Aug 25, 2019

PETER DONEGAN - "Music is like food; some days you might want blues, and some days country."

It's quiet in Bella Italia, the usual hustle and bustle of a bank holiday congregated instead along Halkett Street enjoying the weather and attractions of the Halkett Hoedown. Taking a break inside from the sunshine and munching on some olives with the rest of his band, is 2019 The Voice contestant, Peter Donegan. Having been born to the King of Skiffle, Lonnie Donegan, Peter is no stranger to travelling the world with music;

Is this your first time in Jersey?

No, this is my third time here. First time I was my dad’s keyboard player in the opening act in 2002 at the Royal, the year after that I came for four months as a summer season. We were doing the Royal Hotel, Mayfair and the Metropole. That was a long stint, when I was 19. It’s been 16 years since I was here and quite a few things have changed. Things have been updated, new types of houses but a lot of things have stayed the same too. This is my favourite part, walking down this street [York Street,] I won’t get to see it but Beauport is always nice too. We flew in today and are flying back out tomorrow. Having pizza now, then got to get back to the family, and then straight off to Texas. I’m off to a song writing retreat for the Buddy Holly Education Foundation. They run writing retreats, there’s the Chris Difford Writing Retreat near Glastonbury, which I did the year before, featuring a couple of songs from that today. They run the one that’s in Lubbock, Texas, where Buddy Holly was from, and another one in Lafayette as well. I get to go because I’m a scholar.

Who are you looking forward to seeing most perform here at the Halkett Hoedown?

Depending on how quickly I can get this pizza down, I’m hoping to. I would’ve liked to have seen the Dolly Parton tribute, just because I see less of those. I’m open minded, I wait to be surprised by something.

You’ve been performing for most of your life, but since appearing on The Voice, do you think that’s taught you any new lessons?

You never stop learning, I’ve been singing for 20-25 years. It was nice to have a vocal coach. They gave us vocal coaches for the rounds that we were in, it was great to have a professionals opinion and a third party look at the way you’re singing with a different idea. They give you different vocal warm ups to do which really help, I’m very appreciative of that.

You’ve just released your live album, any plans for a full album soon?

Oh yeah. I don’t have an exact date on that yet, but I’m thinking about doing a single first because I’ve never done one before. I’ve done albums, but it’d be nice to do a single, promote the single, and then bring out an album later on to go with it. [Appetizers arrive.] Oh, calamari! I can’t eat it because I’m allergic to seafood.

What’s your earliest memory of music?

Goes back a long way, I suppose when dad used to stick on LPs in the morning when I was a kid. First album I remember him putting on was a Waylon Jennings LP, listening to ‘Dreaming my Dreams,’ which is a great number. And then after that my dad bought me my first LP which was actually Stevie Wonders ‘Hotter than July.’

First album you bought with your own money?

It was a compilation album of blues piano players, as I’m a piano player by trade. I remember sitting and listening to Fats Waller, who was a huge influence on me as well as Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard. He was less for the piano playing and more for the performance. Also bought a Britney Spears album at one point, but that was less to do with the music.

Favourite song to play live

That actually depends on the audience. Music is like food, some days you might want blues, some days you might want country, or pop. Some days you might want Chinese food, some days you might want fish and chips; so if I was going to pick one of mine it would probably be ‘Ode to a Friend,’ because it’s fun and the sentiment behind the song. If it were a cover then it’d be one of my dads, ‘Rock Island Line,’ because of the importance of it.

Who’s one artist you’re into that most people would be surprised to hear about?

[He likes Shirley Bassey] I do actually, dress sense too but the sequins would be too heavy for me on stage. There are not many things that would surprise people because I like so much stuff, hence this playlist here which has ‘Baby Shark.’ I guess people would be surprised if I said I’ve actually always admired Michael Jackson’s early stuff, musically all the Quincy Jones mixed stuff.

If you weren’t doing music, what would you have done for a living?

I’ve done odd jobs, I really enjoyed the sales job I did for Toyota. I’d probably go back to sales, just because I like cars. If I could pick a car to buy brand new I’d probably buy a Toyota Tundra, a huge pickup truck. If it was a classic it would be a Corvette Stingray, 1976.

Tell me a bit about your Little Man Fund for those that don’t know

We raised quite a bit from the gig we did at Cadogan Hall this year. We’re raising the funds for Eric’s ABA therapy, Applied Behavioural Analysis, because he’s got Autism Spectrum Disorder. If you want to see how it’s run I’ve kept everything on my website from reviews to what’s involved and how much it costs. It’s a daily thing, my wife and I are both trained to do it, so that he can do it at home with us. We have a therapist that comes to our home and goes to school, someone else who comes in as a consultant and makes the plans up for us, that is now our daily lives. It has helped Eric immensely, he was previously none verbal, he still can’t hold a conversation, but what he can do is ask for biscuits and chips, ask for the toilet, mummy and daddy, can say I love you, and can ask for his favourite songs like Gummy Bear or Baby Shark. His eye contact is better, can now take commands, preparing him for everyday life. We embrace him the way he is, but we still need to prepare him for the people who don’t.

What advice would you give to parents who might find themselves in the same position as you?

Research, and be prepared to fight. It’s going to be expensive to do it right, and there will be things you’ll have to battle against. My best advice is network with parents who have been through the same thing, that’s the only way to learn and that’s what we’ve done. Read up as much as you can about everything to do with it because there’s not one thing that works for everyone, ABA works for Eric, and we know it works for a lot of other people too but it might not work for everyone. It’s a case of making sure you do the right thing for your child, as a parent always go with your gut, only you know your child better than anybody else.

You can listen to Peter Donegan's debut EP and Live Album on his YouTube Channel or Spotify, and read more about Eric's Little Man Fund and Applied Behavioral Analysis.