Ian Stuart Donaldson
Encyclopedia
Ian Stuart Donaldson was a British Neo-Nazi
singer, musician
and songwriter
, most known as the frontman of Skrewdriver
, a British
punk rock
band that later became a white power rock
band. He was born in Lancashire
, England
, and raised in Poulton-le-Fylde
.
On the night of 23 September 1993, Donaldson was in a car crash in Derbyshire
that resulted in his death the following day. Stephen Flint, a friend of the band, died at the crash scene. It was Donaldson's car, but Robert Sherlock was driving, and at the inquest he described how it had felt as if the steering wheel "was 'snapped' from his hand." Derby coroner Peter Ashworth concluded:
Tumbling Dice, who played songs by The Rolling Stones
, Free
and The Who
. They formed Skrewdriver
in 1975.
At first Skrewdriver had a punk image
, but eventually they adopted a skinhead
look. The original version of the band gained a reputation for attracting violence at their concerts , but they did not openly promote any far right
political views.
After the original Skrewdriver lineup parted ways in 1979, Donaldson reformed the band and began to write songs for a white power skinhead audience. The new version of Skrewdriver openly promoted far right
groups such as the National Front
. raising funds for them (and affiliated organizations) through the White Noise Records label. As a result, Skrewdriver became known for its involvement in the white nationalist
movement and its associated music genre, Rock Against Communism
. Donaldson, along with Nicky Crane
, founded Blood and Honour
, a neo-Nazi
network that distributes white power music and organizes concerts.
Donaldson also became leader of two other bands, The Klansmen (a rockabilly
band) and White Diamond (a hard rock
/heavy metal
band), and he released several solo albums. Along with Skrewdriver guitarist Stigger, he recorded the albums Patriotic Ballads volumes 1 and 2, which included covers of traditional folk
songs such as "The Green Fields of France
". Donaldson's voice also appeared in the song "The Invisible Empire" (whose title refers to the Ku Klux Klan
) on the 1989 album See you in Valhalla by neo-Nazi rock band No Remorse
.
Donaldson was one of the principal organisers of a white power concert near Waterloo station
in London
in 1992. Anti-Fascist Action
organized a protest, which resulted in physical confrontations.
On 10 July 1993, Stuart and Skrewdriver played their final concert in Waiblingen
, Germany
. The programme, Second anniversary of the Kreuzritter für Deutschland, was organized by freelance writer and white nationalist book author Andreas J. Voigt, who leads the semi-secret society Deutschherrenklub.
Neo-Nazism
Neo-Nazism consists of post-World War II social or political movements seeking to revive Nazism or some variant thereof.The term neo-Nazism can also refer to the ideology of these movements....
singer, musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
and songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, most known as the frontman of Skrewdriver
Skrewdriver
Skrewdriver was an English punk rock band formed by Ian Stuart Donaldson in Poulton-le-Fylde in 1976. They later evolved into one of the first neo-Nazi rock bands, playing a leading role in the Rock Against Communism movement and becoming known as the most prominent white power skinhead...
, a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band that later became a white power rock
Rock Against Communism
Rock Against Communism started out as series of white power rock concerts in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s, and is also a name for the subsequent music genre. Despite its name, RAC song lyrics rarely focus on the specific topic of anti-communism...
band. He was born in Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and raised in Poulton-le-Fylde
Poulton-le-Fylde
Poulton-le-Fylde is a market town in Lancashire, England, situated on the coastal plain called the Fylde. As of the 2001 United Kingdom census, it had a population of 18,264. There is evidence of human habitation in the area from 12,000 years ago and several archaeological finds from Roman...
.
On the night of 23 September 1993, Donaldson was in a car crash in Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
that resulted in his death the following day. Stephen Flint, a friend of the band, died at the crash scene. It was Donaldson's car, but Robert Sherlock was driving, and at the inquest he described how it had felt as if the steering wheel "was 'snapped' from his hand." Derby coroner Peter Ashworth concluded:
We are still no nearer finding out what caused this tragic accident. All we can say is that because of the car's two defects the car became less easy to control. But there must have been some other factor which contributed to the crash, even if Ian had not grabbed the wheel in a way many others in the same situation would have done.
Career
Ian Stuart Donaldson attended Baines School in Poulton, where he met Sean McKay, Phil Walmsley, and John Grinton. After, they formed the cover bandCover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
Tumbling Dice, who played songs by The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
, Free
Free (band)
Free were an English rock band, formed in London in 1968, best known for their 1970 signature song "All Right Now". They disbanded in 1973 and lead singer Paul Rodgers went on to become a frontman of the band Bad Company along with Simon Kirke on drums; lead guitarist Paul Kossoff died from a...
and The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
. They formed Skrewdriver
Skrewdriver
Skrewdriver was an English punk rock band formed by Ian Stuart Donaldson in Poulton-le-Fylde in 1976. They later evolved into one of the first neo-Nazi rock bands, playing a leading role in the Rock Against Communism movement and becoming known as the most prominent white power skinhead...
in 1975.
