Johnny Duncan
Encyclopedia
Johnny Duncan was an American
skiffle
star
. He was born in the Windrock coal mining camp overlooking the town of Oliver Springs
, Tennessee
, and became a British
skiffle star in 1957 with the hit record
"Last Train to San Fernando",
and was sent to the United Kingdom
where he met and married his wife Betty in 1952. After a short return to the United States
he went back to the UK with Betty who needed a hospital operation.
Duncan went to hear Chris Barber
's Dixieland Band which had turned Lonnie Donegan
into a star with his international skiffle hit recording of "Rock Island Line
". Barber signed Duncan to play with his band where he stayed for a year.
recording
was a cover version
of Hank Williams' "Kaw-Liga
", but in 1957 his recording of a calypso
called "Last Train To San Fernando" became the seventeenth most popular recording of that year in the UK, when its only rivals were Buddy Holly
's "That'll Be The Day"; "True Love
" by Bing Crosby
and "Diana
" by Paul Anka
. The track was arranged by guitarist Denny Wright
, who thought that San Fernando was in Texas and gave the piece with a strong 'country' feel.
As a result of his chart
success he became a regular on 6.5 Special, the first teenage program on BBC Television
and his own program Tennessee Songbag on BBC Radio
.
Duncan had two other entries in the UK Singles Chart
in 1957, with "Blue, Blue Heartaches" and "Footprints in the Snow".
he emigrated
to Australia
, briefly returned to the United Kingdom, and then back to Australia where he married for a second time. On occasion he did perform in Australia, but he had basically left the music industry after his return to Australia. In 1999, while his health was fading, he did make new recordings in Australia just before he died there of cancer
in 2000.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
skiffle
Skiffle
Skiffle is a type of popular music with jazz, blues, folk, roots and country influences, usually using homemade or improvised instruments. Originating as a term in the United States in the first half of the twentieth century, it became popular again in the UK in the 1950s, where it was mainly...
star
Celebrity
A celebrity, also referred to as a celeb in popular culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media...
. He was born in the Windrock coal mining camp overlooking the town of Oliver Springs
Oliver Springs, Tennessee
Oliver Springs is a town in Anderson, Morgan, and Roane counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Its population was 3,303 at the 2000 census. It is included in the "Harriman, Tennessee Micropolitan Statistical Area", which consists of Roane County....
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, and became 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...
skiffle star in 1957 with the hit record
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
"Last Train to San Fernando",
Brief biography
Johnny Duncan entered the United States ArmyUnited States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
and was sent to the United Kingdom
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...
where he met and married his wife Betty in 1952. After a short return to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
he went back to the UK with Betty who needed a hospital operation.
Chris Barber's Jazz Band
On a visit to LondonLondon
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...
Duncan went to hear Chris Barber
Chris Barber
Donald Christopher 'Chris' Barber is best known as a jazz trombonist. As well as scoring a UK top twenty trad jazz hit he helped the careers of many musicians, notably the blues singer Ottilie Patterson, who was at one time his wife, and vocalist/banjoist Lonnie Donegan, whose appearances with...
's Dixieland Band which had turned Lonnie Donegan
Lonnie Donegan
Anthony James "Lonnie" Donegan MBE was a skiffle musician, with more than 20 UK Top 30 hits to his name. He is 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...
into a star with his international skiffle hit recording of "Rock Island Line
Rock Island Line (song)
"Rock Island Line" is an American blues/folk song first recorded by John Lomax in 1934 as sung by inmates in an Arkansas State Prison, and later popularized by Lead Belly. Many versions have been recorded by other artists, most significantly the world-wide hit version in the mid-1950s by Lonnie...
". Barber signed Duncan to play with his band where he stayed for a year.
Big solo hit
His first unsuccessful soloSolo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
recording
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
was a cover version
Cover 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...
of Hank Williams' "Kaw-Liga
Kaw-Liga (song)
Kaw-Liga is a country-music song written by Hank Williams and Fred Rose. Backed by the Drifting Cowboys, Hank Williams recorded the song in Nashville in September, 1952 and the single was released posthumously in January 1953 on the MGM Records label. It remained No. 1 on the Billboard Country...
", but in 1957 his recording of a calypso
Calypso music
Calypso is a style of Afro-Caribbean music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago from African and European roots. The roots of the genre lay in the arrival of enslaved Africans, who, not being allowed to speak with each other, communicated through song...
called "Last Train To San Fernando" became the seventeenth most popular recording of that year in the UK, when its only rivals were Buddy Holly
Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley , known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll...
's "That'll Be The Day"; "True Love
True Love (song)
"True Love" is a popular song written by Cole Porter and was published in 1956.The song was introduced by Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly in the musical film High Society. The Crosby–Kelly version, accompanied by Johnny Green's MGM studio orchestra using a romantic arrangement by Conrad Salinger, was...
" by Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
and "Diana
Diana (song)
"Diana" is a song written and made famous by Paul Anka in 1957. It was inspired by a high school friend named Diana Ayoub. The original Paul Anka 1957 recording reached number one on the Billboard "Best Sellers In Stores" chart and has reportedly sold over 9 million copies...
" by Paul Anka
Paul Anka
Paul Albert Anka, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and actor.Anka first became famous as a teen idol in the late 1950s and 1960s with hit songs like "Diana'", "Lonely Boy", and "Put Your Head on My Shoulder"...
. The track was arranged by guitarist Denny Wright
Denny Wright
Denny Wright was a jazz and skiffle guitarist, who performed with Stephane Grappelli, Lonnie Donegan, Johnny Duncan , Digby Fairweather, Ella Fitzgerald, Billy Eckstine, Fapy Lafertin and many other musicians, including young rising stars such as Bireli Lagrene and Nigel Kennedy...
, who thought that San Fernando was in Texas and gave the piece with a strong 'country' feel.
As a result of his chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
success he became a regular on 6.5 Special, the first teenage program on BBC Television
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
and his own program Tennessee Songbag on BBC Radio
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
.
Duncan had two other entries in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
in 1957, with "Blue, Blue Heartaches" and "Footprints in the Snow".
Demise
Although Duncan continued to record for a period of time, the skiffle fad faded and so did his success. Following his divorceDivorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
he emigrated
Emigration
Emigration is the act of leaving one's country or region to settle in another. It is the same as immigration but from the perspective of the country of origin. Human movement before the establishment of political boundaries or within one state is termed migration. There are many reasons why people...
to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, briefly returned to the United Kingdom, and then back to Australia where he married for a second time. On occasion he did perform in Australia, but he had basically left the music industry after his return to Australia. In 1999, while his health was fading, he did make new recordings in Australia just before he died there of cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
in 2000.