Donovan | |
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 Donovan performing onThe Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in 1969 | |
| Born | Donovan Phillips Leitch (1946-05-10)10 May 1946 (age 79) |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1964–present |
| Spouse | |
| Partner | Enid Karl (1966–70) |
| Children | 5; includingDonovan Leitch andIone Skye |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Instruments |
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| Labels | |
| Website | donovan |
Musical artist | |
Donovan Phillips Leitch (born 10 May 1946), knownmononymously asDonovan, is a Scottish musician, songwriter and record producer. He emerged from theBritish folk scene in early 1965 and subsequently scored numerous international hit singles and albums during the late 1960s.His work became emblematic of theflower power era with its blend offolk,pop,psychedelia andjazz stylings.
Donovan first achieved recognition with live performances on the pop TV seriesReady Steady Go! in 1965. Having signed withPye Records that year, he recorded singles and two albums in the folk vein forHickory Records, scoring three UK hitsingles: "Catch the Wind", "Colours" and "Universal Soldier", the last written byBuffy Sainte-Marie. He then signed toCBS/Epic in the US and became more successful internationally, beginning a long collaboration with British record producerMickie Most. In September 1966, "Sunshine Superman" topped America'sBillboard Hot 100 chart for one week and went to No. 2 in Britain, followed by "Mellow Yellow" at US No. 2 in December 1966, then 1968's "Hurdy Gurdy Man" in the top 5 in both countries and then "Atlantis", which reached US No. 7 in May 1969. The compilationDonovan's Greatest Hits was released in March 1969 and peaked at No. 4 on theBillboard 200.[1]
Donovan became a friend of other prominent musicians such asJoan Baez,Brian Jones andthe Beatles. He taughtJohn Lennon afinger-picking guitar style in 1968 that Lennon employed in "Dear Prudence", "Julia", "Happiness Is a Warm Gun" and other songs.[2] His backing musicians included theJeff Beck Group andJohn Bonham,Jimmy Page andJohn Paul Jones, who later rose to fame as members ofLed Zeppelin. Donovan's commercial fortunes waned after parting with Most in 1969, and he left the industry for a time.
Donovan continued to perform and record intermittently in the 1970s and 1980s. His musical style andhippie image were scorned by critics, especially after the rise ofpunk rock. His performing and recording became sporadic until a revival in the 1990s with the emergence of Britain'srave scene and in 1994, he moved permanently to Ireland where he still lives.[3] In 1996 he recorded the albumSutras with producerRick Rubin and in 2004 made the albumBeat Cafe. Donovan was inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012 and theSongwriters Hall of Fame in 2014.
Donovan was born on 10 May 1946, inMaryhill, Glasgow[4][5] to a Protestant father and a Catholic mother, Donald and Winifred (née Phillips) Leitch. His grandmothers were both Irish.[6][7] He contractedpolio as a child. The disease and treatment left him with a limp.[8] His family moved to thenew town ofHatfield, Hertfordshire, England. Influenced by his family's love offolk music, he began playing the guitar at 14. He enrolled in art school but soon dropped out, to live out hisbeatnik aspirations by going on the road.[9]
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Returning toHatfield, Donovan spent several months playing in local clubs, absorbing the folk scene around his home inSt Albans, learning thecrosspicking guitar technique from local players such asMac MacLeod andMick Softley and writing his first songs. In 1964, he travelled toManchester withGypsy Dave, then spent the summer inTorquay, Devon. In Torquay he stayed with Mac MacLeod and took upbusking, studying the guitar and learningtraditional folk and blues.[10][11]
In late 1964, Donovan was offered a management and publishing contract byPeter Eden andGeoff Stephens ofPye Records in London, for which he recorded a 10-track demo tape which included the original of his first single, "Catch the Wind" and "Josie". The first song revealed the influence ofWoody Guthrie andRamblin' Jack Elliott, who had also influencedBob Dylan. Dylan comparisons followed for some time.[12] In an interview withKFOK radio in the US on 14 June 2005, MacLeod said: "The press were fond of calling Donovan a Dylan clone as they had both been influenced by the same sources: Ramblin' Jack Elliott,Jesse Fuller, Woody Guthrie and many more."[citation needed]
While recording the demo, Donovan befriendedBrian Jones ofthe Rolling Stones, who was recording nearby. He had recently met Jones' ex-girlfriend,Linda Lawrence, who is the mother of Jones' son, Julian Brian (Jones) Leitch.[13] The on-off romantic relationship that developed over five years was a force in Donovan's career. She influenced Donovan's music but refused to marry him and she moved to the United States for several years in the late 1960s. They met by chance in 1970 and married soon after. Donovan had other relationships – one of which resulted in the birth of his first two children,Donovan Leitch andIone Skye, both of whom became actors.
