LONNIE DONAGAN,BUDDY HOLLY & THE QUARRYMEN

HERE IS A GREAT PICTURE OF LONNIE DONAGAN AND BUDDY HOLLY.DONAGAN
WAS A HUGE STAR IN ENGLAND.HE WAS THE LEADER OF THE SKIFFLE CRAZE WHICH AT ONE TIME WAS SO BIG THAT EVEN MY UNCLE REX WAS IN A SKIFFLE BAND IN OGDEN,UTAH ! DONAGANS BIGGEST HIT WAS "ROCK ISLAND LINE" A SONG
WRITTEN BY HEDDIE LEDBETTER BETTER KNOWN AS "LEADBELLY".
THE FIRST TIME PAUL McCARTNEY SAW JOHN LENNON HE WAS PLAYING WITH
HIS SKIFFLE BAND-"THE QUARRYMEN".LENNON SANG "ROCK ISLAND LINE" AND
McCARTNEY WASN'T TOO IMPRESSED WITH THE BAND BUT HE LIKED LENNONS
VOCALS.LATER A MUTUAL FRIEND INTODUCED THEM-McCARTNEY PUT ON QUITE
A DEMONSTATION FOR LENNON-SHOWING HIM HOW TO PROPERLY TUNE A GUITAR-WHICH LENNON HADN'T QUITE MASTERED AND THEN RUNNING THRU
EDDIE COCHRAN'S "20 FLIGHT ROCK",GENE VINCENT AND THE BLUECAP'S "BE-BOP-A
-LU-LA" AND A MEDLY OF LITTLE RICHARD HITS ! SUFFICE TO SAY-LENNON WAS
QUITE IMPRESSED.
THIS PHOTO OF HOLLY AND DONAGON IS INTERESTING BECAUSE THE SKIFFLE CRAZE WINDED DOWN AFTER A FEW YEARS BUT-UNLIKE IN AMERICA-BUDDY HOLLY'S MUSIC STAYED VERY POPULAR IN ENGLAND FOR A VERY LONG TIME{EVEN
AFTER HIS DEATH HE WAS STILL TOPPING THE CHARTS} AND ENDED UP BEING A HUGE INFLUENCE ON THE BEATLES AS WELL AS NUMEROUS OTHER WELL KNOWN
ENGLISH MUSICIANS-THE ROLLING STONES,ERIC CLAPTON,THE HOLLIES,AND
REALLY JUST ABOUT ALL OF THE BANDS THAT WERE A PART OF THE BRITISH
INVASION.
"ROCK ISLAND LINE" HAS BECOME AN AMERICAN STANDARD AND THE BEST
KNOWN VERSION OF IT IS PROBABLY THE ONE RECORDED BY JOHNNY CASH-
WHO REALLY TAKES IT TO ANOTHER LEVEL-HE CONTINUED TO PERFORM IT
THROUGHOUT HIS LONG AND AMAZING CAREER AND IT WAS ALLWAYS A CROWD
FAVORITE. http://members.tripod.com/rant58/id448.htm

P. HOLLY 6/18/2007