| Subject: Re: British Singers |
Author:
Dave H
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Date Posted: Fri February 08, 2008 11:26:53
In reply to:
Cleftonefan
's message, "Re: British Singers" on Fri February 08, 2008 08:39:13
Indeed, Cleftonefan, Lonnie used a paraphrase of that very joke in "My Old Man's A Dustman".
Mr C., your pedantry does you great credit, and of course strictly speaking you are correct, but Lonnie moved to London as a very small child and I count him as a Londoner (though with a Glasgow root). This IS significant, as of course the British music industry was at that time the London music industry, and you had to be there to succeed.
The thing about Lonnie Donegan being best known in the States for “Chewing Gum” is a shame, but not really surprising. Lonnie was by many a country mile the top chart act of the 1950’s in the UK… his hit span was only 7 years from 1956 to 1962 (his last hit left the charts in the month the Beatles first hit entered… you just can’t make it up, can you !), but in that time he amassed an amazing catalogue of hits. When I bought my first “Guinness Book of Hit singles” in the late 80’s, he was STILL in the all time top twenty, having not had a hit for over 25 years !!! But…… this was because he was new and fresh over here with his recycled American blues and folk. Not so in the homeland of Leadbelly….
Also, note how many guitar players there were in 1959 in the UK. Loads!!! As Mike and others mentioned, and I have said before, this was entirely due to Lonnie Donegan, and the skifflers who followed him. The number of competent guitarists in Britain in 1955 was few indeed, and almost all in the fields of jazz and folk. Along came Lonnie in 1956, and three years later everyone was at it!! Lord Rockingham alone had THREE !!! Whether you like him or not, for this revolution in British pop music culture, he stands the hero.
Dave H
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