www.lonniedoneg... Lonnie Donegan interview with Michael Barrymore. This is followed by performance of "Have a Drink on Me" and "Battle of New Orleans" ruined by Barrymore. www.paulgriggs.com
On this day in 1959 {July 24th} Lonnie Donegan's "The Battle of New Orleans" peaked at #2 on the United Kingdom's Singles chart, the #1 record was "Dream Lover"* by Bobby Darin... The two weeks after being at #2 it was at #3, then it moved back up the chart to #2, and #1 record for that week was "Living Doll" by Cliff Richard and the Drifters... Between 1955 and 1962 the Glasgow, Scotland native had twenty nine records on the U.K. Singles chart, seventeen made the Top 10 with three reaching #1, "Cumberland Gap" for 5 weeks in 1957, "Gamblin' Man" for 2 weeks in 1957, and "My Old Man's A Dustman" for 4 weeks in 1960... Anthony James 'Lonnie' Donegan passed away at the age of 71 on November 3rd, 2002... May he R.I.P. * And from the 'For What It's Worth' department; "Dream Lover" peaked at #2 {for 1 week} on America's Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart, the week it was at #2, the #1 record for that week was "The Battle of New Orleans", but not Lonnie's version, it was Johnny Horton's version in the top spot...
Lon was one heck of a musician and entertainer! In my opinion, he seemed to be super nice, energetic, and just downright fun-loving anywhere he was. He will be greatly missed!
The bass player is Pete Oakman who was with Lonnie on and off for around thirty years. He was originally a member of Joe Brown's Bruvvers and wrote "A Picture of You".
Lonnie Donegan I love to bits for his music, attititude and style. Michael Barrymore strikes me as someone who's researcher only knows about 'My old man's a dustman'. Here, the pratt has a musical icon, a legend, an obviously intelligent man with tales to tell and what does the pratt do?.
Thanks very much for posting this video. What's great is the energy Lonnie brought to every performance he did. Even in his more advanced years he still rocked it as this video shows. Yes Barrymore is a bit of a tit but Lonnie shines through.
Lonnie always reinvented himself when talking about this song. He always said the original had "Bloody British" which he had to change to "Ruddy British". In fact, on the original single (which I still have) Lonnie sings "Ruddy British", which in 1950s Britain was unacceptable to Aunty BBC, so he went back into the studio and overdubbed "Bloomin' British" and this is the version heard on all reissues of the song.
I think when Johnny Horton made his version and wanted to come out with a more palatable British version of the song, they had a focus group to test out some of the lyrics, which were more edgy in their original form for audiences in that time of history. Lonnie ultimately kept the lyrical content fairly close to Horton's British version, but with a few twists. They're both great, as is the original by Mr. Driftwood.
Lonnie always sang bloody on stage, I have hundreds of hours of footage of him and from 1978 onwards it was bloody - I cannot for the life of me understand why the tempo and beat of this song was changed nor why it became rebels and not British.
A British Don Rickles (Barrymore) (Close captioning would be appreciated.) I don't know guys I think Barrymore's singing was on key, dynamic, fun and had good entertainment value, what more do you want in a TV show host. I heard this for the very first time today 21 May 2011. Great presentation.
The people book for the Barrymore show, they have no idea who the guests will be, Lonnie liked a good laugh, well he is scottish after all, anyone that thinks barrymore was disrespectful to Lonnie is completely wrong
Is that John Entwistle on bass? I may be losing it, but did Michael Barrymore really ruin not only a Lonnie Donegan performance, but a Lonnie and Entwistle performance? #Idon'twanttolivetoday
Barrymore is the epitome of a prize idiot for ruining this, personally I am delighted that he no longer haunts our tv screens and long may he stay gone.
Lonnie was a great artist - and it appears in this interview he is given no respect. Lonnie had more talent in his little finger than Barrymore has all round, which is made clear when we see them both on stage at the end.
Keep in mind, this was meant for a British audience. Probably sound better on tv to say "And we met up with The Rebels in the town of New Orleans" then to sing the correct lyrics... especially if you're telling it from the Red Coats point of view.
Michael Barrymore was a cocky entertainer with a lousy attitude that why his downfall was far to fall? i will say Lonnie donnegn was one of the first British rock and rollers. cliff Richard and Tommy Steele being the others of course others emerging around the time. too many to mention.
