Lonnie Donegan MBE (29 April 1931 – 3 November 2002) was a skiffle musician, possibly the most famous of them all, with more than 20 UK Top 30 hits to his name. He is also known as the King of Skiffle and is often cited as a large influence on the generation of British musicians who became famous in the 1960s.[LINK: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/2400229.stm] Skiffle king Donegan dies (BBC), accessed 05/01/08 Early life and trad jazz He was born Anthony James Donegan in Bridgeton, Glasgow, Scotland, the son of a professional violinist. He moved with his mother to East Ham, Essex (now Greater London), at an early age, after his parents divorced. Inspired by blues music and New Orleans jazz bands he heard on the radio, he resolved to learn the guitar, and bought his first at the age of fourteen. The first band he played in was the trad jazz band led by Chri