The British skiffle boom of the late 1950s was desperately short-lived, but its
influence ran deep, with many stars from The Beatles to Van Morrison inspired to
pick up instruments by skiffle's do-it-yourself ethos and specifically Lonnie
Donegan. The son of a professional violinist, Donegan was born in Glasgow but
raised in East Ham, London, learning guitar at 14. He was in his teens when he
joined Chris Barber's jazz band though his career was interrupted in 1949 when
he was called up for National Service. When he left the army Donegan formed the
Tony Donegan Jazz Band, changin...