Subject: RE: Lonnie Donegan's guitarists..... From: Roger the Skiffler Date: 30 Mar 08 - 03:23 AM Doesn't time fly...and Sundown still hasn't been released despite empty promises on LD website and Amazon... sigh... RtS |
Subject: RE: Lonnie Donegan's guitarists..... From: eddie1 Date: 30 Mar 08 - 04:26 AM Great to read my way through this thread again! Not enough people recognise The influence Lonnie had on the popular music of today, Pre-Lonnie, a guitar was just another instrument and apparently as far from the reach of most people as a trombone or sax. He also, although a lot of people would argue, had a lot to do with the folk revival. Two who did agree with me on that one were Hamish Henderson and Martin Carthy - there are many more but some afraid to come out of the closet! Got an incredible CD a couple of weeks ago - "Great British Skiffle - Just About As Good As It Gets!" A total of 55 tracks including 7 by Lonnie but also featuring names like Beryl Bryden, Ken Colyer, The Vipers, Chris Barber's Skiffle Group (with Dick Bishop and Johny Duncan), Clyde Valley Stompers, Alan Lomax & The Ramblers (including MacColl & Seeger!), Bob Wallis' Washboard Beaters, The City Ramblers (with Ramblin' Jack Elliot) and Lazy Ade's Backroom Boys. This all for £10! This CD, along with some additional recordings of Lonnie, Nancy Whiskey, Leadbelly et al, let me do a 3-hour radio programme on skiffle last week. My weekly programme is going to include a bit more skiffle from now on! Eddie |
Subject: RE: Lonnie Donegan's guitarists..... From: Melissa Date: 30 Mar 08 - 10:11 PM Guest el, Try: (1)sweet sixteen, goes to church just to see the (5)boys grunts and snorts and giggles at every little (1)noise. turns her head a little then turns her head a(4)while (5)but you know she's only putting on the (1)style. I know those are not the right words..but they're the right number of syllables and ought to work. There's a chance I got my 4s and 5s backward--and if so, someone will come along to correct me. If someone does come along to correct my guess, it would probably be a good idea to try their chords instead of mine. I don't have a guitar nearby so can't check this before posting. |
Subject: RE: Lonnie Donegan's guitarists From: GUEST,Keith Sellers Date: 09 Mar 14 - 05:46 PM Lonnie played in 55/59 a 00018 and a 00028 so where did the 000 herringbone Pre 1948 come from that he is holding on the Lonnie Lost John EP.my guess it belonged to Stan Stennett who was on the bill with Lonnie at that time..any other theories .. Keith Sellers |
Subject: RE: Lonnie Donegan's guitarists From: GUEST Date: 10 Mar 14 - 07:59 AM Keith: In view of your undoubted knowledge about these things, I'm sure you meant to say '000-21' and not '000-18'. I think the photo of the herringbone Martin - whoever it belonged to - pre-dates any of Donegan's variety theatre appearances. That EP was released in January 1956 and, I believe, long before he'd have known Stan. RR |
Subject: RE: Lonnie Donegan's guitarists From: GUEST,Denny Wright's son Date: 11 Jun 14 - 05:28 AM I remember my father telling me the story about going into the studio and being presented with 'a page of black with a few white spots', his "F***ing Segovia" reaction, and then finding out it was transcribed from his own solo. I didn't know it might have been with Peter Sellars, though. St.John Wright |
Subject: RE: Lonnie Donegan's guitarists From: GUEST,Mike Thompson Date: 03 Nov 14 - 06:41 AM Hi LD enthusiasts I am still searching (after years) for the TV recording of 'Sunday Night at the London Palladium when Lonnie and the Band played a brilliant version of Betty, Betty, Betty with a boogie accompaniment by Jimmy. Electrifying ! I taxed Lonnie on several occasions about releasing a boring version as the official record ! As I have said before, our Alsager College 'Group 3 ' recorded the boogie version note for note, sung by our (now famous for his work on TV) lead singer Pete P. I wish Peter Donegan would give this version a go - he would be brilliant ! |
