle and
Pete Townshend. Because of the inspiration he got from Lonnie Donegan, Daltrey went on to become a
founding member of one of the greatest bands of all time, and Rolling Stone has him rated as the 61st
best singer of all time. If not for the hope Donegan gave the young musicians of Britain, there is a good
chance Daltrey would have remained a factory worker and never have achieved greatness.
One last important musician that is clearly influenced by Donegan's music is Jack White. White
is well known for his solo career, in addition to his involvement with the White Stripes and the
Raconteurs. White acknowledge the significance of Donegan's impact during an acceptance speech at
the Brit Awards. He said, Remember, Lonnie Donegan started it for you. When White siad this he
was alluding to the impact Donegan's music made on the British rock scene. Jack White is one of
Britain's most successful artists in recent history, and he acknowledges that he would not be where he is
now without Lonnie Donegan. White went on to record several hit songs, including Icky Thump,
Seven Nation Army, Fell in Love With a Girl, and Steady as She Goes. According to the quote

from White, if not for Donegan, none of these songs would have ever existed.
Donegan's skiffle group ended up disbanding in the mid 1960's. This happened because their
music became more and more obselete, as different genres of music took over. The early British rock
bands are some of the more guilty parties in the death of skiffle music. Beat music as it is referred to
was what rock and roll, doo-wop, and rhythm and blues were referred to as when they took over in the
early 1960's. Donegan continued making music through the 1960's, however he was never able to find
the commercial success that he did in the 1950's. He continued making music even through the 1970's
and he still could not manage to find any fame. After the 1960's not one of Donegan's songs managed
to chart in the United States top 100. He continued touring all the way until the day he died, however at
his later shows he did not have much of a fan base. One of his last live performances was at the Ulster
Hall in Northern Ireland, a venue that seats only around 1,000 people. Despite being the founding
father of British rock music, and the first British pop star, Donegan's career went drasticlly downhill
after the skiffle craze ended in the early 1960's.
Donegan died in 2002 while on a tour of the United Kingdom. He was an entertainer to the very
end, even performing with his good friend Van Morrison as late as 2000. After his death, a writer from
theguardian.com said, "In a career that covered over 50 years, he inspired nearly every major musician
alive today" (theguardian.com). Despite the fact that Donegan's music was drowned out by the
American folk revival and the death of skiffle, Donegan's sound lives on through the many musicians
that he inspired. Whether it is the Beatles, the Who, Van Morrison, or The White Stripes, we are only
able to enjoy these bands because of the foundation that was laid down by Lonnie Donegan. He gave
people the hope and belief that was needed in order to achieve their success. If not for Donegan, we
likely would have missed out on all of these great musicians, and the joy that they have brought to us
all.

Works Cited
http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2002/nov/05/arts.artsnews
http://www.chrisbarber.net/former/johnny-duncan-home.htm
http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3496000026.html
http://www.allmusic.com/artist/lonnie-donegan-mn0000277549
http://www.tsimon.com/donegan.htm
http://people.wku.edu/charles.smith/essays/FOLK111.htm
http://spartucusjones.hubpages.com/hub/15-Musical-Artists-Who-Should-Be-Inducted-Into-The-RockRoll-Hall-of-Fame