During Bob Dylan's trip to the UK in the spring of 1965, the British music press were making comparisons of the two singer-songwriters which they presented as a rivalry. This promptedThe Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones to say,
We've been watching Donovan too. He isn't too bad a singer but his stuff sounds like Dylan's. His 'Catch The Wind' sounds like 'Chimes of Freedom'. He's got a song, 'Hey Tangerine Eyes' and it sounds like Dylan's 'Mr. Tambourine Man'.[14]
Donovan is the undercurrent InD. A. Pennebaker's filmDont Look Back documenting Dylan's tour. Near the start of the film, Dylan opens a newspaper and exclaims, "Donovan? Who is this Donovan?" andAlan Price fromThe Animals spurs the rivalry on by telling Dylan that Donovan is a better guitar player, but that he has only been around for three months. Throughout the film Donovan's name is seen next to Dylan's on newspaper headlines and on posters in the background, and Dylan and his friends refer to him consistently.
Donovan finally appears in the second half of the film, along withDerroll Adams, in Dylan's suite at theSavoy Hotel despite Donovan's management refusing to allow journalists to be present, saying they do not want "any stunt on the lines of the disciple meeting the messiah".[15] According to Pennebaker, Dylan told him not to film the encounter, and Donovan played a song that sounded just like "Mr. Tambourine Man" but with different words. When confronted with lifting his tune, Donovan said that he thought it was an old folk song.[16] Once the camera rolled, Donovan plays his song "To Sing For You" and then asks Dylan to play "Baby Blue". Dylan later toldMelody Maker: "He played some songs to me. ... I like him. ... He's a nice guy."Melody Maker noted that Dylan had mentioned Donovan in his song "Talking World War Three Blues" and that the crowd had jeered, to which Dylan had responded backstage: "I didn't mean to put the guy down in my songs. I just did it for a joke, that's all."
In an interview for the BBC in 2001 to mark Dylan's 60th birthday, Donovan acknowledged Dylan as an influence early in his career while distancing himself from "Dylan clone" allegations:
The one who really taught us to play and learn all the traditional songs wasMartin Carthy – who incidentally was contacted by Dylan when Bob first came to the UK. Bob was influenced, as all American folk artists are, by theCeltic music of Ireland, Scotland and England. But in 1962 we folk Brits were also being influenced by some folk Blues and the American folk-exponents of our Celtic Heritage ... Dylan appeared afterWoody [Guthrie],Pete [Seeger] andJoanie [Baez] had conquered our hearts, and he sounded like a cowboy at first but I knew where he got his stuff – it was Woody at first, then it wasJack Kerouac and the stream-of-consciousness poetry which moved him along. But when I heard 'Blowin' in the Wind' it was the clarion call to the new generation – and we artists were encouraged to be as brave in writing our thoughts in music ... We were not captured by his influence, we were encouraged to mimic him – and remember every British band from theStones to theBeatles were copying note for note, lick for lick, all the American pop and blues artists – this is the way young artists learn. There's no shame in mimicking a hero or two – it flexes the creative muscles and tones the quality of our composition and technique. It was not only Dylan who influenced us – for me he was a spearhead into protest, and we all had a go at his style. I sounded like him for five minutes – others made a career of his sound. Like troubadours, Bob and I can write about any facet of the human condition. To be compared was natural, but I am not a copyist.[17]
In late 1965, Donovan split with his original management and signed withAshley Kozak, who was working forBrian Epstein'sNEMS Enterprises. Kozak introduced Donovan to American businessmanAllen Klein (later manager of the Rolling Stones and, in their final months,the Beatles).[18] Klein in turn introduced Donovan to producerMickie Most,[19] who had chart-topping productions withthe Animals,Lulu andHerman's Hermits. Most produced all Donovan's recordings during this period, although Donovan said in his autobiography that some recordings were self-produced, with little input from Most. Their collaboration produced successful singles and albums, recorded with London session players includingBig Jim Sullivan,[20]Jack Bruce,[21]Danny Thompson,[22] and futureLed Zeppelin membersJohn Paul Jones andJimmy Page.[23]
Many of Donovan's late 1960s recordings featured musicians including his key musical collaboratorJohn Cameron on piano, Danny Thompson (fromPentangle) orSpike Heatley on upright bass, Tony Carr on drums andcongas andHarold McNair on saxophone and flute. Carr's conga style and McNair's flute playing are a feature of many recordings. Cameron, McNair and Carr also accompanied Donovan on several concert tours and can be heard on his 1968 live albumDonovan in Concert.
