About Lonnie Donegan
Anthony James "Lonnie" Donegan (29 April 1931 – 3 November 2002) was a British skiffle singer, songwriter and musician, referred to as the "King of Skiffle", who influenced 1960s British pop and rock musicians. Born in Scotland and brought up in England, Donegan began his career in the British trad jazz revival, but transitioned to skiffle in the mid-1950s, rising to prominence with a hit recording of the American folk song "Rock Island Line", which helped spur the broader UK skiffle movement. Donegan had 31 UK top-30 hit singles, 24 were successive hits and three were number one. He was the first British male singer with two US top-10 hits. Donegan received an Ivor Novello lifetime achievement award in 1995, and in 2000, he was appointed MBE. He was a pivotal figure in the British Invasion due to his influence in the US in the late 1950s. Donegan first played in a major band after Chris Barber heard that he was a good banjo player, and, on a train, asked him to audition.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.