Ian Stuart Donaldson (11 August 1957 – 24 September 1993), more commonly known as Ian Stuart, was an English

neo-Nazi Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazism, Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and Supremacism#Racial, racial supremacy (ofte ...

musician. He was best known as the front-man of

Skrewdriver Skrewdriver were an English punk rock band formed by Ian Stuart Donaldson in Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire, in 1976. Originally a punk band, Skrewdriver changed into a white power skinhead rock band after reuniting in the 1980s. Their original ...

, originally a

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

band which, from 1983 onwards, he rebranded as a

Rock Against Communism Rock Against Communism (RAC) was the name of white power rock concerts in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s and early 1980s; it has since become the catch-all term for music with racist lyrics as well as a specific genre of rock music derived ...

white power skinhead White power skinheads, also known as racist skinheads and neo-Nazi skinheads, are members of a neo-Nazi, music of white skin head white supremacist and antisemitic offshoot of the skinhead subculture. Many of them are affiliated with white natio ...

band. He raised money through

white power White pride and white power are expressions primarily used by white separatist, white nationalist, fascist, neo-Nazi, and white supremacist organizations in order to signal racist or racialist viewpoints. It is also a slogan used by the promi ...

concerts with his Blood & Honour network.

Biography

Born in

Poulton-le-Fylde Poulton-le-Fylde (), commonly shortened to Poulton, is a market town in Lancashire, England, situated on the coastal plain called the Fylde. In the 2021 United Kingdom census, it had a population of 18,115. There is evidence of human habitatio ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

, Donaldson attended Baines School in nearby Poulton, where he met Sean McKay, Phil Walmsley, and John Grinton. They formed the

cover band A cover band (or covers band) is a band that plays songs recorded by someone else, sometimes mimicking the original as accurately as possible, and sometimes re-interpreting or changing the original. These remade songs are known as cover songs. N ...

Tumbling Dice, who played songs by

the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

and other bands. In 1975, they formed

, a band that gained a reputation for attracting violence at their concerts. After the original Skrewdriver lineup disbanded in 1979, Donaldson formed a new lineup and began to write songs for a

audience. The new version of Skrewdriver openly promoted far-right groups such as the National Front and raised funds for them (and affiliated organisations) through the National Front's music label, White Noise Records. Skrewdriver became known for its involvement in the

White Nationalist White nationalism is a type of racial nationalism or pan-nationalism which espouses the belief that white people are a Race (human categorization), raceHeidi Beirich and Kevin Hicks. "Chapter 7: White nationalism in America". In Perry, Barbara ...

movement and its associated music genre,

. In 1987, Donaldson and Skrewdriver roadie and album-cover artist Nicky Crane founded Blood & Honour, a

network that distributes white power music and organises concerts. Donaldson and Crane cited financial mismanagement by the National Front as reason for creating the network, in addition to claims the National Front had become insufficiently racist, since some National Front members had attempted to appeal to a more mainstream audience to improve declining membership rates. Donaldson also became leader of two other bands—the Klansmen (a

rockabilly Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the Southern United States, South. As a genre, it blends the sound of Western music (North America), Western musi ...

band) and White Diamond (a

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a heavier subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and Distortion (music), distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the Garage rock, garage, Psychedelic rock, psychedelic and blues ...

/ heavy metal band)—and released several solo albums. Along with Skrewdriver guitarist Stigger (Stephen Calladine), he recorded the albums ''Patriotic Ballads'' volumes 1 and 2, which included covers of

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk horror ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Fo ...

songs such as " The Green Fields of France". Donaldson's voice also appeared in the song "The Invisible Empire". On the night of 23 September 1993, Donaldson was involved in a car crash in

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire to the north, Nottinghamshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south-east, Staffordshire to the south a ...

that resulted in his death the following day, at the age of 36.

Discography

Ian Stuart & Rough Justice

*''Justice for the Cottbus Six'' (1992) (Rock-O-Rama)

Ian Stuart & Stigger

*''Patriotic Ballads'' (1991) (Rock-O-Rama) *''Patriotic Ballads II – Our Time Will Come'' (1992) (Rock-O-Rama)

Skrewdriver

*''

All Skrewed Up ''All Skrewed Up'' is the debut studio album by the British rock band Skrewdriver, released in 1977. It was issued with four different sleeve colours - green, orange, yellow, and pink. It was later re-released in 1990 as "The Early Years" with f ...

'' (1977) (Chiswick) (later re-issued as ''The Early Years'' w. extra tracks) *''Peel Session'' (1977)

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...

*''Back with a Bang'' (1982) (Rock-O-Rama) *''The Voice of Britain'' (1983) (Rock-O-Rama) *''Hail the New Dawn'' (1984) (Rock-O-Rama) *''Blood & Honour'' (1985) (Rock-O-Rama) *'' White Rider'' (1987) (Rock-O-Rama) *''After the Fire'' (1988) (Rock-O-Rama) *''Warlord'' (1989) (Rock-O-Rama) *''The Strong Survive'' (1990) (Rock-O-Rama) *''Freedom What Freedom'' (1992) (Rock-O-Rama) *''Hail Victory'' (1994) (ISD Records)

Solo albums

*''No Turning Back'' (1989) (Rock-O-Rama) *''Slay The Beast'' (1990) (Rock-O-Rama) *''Patriot'' (1991) (Rock-O-Rama)

The Klansmen

*''Fetch the Rope'' (LP, 1989 / Klan Records) (CD, 1991 / Rock-O-Rama Records) *''Rebel with a Cause'' (LP, 1990 / Klan Records) (CD, 1991 / Rock-O-Rama Records) *''Rock 'n' Roll Patriots'' (LP, 1991 / Klan Records) (CD. 1991 / Rock-O-Rama Records) Single: *''Johnny Joined the Klan'' (1989 / Klan Records) (3 Songs from the "Fetch the Rope" LP)

White Diamond

*''The Reaper'' (1991) (Rock-O-Rama) *''The Power & The Glory'' (1992) (Glory Discs)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Donaldson, Ian Stuart 1957 births 1993 deaths 20th-century English singers 20th-century English guitarists 20th-century English male singers British neo-Nazi propagandists British political music artists English male singers English neo-Nazis English people of Scottish descent English rock guitarists Musicians from Blackpool People from Poulton-le-Fylde Road incident deaths in England