Donovan--Jennifer Juniper (1968)

     Jenny Boyd was the younger sister of Patti Boyd who was the first wife of George Harrison. She lived the life of a swinging London single. She began an on again/off again with drummer Mick Fleetwood beginning in 1965 when she was only 18, it would eventually lead to them being married, divorced and married again during the 1970's. But in 1967 she was a successful model and business woman owning a boutique called, "Juniper" in downtown London.
     Despite her success however, she felt a restlessness spiritually which had been heightened further by her experimentation with  LSD. She followed along with sister Patti and George to India to study under the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. It was there she met a guy who had a secret crush on her.
     Donovan Leitch had become one of England's most popular folk singer who had been riding on a wave of popularity which had lasted over two years at the time he came along this trip to India. It was this trip that had substantial consequences for many. Harrison and Love began a lifelong devotion to Eastern religion. Donovan taught Paul McCartney and John Lennon several different finger picking style which included the clawhammer style which showed up in five songs on the the White Album.
Then there was, "Jennifer Juniper".
     In his autobiography, "The Hurdy Gurdy Man", Donovan denied any romance between him and Boyd, although it had been rumored for years. Either way...it made for a great song which reached number 28 on the charts in the late winter/early spring of 1968.

 

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Lonnie Donegan & His Skiffle Group--Rock Island Line (1956)

     Over the years, all four of the Beatles had discussed their influences. Elvis, Carl Perkins, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry and so on. One name however that comes up that most in the US have never heard of was Lonnie Donegan.
     Skiffle was a type of music that drew from traditional jazz, blues and folk, and generally performed with homemade instruments. It's roots are disputed, but began to show up in recorded form in Chicago during the 1920's. It popped up from time to time over the next 20 years, but was a rural genre that never saw a lot of popularity until Lonnie Donegan led a revival of the style in the UK during the 50's.
      Donegan spent much of the 40's and early 50's playing guitar in various traditional jazz bands throughout Britain. While playing with Ken Colyer's Jazzmen, he would play a guitar and banjo during a dixieland set. This led him to join with a couple of other members to play what they called a "skiffle" break which included a washboard, a tea-chest bass and Spanish guitar. 
     This proved to be so popular that the combo recorded a version of Leadbelly's, "Rock Island Line" in the summer of 1954, which became a hit in 1956. He recorded much of the rest of the 50's, with a great deal of success. His real influence however was how, in bringing skiffle to England, he inspired many a poor and middle class boys to pick up homemade (or very low rate) instruments and start banging out, "Rock Island Line".

     

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