By 1966, Donovan had shed the Dylan/Guthrie influences and become one of the first British pop musicians to adoptflower power. He immersed himself in jazz,blues,Eastern music and the new generation ofcounterculture-eraUS West Coast bands such asJefferson Airplane andthe Grateful Dead. He was entering his most creative phase as a songwriter and recording artist, working with Mickie Most and with arranger, musician and jazz fanJohn Cameron. Their first collaboration wasSunshine Superman, one of the firstpsychedelic pop records.[19]
Donovan's rise stalled in December 1965 whenBillboard broke news of the impending production deal between Klein, Most and Donovan, and then reported that Donovan was to sign withEpic Records in the US. Despite Kozak's denials,Pye Records dropped the single and a contract dispute ensued, because Pye had a US licensing arrangement withWarner Bros. Records. As a result, the UK release of theSunshine Superman LP was delayed for months, robbing it of the impact it would have had. Another outcome was that the UK and US versions of this and later albums differed – three of his Epic LPs were not released in the UK andSunshine Superman was issued in a different form in each country. Several tracks on his late 1960s Epic (US) LPs were not released in the UK for many years. The legal dispute continued into early 1966. During the hiatus, Donovan holidayed in Greece, where he wrote "Writer in the Sun",[24] inspired by rumours that his recording career was over. He toured the US and appeared on episode 23 ofPete Seeger's television showRainbow Quest in 1966 withShawn Phillips andRev. Gary Davis. After his return to London, he developed his friendship withPaul McCartney and contributed the line "sky of blue and sea of green" to "Yellow Submarine".
By spring 1966, the American contract problems had been resolved and Donovan signed a $100,000 deal with Epic Records. Donovan and Most went toCBS Studios in Los Angeles, where they recorded tracks for an LP, much composed during the preceding year. Although folk elements were prominent, the album showed increasing influence ofjazz, American west coastpsychedelia andfolk rock – especiallythe Byrds. The LP sessions were completed in May and "Sunshine Superman" was released in the US as a single in June. It was a success, selling 800,000 in six weeks and reaching No. 1. It went on to sell over one million and was awarded agold disc.[25] The LP followed in August, preceded by orders of 250,000 copies, reached No. 11 on the USalbum chart and sold over half a million.[25]
The US version of theSunshine Superman album features instruments including acoustic bass,sitar, saxophone, tablas and congas, harpsichord, strings and oboe. Highlights include the swinging "The Fat Angel", which Donovan's book confirms was written forCass Elliot ofthe Mamas & the Papas. The song is notable for naming the Jefferson Airplane before they became known internationally and beforeGrace Slick joined. Other tracks include "Bert's Blues" (a tribute toBert Jansch), "Guinevere" and "Legend of a Girl Child Linda", a track featuring voice, acoustic guitar and a small orchestra for over six minutes.[26]
The album also features the sitar, which was played by American folk-rock singerShawn Phillips. Donovan met Phillips in London in 1965 and he became a friend and early collaborator, playing acoustic guitar and sitar on recordings includingSunshine Superman as well as accompanying Donovan at concerts and on Pete Seeger's TV show. Creatively, Phillips served as a silent partner in the gestation of many of Donovan's songs from the era, with the singer later acknowledging that Phillips primarily composed "Season of the Witch".[27] Several songs including the title track had a harder edge. The driving, jazzy "The Trip", named after a Los Angeles club name, chronicled anLSDtrip during his time in L.A. and is loaded with references to his sojourn on the West Coast, and names Dylan and Baez. The third "heavy" song was "Season of the Witch".[citation needed] Recorded with American and British session players, it features Donovan's first recorded performance on electric guitar. The song was covered byJulie Driscoll,Brian Auger and the Trinity on their first LP in 1967 andAl Kooper andStephen Stills recorded an 11-minute version on the 1968 album,Super Session. Donovan's version is also in the closing sequence of theGus Van Sant film,To Die For.[citation needed]
Because of earlier contractual problems, the UK version ofSunshine Superman LP was not released for another nine months. This was a compilation of tracks from the US albumsSunshine Superman andMellow Yellow. Donovan did not choose the tracks.[citation needed]
On 24 October 1966, Epic released the single "Mellow Yellow", arranged byJohn Paul Jones and purportedly featuringPaul McCartney on backing vocals, but not in the chorus.[19] In his autobiography Donovan explained "electrical banana" was a reference to a "yellow-coloured vibrator".[28] The song became Donovan's signature tune in the US and reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 3 on the Cash Box chart, and it earned a gold record award for sales of more than one million in the US.[25]
Through the first half of 1967, Donovan worked on a double-album studio project, which he produced. In January he gave a concert at theRoyal Albert Hall accompanied by a ballerina who danced during a 12-minute performance of "Golden Apples". On 14 January,New Musical Express reported he was to write incidental music for aNational Theatre production ofAs You Like It, but this did not come to fruition. His version of "Under the Greenwood Tree" did appear on "A Gift from a Flower to a Garden".
