Lonnie Donegan & His Skiffle Group

Biography & Overview

Anthony James "Lonnie" Donegan (29 April 1931 – 3 November 2002) was a British skiffle singer, songwriter and musician, referred to as the "King of Skiffle", who influenced 1960s British pop and rock musicians. Born in Scotland and brought up in England, Donegan began his career in the British trad jazz revival, but transitioned to skiffle in the mid-1950s, rising to prominence with a hit recording of the American folk song "Rock Island Line", which helped spur the broader UK skiffle movement. Donegan had 31 UK top-30 hit singles, 24 were successive hits and three were number one. He was the first British male singer with two US top-10 hits.