Lonnie Donegan MBE (29 April 1931 - 3 November 2002) was a British "skiffle" musician, with more than 20 UK Top 30 hits to his name. He is referred to as the "King of Skiffle" and is often cited as a large influence on the generation of British musicians who became famous in the 1960s. Donegan was born as Anthony James Donegan in Glasgow, Scotland, the son of a professional violinist. His ethnic mix was Scottish/Irish. ...show more

Lonnie Donegan MBE (29 April 1931 - 3 November 2002) was a British "skiffle" musician, with more than 20 UK Top 30 hits to his name. He is referred to as the "King of Skiffle" and is often cited as a large influence on the generation of British musicians who became famous in the 1960s. 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. ...show less