In March Epic released theMellow Yellow LP (not released in the UK), which reached No. 14 in the US album charts, plus a non-album single, "Epistle to Dippy", a Top 20 hit in the US. Written as an open letter to a school friend, the song had a pacifist message as well as psychedelic imagery. The real "Dippy" was in theBritish Army in Malaysia. According to Brian Hogg, who wrote the liner notes for the Donovan boxed setTroubadour, Dippy heard the song, contacted Donovan and left the army. On 9 February 1967, Donovan was among guests invited by the Beatles to Abbey Road Studios for the orchestral overdub for "A Day in the Life", the finale toSgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.[29]
On 10 June 1966,[30] Donovan became the first high-profile British pop star to be arrested for possession ofcannabis.[8][31] Donovan's drug use was mostly restricted to cannabis, with occasional use ofLSD andmescaline.[citation needed] His LSD use is thought to be referenced indirectly in some of his lyrics.[8] Public attention was drawn to his marijuana use by the TV documentaryA Boy Called Donovan in early 1966, which showed the singer and friends smoking cannabis at a party thrown by the film crew. Donovan's arrest proved to be the first in a long series involving the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. In early 1967, Donovan was subject of an exposé in theNews of the World.[32]
According to Donovan, the article was based on an interview by an ex-girlfriend of his friend Gypsy Dave. The article was the first in a three-part series,Drugs & Pop Stars – Facts That Will Shock You. It was quickly shown some claims were false. ANews of the World reporter claimed to have spent an evening withMick Jagger, who allegedly discussed his drug use and offered drugs to companions. He had mistaken Brian Jones for Jagger, and Jagger sued the newspaper for libel. Among other supposed revelations were claims that Donovan and stars including members ofThe Who,Cream,The Rolling Stones andThe Moody Blues regularly smoked marijuana, used other drugs and held parties where the recently banned hallucinogen LSD was used, specifically naming the Who'sPete Townshend and Cream'sGinger Baker.
It emerged later that theNews of the World reporters were passing information to the police. In the late 1990s,The Guardian saidNews of the World reporters had alerted police to the party atKeith Richards's home, which was raided on 12 February 1967. Although Donovan's was not as sensational as the later arrests of Jagger and Richards, he was refused entry to the US until late 1967. He could not appear at theMonterey International Pop Festival in June that year.[33]
In July 1967, Epic released "There Is a Mountain", which just missed the US top ten and was later used as the basis forthe Allman Brothers Band's "Mountain Jam". In September, Donovan toured the US, backed by a jazz group and accompanied by his father, who introduced the show. Later that month, Epic released Donovan's fifth album, a set titled,A Gift from a Flower to a Garden, the first rock music box set and only the third pop-rock double album released. It was split into halves. The first,Wear Your Love Like Heaven, was for people of his generation who would one day be parents; the second,For Little Ones, was songs Donovan had written for coming generations. Worried it might be a poor seller, Epic bossClive Davis also insisted the albums be split and sold separately in the US (the "Wear Your Love Like Heaven" album cover was photographed atBodiam Castle), but his fears were unfounded – although it took time, the original boxed set sold steadily, eventually peaking at 19 in the US album chart and achieving gold record status in the US in early 1970.
