It could he fairly said that Lonnie Donegan was one of the real pioneers of skiffle, that music of yesteryear that sprang from the home-made tea chest bass, washboard, and guitar. The music, in fact, that swept Britain during the fifties and which put Donegan. in 1955, firmly in the charts with the million-plus seller "Rock Island Line"
This was Lonnie's first really big success on record, although he'd been playing guitar since his early days in Glasgow. Always influenced by music (his father was a violinist) Lonnie played jazz during his National Service days, and on discharge he joined up with the band of Ken Colyer and stayed with the band until 1951, when he formed his own group. He later joined Chris Barber, appeared with Barber on many records and then, in the mid-fifties, went solo and really started on the road to international acclaim.
Lonnie's records were always hits, and he scored Gold Discs with two other songs: "Does your chewing gum lose its flavour" and "My old man's a dustman", the latter being an old song that Lonnie and his co-writers dressed up with new lyrics and for which he obviously still retains a great affection.
This album by Lonnie sums up just what his musical style is all about. Always lively, entertaining, and highly enjoyable, it's the kind of album you'll want to play again and again.