JazzManJim
On the Downbeat
- Joined
- Sep 12, 2001
- Posts
- 27,360
Lonnie Donigan passed away Sunday in Petersborough, England at the age of 71. He had suffered several heart attacks int he recent past.
Most folks have no idea who Donigan was and only slightly fewer would recognize perhaps his most famous song 'Does Your Chewing Gum Lose it's Flavor (on the Bedpost Overnight)". That's not surprising. He toiled in relative obscurity and had only a few modest hits.
His largest contribution was the invention of the musical styule called "skiffle". Skiffle, using an odd assortment of instruments, was designed for those who had very little musical skill and was inspired by musicians like Leadbelly and Woody Guthrie. A skiffle band was a lot like a jug band but also added a guitar (which only required you to know two chords).
Skiffle was a huge fad in Britain at the time and it drew in countless young would-be musicians. Some of those people who formed skiffle bands and started their musical careers were John Lennon and George Harrison (who met Paul McCartney at a gig), Pete Townsend and Roger Daltrey, Van Morrison, and Jimmy Page. EAch of these men have publicly owed their start to Donegan.
That being true, Donegan would be in the top fove most influential musicians in history. That's a heady legady.
Most folks have no idea who Donigan was and only slightly fewer would recognize perhaps his most famous song 'Does Your Chewing Gum Lose it's Flavor (on the Bedpost Overnight)". That's not surprising. He toiled in relative obscurity and had only a few modest hits.
His largest contribution was the invention of the musical styule called "skiffle". Skiffle, using an odd assortment of instruments, was designed for those who had very little musical skill and was inspired by musicians like Leadbelly and Woody Guthrie. A skiffle band was a lot like a jug band but also added a guitar (which only required you to know two chords).
Skiffle was a huge fad in Britain at the time and it drew in countless young would-be musicians. Some of those people who formed skiffle bands and started their musical careers were John Lennon and George Harrison (who met Paul McCartney at a gig), Pete Townsend and Roger Daltrey, Van Morrison, and Jimmy Page. EAch of these men have publicly owed their start to Donegan.
That being true, Donegan would be in the top fove most influential musicians in history. That's a heady legady.
