Entertainment Editor Viv Hardwick talks to Peter Donnegan about his famous father as the show which tells the story of Lonnie's life goes on a massive tour. Peter is currently living in the North-East and actually made his professional debut with his dad in the region in 2002.

MOST young men of 21 wouldn't want to go out on stage and perform songs which made their dad famous, but Peter Donegan is happy to keep the 1950s skiffle sound of father Lonnie alive. Not only that, he's also given up the sun-soaked family home in Malaga to be based in Bedlington for a massive tour of musical Lonnie D which runs until November, 2005, before a grandstand finish at London's Hackney Empire in 2006.

Along the way there will shows at Hartlepool, York, Durham's Gala, Scarborough and (hopefully) the re-opened Billingham Forum.

Peter admits that, at one time, Aerosmith rather than his dad's first big hit Rock Island Line would have attracted his attention. But he says: "Skiffle music is 50 years old now, which is why the title of dad's last tour was 50 Years Down The Rock Island Line. But, basically, I'm doing this music because I like it. Where else can you get to go to work dressed in sequins and all sorts of God know's what. It's quite disturbing when you look at some of it, but my girlfriend can turn to me and say 'can I borrow your make-up darling?'"

Peter's quite proud of the move to Bedlington - although he admits he hasn't taken up an invitation to go and watch the town's famous Terriers football team.

He says: "I've actually been living in the Bedlington area for about five years because I've been working for Leah Bell (who is directing and co-producing the show with Peter's mum Sharon)."

London-born Peter spent four years in California before moving to Spain with his parents 17 years ago, mostly because of his dad's heart trouble which saw him battle back from three major operations. Peter recalls changing school 14 times in total including a period at stage school. That also meant making a TV commercial at the age of five for Life Assurance.

"I had to stick a sausage in some guy's mouth, which seemed perfectly innocent at that time," he laughs.

Peter started out as a performer using the piano and then learned the harmonic and since his dad's death in 2002 has taken up the guitar. Brother Antony is 36 and also appears in Lonnie D. "He could almost be my dad," jests Peter who is from Lonnie's third marriage.

"We get on like a house on fire and our birthdays are really close together, I'm November 7 and his is November 8 which is uncanny. Antony was born and raised in Margate and he's the second oldest because he's got an older sister, Juanita, from my dad's second marriage to Jillian Westlake." Peter has two brothers David - who also appears in Lonnie D - and Andrew and there are also two other Donegan off-spring, Fiona and Corrina, from the singer's first marriage.

"It's funny when you meet people at the shows because they know more about you than you do," he admits.

Talking about Lonnie D he says: "The first half is the story of my dad's life which is narrated by Antony and I and there's a whole cast of characters who play the part of fans in The Froffy Coffee Bar. As we go through the stages of my dad's life you can see the effect it has on their lives. It goes straight from Rock Island Line up until his death in 2002.

"We don't see physically what happens to him because nobody is playing my dad on the basis that we feel it wouldn't be morally right and nobody is good enough to play that part anyway," explains Peter who is aware that his father changed the face of music in the 1950s at a time when Max Bygraves' I'm A Pink Toothbrush was a huge hit.

"We have the emotional part in the 1960s when the Beatles arrived and my dad's career went downhill and we have that aspect as well. We then have the resurgence thanks to people like Van Morrison."

Lonnie D was written in a short time mainly because 71-year-old Lonnie was already in the process of writing his biography. Peter explains:

"He was not only in the process of writing his biography but he used to perform an act on stage called 'This Year The Story' and he'd sit on stage and tell his life story, so we had the whole script which Leah and my mum used to create what we have now. So all the background was done.

"The original idea came during the last tour with my dad when we were at Jersey Opera House. Leah Bell was in summer season and after one of her shows we went out to dinner. She said 'there's a musical about Buddy Holly and Cliff Richard but there's not one about you' and he replied 'well why don't you write one?'. So taking him at his word, my mum and Leah got together and that's how it came about."

The two actually made their professional debut in March 2002 when Peter became the warm-up act for Lonnie at Sedgefield's Hardwick Hall Hotel.

"Eventually I became part of the group on the last tour doing the keyboards. I was absolutely over the moon because every member of the group had known me since I was born. My dad's act was the only one I didn't mind going to see over and over again. I've seen lots of other performers but no disrespect to them nobody had the charisma and connection with the audience that he had... and I'm buggered if I can find it."

* Lonnie D plays Hartlepool Town Hall Theatre tomorrow, Box Office: (01429) 890000; York's Grand Opera House on March 19, (01904) 671818; Durham's Gala, June 26, 0191-332 4041; Scarborough Futurist, July 26, August 9, 16, 23 and 30 and Sept 6, (01723) 374500 and Billingham current revised date is September 11 (ring 01642 552663 to confirm the booking).

Published: 03/03/2005