The psychedelic and mystical overtones were unmistakable – the front cover featured aninfra-red photograph byKarl Ferris showing Donovan atBodiam Castle, dressed in a robe, holding flowers and peacock feathers, while the back photo showed him holding hands with Indian guruMaharishi Mahesh Yogi. The liner notes included an appeal for young people to give up drugs. His disavowal of drugs came after his time with the Maharishi inRishikesh, a topic discussed in a two-part interview for the first two issues ofRolling Stone.[34]
In late 1967 Donovan contributed two songs to theKen Loach filmPoor Cow. "Be Not Too Hard" was a musical setting ofChristopher Logue's poemSeptember Song and was later recorded by such artists asJoan Baez andShusha Guppy. The title track, originally entitled "Poor Love", was the B-side of his next single, "Jennifer Juniper", which was inspired byJenny Boyd, sister ofGeorge Harrison's wife,Pattie Boyd and was another top 40 hit in the US. Donovan developed interest in eastern mysticism and claims to have interested the Beatles intranscendental meditation.[citation needed]
In early 1968 he was part of the group that traveled to the ashram of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi inRishikesh. The visit gained worldwide attention thanks to the presence of all four Beatles as well asBeach Boys lead singerMike Love, as well as actressMia Farrow and her sister Prudence (who inspired Lennon to write "Dear Prudence"). According to a 1968Paul McCartney interview withRadio Luxembourg,[35] it was during this time that Donovan taught Lennon and McCartneyfinger-picking guitar styles including theclawhammer, which he had learned from Mac MacLeod. Lennon used this technique on songs including "Dear Prudence", "Julia", "Happiness is a Warm Gun" and "Look at Me", and McCartney with "Blackbird" and "Mother Nature's Son".[36]
Donovan's next single, in May 1968, was the psychedelic "Hurdy Gurdy Man". The liner notes from EMI's reissues say the song was intended for Mac MacLeod, who had a heavy rock band calledHurdy Gurdy. After hearing MacLeod's version, Donovan considered giving it toJimi Hendrix, but when Most heard it, he convinced Donovan to record it himself. Donovan tried to get Hendrix to play, but he was on tour. Jimmy Page played electric guitar in some studio sessions and is credited with playing on the song.[37][38] Alternatively, it is credited toAlan Parker.[citation needed]
Donovan credits Page and "Allen Hollsworth" (a misspelling ofAllan Holdsworth) as the "guitar wizards" for the song, saying they created "a new kind of metal folk".[39]
SinceJohn Bonham and John Paul Jones also played, Donovan said perhaps the session inspired the formation ofLed Zeppelin.[39] The heavier sound of "Hurdy Gurdy Man" was an attempt by Most and Donovan to reach a wider audience in the US, where hard-rock groups likeCream andthe Jimi Hendrix Experience were having an impact. The song became one of Donovan's biggest hits, making the Top 5 in the UK and the US and the Top 10 in Australia.[citation needed]
In July 1968, Epic releasedDonovan in Concert, the recording of his Anaheim concert in September 1967. The cover featured only a painting byFleur Cowles (with neither the artist's name nor the title). The album contained two of his big hits and songs which would have been new to the audience. The expanded double CD from 2006 contained "Epistle To Derroll", a tribute to one of his formative influences,Derroll Adams. The album also includes extended group arrangements of "Young Girl Blues" and "The Pebble and the Man", a song later reworked and retitled as "Happiness Runs". In the summer of 1968, Donovan worked on a second LP of children's songs, released in 1971 as the double album,HMS Donovan. In September, Epic released a single, "Laléna", a subdued acoustic ballad which reached the low 30s in the US. The albumThe Hurdy Gurdy Man followed (not released in the UK), continuing the style of theMellow Yellow LP, and reached 20 in the US, despite containing two earlier hits, the title track and "Jennifer Juniper".[citation needed]
After another US tour in the autumn he collaborated with Paul McCartney, who was producingPostcard, the debut LP by Welsh singerMary Hopkin. Hopkin covered three Donovan songs: "Lord Of The Reedy River", "Happiness Runs" and "Voyage of the Moon". McCartney returned the favour by playing tambourine and singing backing vocals on Donovan's next single, "Atlantis", which was released in the UK (with "I Love My Shirt" as the B-side) in late November and reached 23.[40]
Early in 1969, the comedy filmIf It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium featured music by Donovan; the title tune was written by him and sung by J. P. Rags, and he also performed "Lord of the Reedy River" in the film as a singer at a youth hostel. On 20 January, Epic released the single, "To Susan on the West Coast Waiting", with "Atlantis" as the B-side. The A-side, a gentlecalypso-styled song, contained another anti-war message and became a moderate Top 40 US hit. However, when DJs in America and Australia flipped it and began playing "Atlantis", that became a hit. The gentle "Atlantis" later formed the backdrop to a violent scene inMartin Scorsese's 1990 filmGoodFellas. "Atlantis" was revived in 2000 for an episode ofFuturama titled "The Deep South" (2ACV12) which aired on 16 April that year. For this episode Donovan recorded a satirical version of the song describing the Lost City ofAtlanta which featured in the episode.
