Role Models: A Q&A With Donovan
... boosted by Bobby's writing and Dylan Thomas, and they were also boosted by what I was doing on Sunshine Superman. I was sued, because big Allen Klein, who'd managed Mickie Most, the Rolling Stones and Marianne Faithful and had his sights on managing the Beatles, saw me on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1965 and wrote down "and
Donovan." He came over, and he was like a pirate. He boarded my ship, and he took the prize like a pirate does and introduce me to Clive Davis, and I was Clive Davis' first signing on Epic. When that happened, my ass was sued because Pye didn't want to let go, quite rightly, and this album was ...
[ read more ]Donovan Celebrates Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction at Intimate Show with Deepak Chopra
... Iconic folk singer
Donovan celebrated his recent induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with an extremely intimate show at New York's ABC Carpet and Home last night. According to the songwriter's spokesman, it will be his only US concert timed with his induction. The evening also doubled as a release party for
Donovan's new greatest hits album and was webcast live. Indian-born spiritual adviser and author Deepak Chopra introduced
Donovan by reminiscing about the first time they met during their famous trip the singer/songwriter took to India in 1968 with The Beatles, The Beach Boys' Mike Love and others to meet Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Sitting with his legs crossed on a sofa,
Donovan then offered a 30-minute solo acoustic set peppered with hits like "Yellow Mellow" and "There is a Mountain." He also gave his wife credit for choosing the concert's location. After
Donovan finished playing, Chopra spoke for a few minutes before welcoming him back to the stage for the Q-and-A portion of the event. He talked of "qualia,"which are qualities of being. "We are not in the world, the word is in us," he said, stressing that we create everything in our mind. He asked everyone in the room to be silent, ...
[ read more ]Donovan Celebrates Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction with Intimate Show Deepak Chopra
... Iconic folk singer
Donovan celebrated his recent induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with an extremely intimate show at New York's ABC Carpet and Home last night. According to the songwriter's spokesman, it will be his only US concert timed with his induction. The evening also doubled as a release party for
Donovan's new greatest hits album and was webcast live. Indian-born spiritual adviser and author Deepak Chopra introduced
Donovan by reminiscing about the first time they met during their famous trip the singer/songwriter took to Indian in 1968 with The Beatles, The Beach Boys' Mike Love and others to meet Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Sitting with his legs crossed on a sofa,
Donovan then offered a 30-minute solo acoustic set peppered with hits like "Yellow Mellow" and "There is a Mountain." He also gave his wife credit for choosing the concert's location. After
Donovan finished playing, Chopra spoke for a few minutes before welcoming him back to the stage for the Q-and-A portion of the event. He talked of "qualia,"which are qualities of being. "We are not in the world, the word is in us," he said, stressing that we create everything in our mind. He asked everyone in the room to be silent, ...
[ read more ]
Artistfacts®: You can leave comments about the artist/band at the bottom of the page.
His full name is Donovan Philip Leitch. With poetic lyrics dealing with social and political issues, he is considered one of the first Folk Rock artists.
He is the father of actress Ione Skye. He has another daughter named Astrella Celeste, who is also a singer/songwriter and often performs with her dad. (thanks, Bertrand - Paris, France, for above 2)
When he became popular in America, he was tagged "The British Dylan."
Donovan grew up in Scotland. His family moved to England when he was 10.
Popular Irish folk singer Christie Moore started his career by supporting Donovan on some of his 1970s tours. Also, Donovan's daughter Oriole Leitch married and bore the child of Happy Mondays/Black Grape singer Shaun Ryder, a notorious drug addict whom she met when older sister Astrella was living with Ryder's brother and bandmate, Paul. (thanks, Dan - Auckland, New Zealand)
Comments:
Steve Forbert - "Romeo's Tune"
"Let me smell the moon in your perfume..." It took a rough mix and an extra verse, but Steve found his "calling card" song, which is
always the encore.
Annie Haslam of Renaissance
The 5-octave voice of the classical rock band Renaissance, Annie is big on creative expression. In this talk, she covers Roy Wood, the history of the band, and where all the money went in the '70s.
Colbie Caillat
Since emerging from MySpace with her hit "Bubbly," Colbie has become a top songwriter, even crafting a hit with Taylor Swift.
Charlie Benante of Anthrax
The drummer for Anthrax is also a key songwriter. He explains how the group puts their songs together and tells the stories behind some of their classics.
Check Songfacts for H.Gurdy Man, this fellow Clem Cattini, apparently the real drummer, had people all over calling him a liar... sounds bummed.
The harpsichord playing on "Guinevere" was an influence on the Stones "Lady Jane" and many other songs by the Beatles, the Doors and others. His "The Trip" brought mainstream attention to another fantastic group of the time "Fly Jefferson Airplane: get you there on time". When the Beatles made "Sargeant Pepper" they were standing on his shoulders in some ways...