“Lost John” and “Cumberland Gap” by Woodie Guthrie, were American folk/ country, also recorded by Donegan. “Rock Island Line”, “Puttin’ on the Style”, “Railroad Bill” and “Worried Man Blues” as recorded by Lonnie Donegan, could all be classed as country/ blues/ folk or bluegrass. The Quarrymen’s sets would often consist of the following: Those roots never left them and can be seen in the artists they covered, those who influenced them, and in many of their most famous songs.
The Quarrymen’s first manager, Nigel Walley, had business cards printed, in which they stated their musical specialties: “Country … Western … Skiffle … Rock ‘n’ Roll.” We know that they became the greatest pop act of all time, but their roots were firmly in skiffle, folk, and country. There is no doubt that without the particular influence of Lonnie Donegan, Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison would not have formed a group.
When John Lennon started his first group, The Quarrymen, back in 1956, their musical influences were many and varied.