To Lonnie Donegan, "organization" is a naughty thing to say.

 "How dare you use such a word!" he teases good-naturedly when asked how he, his longtime collaborator Chris Barber and his longtime fan Van Morrison found themselves performing a couple "skiffle" concerts at Whitla Hall in Belfast in late 1998.

 "The shows weren't organized at all," Donegan says. "They just happened."

 Highlights from the shows, including a cameo from Dr. John, have been compiled on The Skiffle Sessions. The album is a high-spirited trip down memory lane for anyone who remembers skiffle -- an energetic, do-it-yourself style of music that rendered early American folk, blues and jazz on acoustic guitars and rub-boards.

 It was hugely popular throughout the U.K. in the late-'50s, influencing an entire generation of future British rock musicians.

 And Donegan was skiffle's king, thanks to his signature smash, Rock Island Line.

 (Interestingly, Donegan says he doesn't like the term skiffle: "I always thought I was singing American folk music.")

 Morrison had wanted to play with his childhood idol since meeting Donegan five years ago. So when Morrison booked two Belfast gigs, the Irish soulster made a call.

 "He phoned me and said: 'Do you want to come down and do this for me?... Why don't you bring the group and we'll make it a skiffle session?' " recalls Donegan, 68, over the phone from his home in southern Spain.

 Donegan wasn't concerned about a lack of rehearsal time, at least until Morrison revealed he planned to record the shows.

 "I said: 'It's going to sound bloody awful!' He said: 'It better not sound awful.'

 "Later, he played me a rough mix (of the album). I said: 'We might be able to rescue it. Let's go in the studio and iron out some bits.' He said no. I said: 'Wait a minute. You can't put it out like this!' He said: 'Oh, it'll be fine. Wait until we mix it, bring the guitars up, the bass down....'

 "My original opinion still stands. I don't think he should have put it out."

 Nevertheless, The Skiffle Sessions is Donegan's most high-profile release since 1978's Puttin' on the Style, which featured such Donegan fans as Elton John, Ringo Starr and Brian May of Queen.

 The making of that album, Donegan says, made him understand the influence he's had.

 "It dawned on me the enormity of my situation. I was, in fact, the catalyst for it all. That feeling has stayed with me ever since."