At first Skrewdriver had a punk image
Punk fashion
Punk fashion is the clothing, hairstyles, cosmetics, jewelry, and body modifications of the punk subculture. Punk fashion varies widely, ranging from Vivienne Westwood designs to styles modeled on bands like The Exploited. The distinct social dress of other subcultures and art movements, including...
, but eventually they adopted a skinhead
Skinhead
A skinhead is a member of a subculture that originated among working class youths in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, and then spread to other parts of the world. Named for their close-cropped or shaven heads, the first skinheads were greatly influenced by West Indian rude boys and British mods,...
look. The original version of the band gained a reputation for attracting violence at their concerts , but they did not openly promote any far right
Far right
Far-right, extreme right, hard right, radical right, and ultra-right are terms used to discuss the qualitative or quantitative position a group or person occupies within right-wing politics. Far-right politics may involve anti-immigration and anti-integration stances towards groups that are...
political views.
After the original Skrewdriver lineup parted ways in 1979, Donaldson reformed the band and began to write songs for a white power skinhead audience. The new version of Skrewdriver openly promoted far right
Far right
Far-right, extreme right, hard right, radical right, and ultra-right are terms used to discuss the qualitative or quantitative position a group or person occupies within right-wing politics. Far-right politics may involve anti-immigration and anti-integration stances towards groups that are...
groups such as the National Front
British National Front
The National Front is a far right, white-only political party whose major political activities took place during the 1970s and 1980s. Its popularity peaked in the 1979 general election, when it received 191,719 votes ....
. raising funds for them (and affiliated organizations) through the White Noise Records label. As a result, Skrewdriver became known for its involvement in the white nationalist
White nationalism
White nationalism is a political ideology which advocates a racial definition of national identity for white people. White separatism and white supremacism are subgroups within white nationalism. The former seek a separate white nation state, while the latter add ideas from social Darwinism and...
movement and its associated music genre, Rock Against Communism
Rock Against Communism
Rock Against Communism started out as series of white power rock concerts in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s, and is also a name for the subsequent music genre. Despite its name, RAC song lyrics rarely focus on the specific topic of anti-communism...
. Donaldson, along with Nicky Crane
Nicky Crane
Nicola Vincenzio "Nicky" Crane was a British neo-Nazi skinhead activist. He came out as gay before dying from an AIDS-related illness in 1993....
, founded Blood and Honour
Blood and Honour
Blood & Honour is a neo-Nazi music promotion network and political group founded in 1987 with links to Combat 18 and composed of white power skinheads and other white nationalists....
, a neo-Nazi
Neo-Nazism
Neo-Nazism consists of post-World War II social or political movements seeking to revive Nazism or some variant thereof.The term neo-Nazism can also refer to the ideology of these movements....
network that distributes white power music and organizes concerts.
Donaldson also became leader of two other bands, The Klansmen (a rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
band) and White Diamond (a hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
/heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band), and he released several solo albums. Along with Skrewdriver guitarist Stigger, he recorded the albums Patriotic Ballads volumes 1 and 2, which included covers of traditional folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
songs such as "The Green Fields of France
No Man's Land (Eric Bogle song)
"No Man's Land" is a song written in 1976 by Scottish-Australian singer-songwriter Eric Bogle, reflecting on the grave of a young man who died in World War I. Its chorus refers to two famous pieces of military music, "The Last Post" and "The Flowers of the Forest"...
". Donaldson's voice also appeared in the song "The Invisible Empire" (whose title refers to the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
) on the 1989 album See you in Valhalla by neo-Nazi rock band No Remorse
No Remorse (band)
No Remorse was a British neo-Nazi rock band formed in 1986 led by white power skinhead singer Paul London, aka Paul Burnley. They were associated with Ian Stuart's Blood & Honour group....
.
Donaldson was one of the principal organisers of a white power concert near Waterloo station
Waterloo station
Waterloo station, also known as London Waterloo, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex. The station is owned and operated by Network Rail and is close to the South Bank of the River Thames, and in Travelcard Zone 1....
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1992. Anti-Fascist Action
Anti-Fascist Action
Anti-Fascist Action was a militant anti-fascist organization founded by members of Red Action and other left-wing groups in the United Kingdom in 1985....
organized a protest, which resulted in physical confrontations.
