Donegan: Puttin' on the style- officially

Subject: Puttin' on the style- officially
From: GUEST,Roger the skiffler
Date: 19 Jun 00 - 03:56 AM

In case anyone missed it, in the Queen's Birthday Honours announced on Saturday, Lonnie Donegan got an MBE for services to music. (Can canonization be far behind?)
Later in the year he'll be puttin' on the top hat and tails to get his gong at the Palace.
Rumours that the ceremony will include an impromptu janm session with the Queen on kazoo, the Queen Mother on washboard and the Duke of Edinburgh on gut-bucket bass have been discounted by a Palace spokesperson who further stated:
"Everyone knows the Queen's instrument of choice is a corgi-shaped ocarina and the Duke learned the bazouki as a child on Corfu. As for the photographs in the national press showing Princess Margaret with a gallon jug to her lips, she was sucking , not blowing."
RtS
:oD

Subject: RE: BS: Puttin' on the style- officially
From: Bugsy
Date: 19 Jun 00 - 04:02 AM

Good to see, and also that Norman Wisdom is now a "SIR"

Good on you Pitkin!

CHeers

Bugsy

Subject: RE: BS: Puttin' on the style- officially
From: MikeofNorthumbria
Date: 19 Jun 00 - 07:59 AM

Great news about Lonnie - pity it took so long, but better late than never.

For millions of ordinary strummers, and for a long list of star names in Rock, Folk, and whatever-you-like-to-call-it-music, he is "The man without whom..."

Youngsters (and non-Brits) may not be aware that in early 1950s Britain, "popular song" usually meant a man in a tuxedo, with greased-down hair, and a plastic smile on his face, telling us all about "Luaaaaarve!". (Often accompanied by a band that sounded like the Glen Miller Orchestra under heavy sedation). Lonnie - with a little help from his friends - blew all that away.

After hearing him, millions of youngsters said "I'd like to try that", and nagged their parents into buying them guitars. Quite a few (Martin Carthy, John Lennon and Eric Clapton, for example) went on to achieve great things. Most of the rest had a thundering good time, even if we never got beyond three chords and "play something with a chorus everyone can join in".

And though I didn't always agree with the way Lonnie interpreted a song, I've never, ever, heard him give any performance less than one hundred per cent commitment. In that sense, he is still an example to us all. (And maybe that's why he got called back for five encores at Glastonbury festival last year - by an audience young enough to be his grandchildren.)

Rock on Lonnie!

Subject: RE: BS: Puttin' on the style- officially
From: GUEST,Roger the skiffler
Date: 19 Jun 00 - 08:08 AM

...and more here (I may have given this link in another thread)
Click Here
RtS

Subject: RE: BS: Puttin' on the style- officially
From: BanjoRay
Date: 19 Jun 00 - 07:15 PM

Lonnie Donegan was definitely the man. He introduced me to Leadbelly via Rock Island Line, Bring a Little Water Sylvie, Midnight Special and other cracking songs, and also to Appalachian Old Time via Cumberland Gap, Don't You Rock Me Daddy-Oh, although I didn't know where they were from until a lot later, when I heard Uncle Dave Macon etc.
A lot of his songs that didn't get to be hits were also classics at the time eg In The Evenin' When The Sun Goes Down, Aint No More Cane On The Brazos. Unlike other people making money out of folk music at the time, he didn't water them down - he had the talent to do them pretty straight and get away with it.
cheers
Ray

Subject: RE: BS: Puttin' on the style- officially
From: catspaw49
Date: 19 Jun 00 - 08:16 PM

Hey Skiff.....I assume that is an ass-blown corgi ocarina like Cleigh? Nice to know the ol' girl can still blow up an ass when needed isn't it? Maybe if Phil could take it up, he could keep his foot out of his mouth.

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: Puttin' on the style- officially
From: GUEST,Tracey
Date: 20 Jun 00 - 05:21 AM

And the good thing is that if you look around (in the UK at least) he's one of those artists whose CD's proliferate on the "2 for £10" stalls and shops - I found a couple lately that explained where the songs I'd been singing for years, picked up in the family, probably originally came from!