In March 1969 (too soon to include "Atlantis"), Epic and Pye releasedDonovan's Greatest Hits, which included four previous singles – "Epistle To Dippy", "There is a Mountain", "Jennifer Juniper" and "Laléna", as well as rerecorded versions of "Colours" and "Catch The Wind" (which had been unavailable to Epic because of Donovan's contractual problems) and stereo versions of "Sunshine Superman" (previously unissued full length version) and "Season of the Witch". It became the most successful album of his career; it reached 4 in the US, became a million-selling gold record and stayed on the Billboard album chart for more than a year. On 26 June 1969 the track "Barabajagal (Love Is Hot)" (recorded May 1969), which gained him a following on the rave scene decades later, was released, reaching 12 in the UK but charting less strongly in the US. This time he was backed by the originalJeff Beck Group, featuring Beck on lead guitar,Ronnie Wood on bass,Nicky Hopkins on piano andMicky Waller on drums. The Beck group was under contract to Most and it was Most's idea to team them with Donovan to bring a heavier sound to Donovan's work, while introducing a lyrical edge to Beck's.[citation needed]
On 7 July 1969, Donovan performed at the first show in the second season of free rock concerts inHyde Park, London, which also featuredBlind Faith,Richie Havens,the Edgar Broughton Band and theThird Ear Band. In September 1969, the "Barabajagal" album reached 23 in the US. Only the recent "Barabajagal"/"Trudi" single and "Superlungs My Supergirl" were 1969 recordings, the remaining tracks[clarification needed] were from sessions in London in May 1968 and in Los Angeles in November 1968.[citation needed]
In the late 1960s to the early 1970s he lived atStein, on the Isle of Skye, where he and a group of followers formed a commune and where he was visited byGeorge Harrison. He named his daughter, born 1970, Ione Skye.[41][42]
In late 1969, the relationship with Most ended after an argument over an unidentified recording session in Los Angeles. In the 1995 BBC Radio 2The Donovan Story, Most recounted:
The only time we ever fell out was in Los Angeles when there was all these, I suppose, big stars of their day, the Stephen Stillses and the Mama Casses, all at the session and nothing was actually being played. Somebody brought some dope into the session and I stopped the session and slung them out. You know you need someone to say, "it's my session, I'm paying for it." We fell out over that.[43]
Donovan said he wanted to record with someone else, and he and Most did not work together again untilCosmic Wheels (1973). After the rift, Donovan spent two months writing and recording the albumOpen Road as a member of the rock trioOpen Road. Stripping the sound of Most's heavy studio productions down to stuff that could be played by a live band, Donovan dubbed the sound "Celtic Rock". The album peaked at No. 16 in the U.S., the third-highest of any of his full-length releases to date, but as his concert appearances became less frequent and new artists and styles of popular music began to emerge, his commercial success began to decline. Donovan said:
I was exhausted and looking for roots and new directions. I checked into Morgan Studios in London and stayed a long while creating Open Road and theHMS Donovan sessions. Downstairs was McCartney, doing his solo album. I had left Mickie after great years together. The new decade dawned and I had accomplished everything any young singer-songwriter could achieve. What else was there to do but to experiment beyond the fame and into the new life, regardless of the result?[43]
Donovan's plan forOpen Road was to tour the world for a year, beginning with a boat voyage around theAegean Sea, documented in the 1970 filmThere is an Ocean. This was partially on the advice from his management to go intotax exile, during which he was not to set foot in the UK until April 1971, but after touring to France, Italy, Russia and Japan, he cut the tour short:
I travelled to Japan and was set to stay out of the UK for a year and earn the largest fees yet for a solo performer, and all tax-free. At the time the UK tax for us was 98%. During that Japanese tour I had a gentle breakdown, which made me decide to break the tax exile. Millions were at stake. My father, my agent, they pleaded for me not to step onto theBOAC jet bound for London. I did and went back to my little cottage in the woods. Two days later a young woman came seeking a cottage to rent. It was Linda.[43]
The band would continue without Donovan, adding new members, touring and releasing the albumWindy Daze in 1971 before disbanding in 1972.[44][45]
After this reunion, Donovan and Linda married on 2 October 1970 at Windsor register office and honeymooned in the Caribbean. Donovan dropped out of the round of tour promotion and concentrated on writing, recording and his family. The largely self-produced children's albumHMS Donovan in 1971, went unreleased in the US and did not gain a wide audience. During an 18-month tax exile in Ireland (1971–72), he wrote for the 1972 filmThe Pied Piper, in the title role, and forBrother Sun, Sister Moon (1972). The title song from the Zeffirelli film provided Donovan with a publishing windfall in 1974 when it was covered as the B-side of the million-selling US top 5 hit "The Lord's Prayer", by Australia's singing nun,Sister Janet Mead.