On 10 July 1993, Stuart and Skrewdriver played their final concert in Waiblingen
Waiblingen
Waiblingen is a town in the southwest of Germany, located in the center of the densely populated Stuttgart Region, directly neighboring Stuttgart. It is the capital of the Rems-Murr district...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. The programme, Second anniversary of the Kreuzritter für Deutschland, was organized by freelance writer and white nationalist book author Andreas J. Voigt, who leads the semi-secret society Deutschherrenklub.
Ian Stuart & Stigger
- Patriotic Ballads (1991) (Rock-O-Rama)
- Patriotic Ballads II - Our Time Will Come (1992) (Rock-O-Rama)
Skrewdriver
- All Skrewed UpAll Skrewed UpAll Skrewed Up is a 1977 album by British punk rock band Skrewdriver. It was issued with four different sleeve colours - green, orange, yellow, and pale purple...
(1977) (Chiswick) (later re-issued as The Early Years w. extra tracks) - PeelJohn PeelJohn Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
Session (1977) BBC Radio 1BBC Radio 1BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock... - Back With a Bang (1982) (Rock-O-Rama)
- The Voice of Britain (1983) (Rock-O-Rama)
- Hail The New DawnHail The New DawnHail the New Dawn is a 1984 album by the British white power skinhead band Skrewdriver. It was released by German label Rock-O-Rama Records. All of the songs were written by Ian Stuart except "Tomorrow Belongs to Me", a cover version from the musical and film Cabaret...
(1984) (Rock-O-Rama) - Blood & HonourBlood & Honour (album)Blood & Honour is a 1985 album by British white power skinhead band Skrewdriver. It was released by German record label Rock-O-Rama. All of the songs were written by Ian Stuart Donaldson.-Track listing:# "Blood and Honour" - 4:17# "Mr...
(1985) (Rock-O-Rama) - White RiderWhite RiderWhite Rider is a 1987 album by British white power skinhead band Skrewdriver. All of the songs were written by Ian Stuart Donaldson.-Track listing:# "White Rider" - 3:19# "Where Has Justice Gone" - 2:50# "Strikeforce" - 2:51# "Behind the Bars" - 3:27...
(1987) (Rock-O-Rama) - After the FireAfter the Fire (album)After the Fire is the fifth studio album by British white power skinhead band Skrewdriver and was the first to feature John Burnley, brother of Paul Burnley , on drums...
(1988) (Rock-O-Rama) - WarlordWarlord (album)Warlord is Skrewdriver's sixth full length album, released on Rock-O-Rama Records.-Track listing:# "Warlord# "One in a Million II# "Out in the Cold # "Their Kingdom will Fall"# "The Evil Crept In"# "Simple Man"...
(1989) (Rock-O-Rama) - The Strong SurviveThe Strong SurviveThe Strong Survive is the seventh album from the white power skinhead band Skrewdriver.-Track listing:# "The Strong Survive"# "Voice of Evil"# "From the Land"# "In the Wasteland"# "Stand Proud"# "Paranoid" # "Hail and Thunder"...
(1990) (Rock-O-Rama) - Freedom What FreedomFreedom What Freedom-Track listing:# "Mother Europe's Sons"# "What Price Freedom"# "This Little Piggy"# "This Feeling"# "Blood of the Kings"# "One Land "# "Stolz"# "Return to Camelot"# " Here Comes a Commie"# "When the North Wind Blows"# "God of Thunder"...
(1992) (Rock-O-Rama) - Hail VictoryHail VictoryHail Victory is the ninth and final album by white power skinhead band Skrewdriver. It was the final project Ian Stuart Donaldson was involved in before his death...
(1994) (ISD Records)
Solo Albums
- No Turning Back (1989) (Rock-O-Rama)
- Slay The Beast (1990) (Rock-O-Rama)
- Patriot (1991) (Rock-O-Rama)
The Klansmen
- Rebel with a Cause (1989) (Klan Records)
- Rock 'n' Roll Patriots (1989) (Rock-O-Rama)
- Fetch the Rope (1991) (Klan Records)
White Diamond
- The Reaper (1991) (Rock-O-Rama)
- The Power & The Glory (1992) (Glory Discs)
Further reading
- Mark Green "Ian Stuart Donaldson - Memories", PC Records (2007)
- Mark Green "Ian Stuart Donaldson - Rock 'n Roll Patriot", PC Records (2009)
External links
- Diamond in the Dust - The Ian Stuart Biography
- Ian Stuart at skrewdriver.org
- Ian Stuart and Skrewdriver discography
- Information about early Skrewdriver
- Ian Stuart at Find a GraveFind A GraveFind a Grave is a commercial website providing free access and input to an online database of cemetery records. It was founded in 1998 as a DBA and incorporated in 2000.-History:...
- Ian Stuart in Germany