Subject: RE: Lonnie Donegan's guitarists From: GUEST,Richard Wheatley Date: 20 Mar 18 - 08:16 AM Greetings to all from Suffolk.Mr Rettig's first post about LD's guitarists is spot on.I agree that Denny was the best.Certainly Jimmy Currie did not detract in any way at all from the groups performance and I felt a sense of dismay when he left.Jimmy played with so much feeling too.Les Bennetts never did any thing for me, and as Mr Rettig points out,he in some way diminished the groups overall performance.I did not like his sound either, which was rather 'thin'. I had the good fortune to see Denny with LD in 1957 and later with Johnny Duncan.He played a great solo on 'Last Train To San Fernando'.I last saw Denny playing with Grapelli in Bangor North wales in 1974. I saw Jimmy playing with Crombie's Rockets in early 1957 and again with a trio called the Wise Guys in 1959 at the De Montfort Hall,Leicester.Jimmy played Guitar Boogie.Top of the bill on the show was Cliff Richard and the Drifters which really dates me! |
Subject: RE: Lonnie Donegan's guitarists From: GUEST,guest jim younger Date: 20 Mar 18 - 08:40 PM So good to read this thread! I played a couple of sessions that Denny was involved with, at Decca, West Hampstead, around 1971, and he really impressed me. One of the things he said was what a great guitarist Jimmy Page was. I sat in a pub with him when he was writing out a flute part for the session In D-flat!. Denny was drinking Coke, so he must have been dry. By the way, the flute player read it straight off, not a clam to be heard. In D-flat! Denny brought an Epiphone Texan to the session - lovely guitar and sublime playing. I will always remember him as a superb musician and a very kind man. |
Subject: RE: Lonnie Donegan's guitarists From: Roger the Skiffler Date: 21 Mar 18 - 07:54 AM As a coda to this thread, I DID eventually get a copy of Sundown in 2010. RtS |
Subject: RE: Lonnie Donegan's guitarists From: GUEST,Roger Rettig Date: 21 Mar 18 - 01:27 PM How odd to see this thread resurrected - it's over ten years old! Sadly, my only personal contact with Denny Wright was when I met him at Lonnie's 'This Is Your Life' in the early '90s. He was very kind and suffered through my questions very stoically, I thought. I see no reason to back-pedal on my original remarks. When Les took over the guitar chair for Donegan in '59 (?) I almost felt that I could have done better! I now realise that that was preposterous and, in some ways, he was a seasoned 'pro' who suited the gig. After all, there weren't many choices in London back then. We should remembe, too, that around that time Lonnie was tackling more flippant material and Bennetts' circus-styled obligato was in some ways more appropriate than had been his predecessors' more subtle accompaniments. It's all water under the bridge now and it's fair to say that no more than a handful of devotees are still alive to debate this issue. Les was what we got - I need to embrace that. I'll be 75 the day after tomorrow - I had no inkling that I'd even remember this stuff 60-odd years later but obviously I do! RR |
Subject: RE: Lonnie Donegan's guitarists From: GUEST,Monty Zoomer (An Octogenarian Donegan fan) Date: 06 Jan 25 - 12:55 PM Indeed,poor old Les Bennetts has had a rough deal from some commentators. Wright, Currie, and the even earlier Dick 'Cisco' Bishop, all heralded from the Jazz world. I don't think Les did? Notwithstanding, Les's contribution to the album "Lonnie Rides Again", were really top notch, well, they were, IMHO. His guitar work in Take this Hammer, You Pass me By, and especially the solo and fills in The House of the Rising Sun were most excellent. |
Subject: RE: Lonnie Donegan's guitarists From: GUEST,johnmc Date: 08 Jan 25 - 06:27 AM Brilliant name-tag ! |
Subject: RE: Lonnie Donegan's guitarists From: Roger the Skiffler Date: 08 Jan 25 - 06:39 AM Gosh, another blast from the past when I posted more often! Is Roger Rettig still with us? RtS |
Subject: RE: Lonnie Donegan's guitarists From: GUEST,Monty Zoomer Date: 13 Jan 25 - 05:36 AM This thread seems to have been around for virtually 20 years ! Amazing. Another memory has just popped into my ageing brain cell. 1956 (?) Going to see Lonnie Donegan at the Liverpool Empire. It may have been '58, but after all these years I can no longer be certain. The abiding memory is of Micky Ashman lying flat on his back, playing his double bass whilst spinning it around with his feet. You can't do that with a Fender Jazz or Precision? It is rumoured that Paul McCartney attended that performance, and his career took off from that point ? I also recall that Lonnie performed with Chris Barber, in his later years, at various celebratory gigs, and the guitarist on a couple of occasions was none other than the late great John Slaughter. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WK64SXvhps https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nz3dV8Ga6M8 Just Good Fun!! |
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