After a new deal with Epic, Donovan reunited with Mickie Most in early 1973, resulting in the LPCosmic Wheels, which featured arrangements byChris Spedding.[43] It was his last chart success, reaching the top 40 in America and Britain. Late in the year, he releasedEssence To Essence, produced byAndrew Loog Oldham, and a live album recorded and released only in Japan, which featured an extended version of "Hurdy Gurdy Man", including an additional verse written byGeorge Harrison inRishikesh.[46] While recording the album,Alice Cooper invited Donovan to share lead vocals on his song "Billion Dollar Babies".[citation needed]
Cosmic Wheels was followed up by two albums that same year: his second concert album,Live in Japan: Spring Tour 1973 and the more introspectiveEssence to Essence. His last two albums for Epic Records were7-Tease (1974) andSlow Down World (1976). In 1977, he opened forYes on their six-month tour of North America and Europe following the release ofGoing for the One (1977). The 1978 LP,Donovan was on Most'sRAK Records in the UK and on Clive Davis' newArista Records in the US; it reunited him for the last time with Most and Cameron, but was not well received at the height of thenew wave and did not chart.[citation needed]
The punk era (1976–1980) provoked a backlash in Britain against the optimism and whimsy of the hippie era, of which Donovan was a prime example. The word "hippie" became pejorative and Donovan's fortunes suffered.[citation needed] In this period, he released the albumsNeutronica (1980),Love Is Only Feeling (1981) andLady of the Stars (1984), and guest-starred onStars on Ice, a half-hour variety show on ice produced byCTV in Toronto. There was a respite when he appeared alongsideSting,Phil Collins,Bob Geldof,Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck in theAmnesty International benefit showThe Secret Policeman's Other Ball. Accompanied byDanny Thompson, Donovan performed several hits including "Sunshine Superman", "Mellow Yellow", "Colours", "Universal Soldier" and "Catch the Wind". He was also in the performance of Dylan's "I Shall Be Released" for the show's finale. Donovan also appeared at theGlastonbury Festival on 18 June 1989 with the bandOzric Tentacles accompanying him onstage.
In 1990, Donovan released a live album featuring new performances of his classic songs. In 1991,Nettwerk released atribute album to Donovan,Island of Circles. Sony's double-CD boxed setTroubadour: The Definitive Collection 1964–1976 (1992) continued the restoration of his reputation and was followed by the 1994 release ofFour Donovan Originals, which saw his four classic Epic LPs on CD in their original form for the first time in the UK. He found an ally in rap producer andDef Jam label ownerRick Rubin and recorded the albumSutras for Rubin'sAmerican Recordings label.[19]
In 2000, Donovan narrated and played himself in theFuturama episode"The Deep South" on 16 April with a parody of the song "Atlantis".[citation needed]
A new album,Beat Cafe, on Appleseed Records in 2004, marked a return to the jazzy sound of his 1960s recordings and featured bassistDanny Thompson and drummerJim Keltner, with production by John Chelew (The Blind Boys of Alabama). At a series ofBeat Cafe performances in New York,Richard Barone (The Bongos) joined Donovan to sing and read passages fromAllen Ginsberg'sHowl.
In May 2004, Donovan played "Sunshine Superman" at the wedding concert for theCrown Prince andCrown Princess of Denmark. He released his early demo tapes,Sixty Four and a re-recording of theBrother Sun, Sister Moon soundtrack oniTunes. A set of his Mickie Most albums was released on 9 May 2005. This EMI set has extra tracks including another song recorded with the Jeff Beck Group. In 2005, his autobiographyThe Hurdy Gurdy Man was published. In May/June 2005, Donovan toured the UK (Beat Cafe Tour) and Europe with Tom Mansi on double bass, formerDamned drummerRat Scabies andFlipron keyboard player, Joe Atkinson.
