Died On This Date (November 3, 2002) Lonnie Donegan / The King Of Skiffle
themusicsover Anthony “Lonnie” Donegan
April 29, 1931 – November 3, 2002
Lonnie Donegan was one of the most popular performers of the ’50s and early ’60s skiffle scene of the UK. Skiffle was a raved up version of traditional folk, blues, jazz and country influences from the US. British Invasion bands like the Beatles rose out of the skiffle scene and claim Donegan as a direct influence. Donegan began playing guitar at the age of 14, and in 1952, he formed his first band, the Tony Donegan Jazz Band. He switched to “Lonnie” a few years later and began playing in bands that were evolving into skiffle music by adding such instruments as banjo and washboard. His first recording was a 1956 rave up of Lead Belly’s “Rock Island Line” which became a massive hit, selling in excess of three million copies. Donegan continued to release UK high-charting records into the early ’60s, but his sound never really caught on in the U.S. He struggled to stay relevant during the ’70s and ’80s even with such fans as Elton John, Brian May and Ronnie Wood paying tribute to his work. His last shots of major exposure came in 2000 when he appeared on Van Morrison’s acclaimed The Skiffle Sessions album, and peformed at the Glatonbury Festival. On November 3, 2002, Lonnie Donegan, 71, suffered what would be his final of at least three heart attacks in his later years, this last one being fatal.
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