Summary
Downton Abbey actor Jim Carter tells Matthew Parris why skiffle king Lonnie Donegan is his hero.
Lonnie Donegan is probably best remembered for the novelty hits "My Old Man's a Dustman" and "Does Your Chewing Gum Lose its Flavour? " However, early hits like "Rock Island Line" were instrumental in inspiring the likes of John Lennon, Brian May and Roger Daltrey to perform.
Donegan played a decisive role in the development of British popular music. His revitalisation of skiffle provided the inspiration for the whole British beat movement that was to come. Ironically, although Donegan was the catalyst, he was soon eclipsed by the young electric guitar heroes of the mid-sixties, and he was left with the comedy and cabaret circuits.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Thank you for downloading this great lives podcast from BBC Radio 4. |
| 0:04.0 | For more information and details of other podcasts just visit BBC.co. UK slash radio 4. |
| 0:11.0 | My guest this week owns perhaps the most distinctive voice of Sunday evenings as Mr Carson, the Butler in |
| 0:19.3 | Downtown Abbey, but Jim Carter's CB runs from stage work at the National Theatre in the 1980s to the recent |
| 0:26.2 | film release of a week with Marilyn, with many, many stops in between Jim, whom have you |
| 0:31.5 | chosen as your great life and briefly why? |
| 0:34.0 | I've chosen Lonnie Donaghan, the legendary king of Skiffel. |
| 0:39.0 | The reason why is Lonnie is the man who in the 1950s kicked open the door and let rock and |
| 0:45.3 | roll into this country. He opened the door for teenagers. He opened the door for |
| 0:50.0 | the music revolution, the cultural revolution that took place in the late 50s and early 60s without |
| 0:56.0 | Lony that wouldn't have happened. |
| 0:57.0 | Did you know that at the time or have you found it out since? |
| 1:00.4 | I didn't know it at the time I just knew that something incredibly exciting was going on I was |
| 1:05.3 | 11 when I first saw Lonnie Donning in the ABC in Great Yarmouth in 1959 |
| 1:12.3 | I think Des O'Connor was possibly on the bill and the King brothers and I was in 11 went with my 14 year old brother. |
| 1:18.9 | Was very excited to be at a concert without my parents and this phenomenon happened because he was so exciting |
| 1:26.6 | and you just knew that this was different from the Joe Loss Orchestra. |
| 1:31.0 | In the minds of the uninitiated and and you're obviously one of the initiated, you told me a moment ago that |
| 1:36.8 | his rendering of Frankie and Johnny ran to five minutes and 22 seconds for instance. |
| 1:41.1 | In the minds of the uninitiated, Lonnie Donovan is associated with two novelty records, |
| 1:46.6 | my old man's a dustman and does your chewing gum lose its flavor on the bedpost overnight? |
| 1:51.6 | Neither suggest greatness to me. |
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