A musical afternoon at the Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch will be headlined by Lonnie Donegan Jnr on Friday, March 22. Lonnie sings the hits of his legendary father, who was the biggest selling British recording artist before The Beatles. The show, Those Were The Days, evokes memories of the post-war years, paying tribute to favourite entertainers of the 1950s and 60s.

Donegan Snr’s influence is huge; in the 1950s he popularised ‘skiffle’, a simple musical style based in folk and blues, with guitar, banjo, and makeshift instruments such as the washboard and ‘tea-chest bass’. A sharp departure from the easy listening style of the time, his hits such as Rock Island Line, Cumberland Gap and My Old Man’s a Dustman inspired a generation of musicians from Lennon and McCartney to the Rolling Stones and Queen’s Brian May. He was awarded an MBE and an Ivor Novello Award.

The nostalgic concert is produced by musical entertainer Andy Eastwood, who toured for fifteen years in the Ken Dodd Show, and will also perform on the day.

East London and West Essex Guardian Series:

He said: “There are many tribute shows portraying particular bands, but with Those Were The Days we have created a broader celebration of the range of entertainment that the 50s and 60s offered. It was a wonderfully diverse era for music, and we’ll cover everything from trad jazz to the Seekers and Morecambe and Wise. Lonnie Donegan was such an inspirational catalyst in the music scene, to have his son on stage with us is a thrill - the icing on the cake.”

Also appearing will be singer Maggie O’Hara, comedy instrumentalist Pete Lindup, and the David Carter Band.

Queen’s Theatre, Billet Lane, Hornchurch, RM11 1QT, Friday, March 22, 1.30pm. Details: 01708 443333 queens-theatre.co.uk