In 2006, Donovan played British festivals and two dates at Camden'sThe Jazz Cafe, London.
In January 2007, Donovan played at theKennedy Center, in Washington, D.C.; atAlice Tully Hall, in New York City; and at theKodak Theatre, in Los Angeles, in conjunction with a presentation by filmmakerDavid Lynch supporting theDavid Lynch Foundation forConsciousness-Based Education and world peace. The concert at the Kodak Theatre was filmed by Raven Productions and broadcast onpublic television as apledge drive. Donovan's partnership with the David Lynch Foundation saw him performing concerts through October 2007, as well as giving presentations about Transcendental meditation. He appeared atMaharishi University of Management inFairfield, Iowa, in May 2007,[47] and toured the UK with Lynch in October 2007.[48]
In March 2007, Donovan played two shows at theSouth by Southwest music festival inAustin, Texas.[49] He had planned a spring 2007 release of an album, along with a UK tour, but the tour was cancelled and the album delayed.[citation needed]
In April 2007, Donovan presented a three-part series onRavi Shankar forBBC Radio 2. In October 2007, he announced plans for the "Invincible Donovan University" focusing on Transcendental Meditation, to be near Glasgow or Edinburgh.[50] In October 2007 the DVDThe Donovan Concert—Live in LA, filmed at the Kodak Theatre Los Angeles earlier that year, was released in the UK. On 6 October 2009, Donovan was honoured as aBMI Icon at the 2009 annual BMI London Awards.[51] The Icon designation is given to BMI songwriters who have had "a unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers".[52]
In October 2010, Donovan released the double albumRitual Groove, which he had described as "a soundtrack to a movie not yet made."[53] On 10 May 2021, his 75th birthday, Donovan released the music video for the album's song "I Am the Shaman".David Lynch produced the track and directed the video.[54]
In 2012, he releasedThe Sensual Donovan, recorded in 1971 withJohn Phillips of The Mamas and the Papas, backed byThe Crusaders.[55] In 2013, he recorded the albumShadows of Blue at Treasure Isle Studios inNashville. The album includes songs he wrote in the 1970s and explores acountry style.[56][55]
A tribute album to Donovan,Gazing with Tranquility, was released in October 2015 under nonprofit label Rock the Cause Records to benefit the charity Huntington's Hope.[57] It features covers byThe Flaming Lips,Lissie andSharon Van Etten.[58]
In 2019, Donovan releasedEco-Song, an album of songs with an ecological theme, inspired byGreta Thunberg. He hoped to adapt the album into arock opera but was unable due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[59]
In 2019, to mark the 50th anniversary ofBrian Jones's death, Donovan released a tribute album,Joolz Juke, featuring Jones's grandson (and Donovan's step-grandson), Joolz Jones.[60] In 2021, he released the albumLunarian, dedicated to his wife. The album's song "Still Waters" was recorded decades earlier withNils Lofgren.[61] Donovan and Lawrence created an animated children's television series,Tales of Aluna, with 26 episodes produced by Australian studio Three's a Company. They had developed the series's story over decades.[60][62]
Donovan released the albumGaelia in December 2022.[63] The album's singles "Rock Me" and "Lover O' Lover" featuredDavid Gilmour on guitar.[64] Donovan took 2024 off to prepare for a 60th anniversary concert series planned for 2025.[65]
Bill Pearis ofBrooklynVegan said: "Donovan personified thehippy-folk ideal, having spent time meditating with theMaharishi, living on acommune and making some of the era's great music."[66]
In November 2003, theUniversity of Hertfordshire awarded Donovan an honorary Doctor of Letters degree.[67][68] He was nominated by Sara Loveridge (a student at the university who had interviewed and reviewed Donovan for the university paper in 2001–2002); Andrew Morris, Sara's partner and Donovan researcher/writer; and Mac MacLeod.[69]
On 14 April 2012, Donovan was inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame.[70][71]
Donovan had a relationship with American model Enid Karl and they had two children: actor-musicianDonovan Leitch in 1967 and actressIone Skye in 1970.[72] In October 1970, Donovan marriedLinda Lawrence.[4] They have two children together, Astrella and Oriole; Oriole had a relationship withShaun Ryder of theHappy Mondays and had a daughter, Coco, with whom Donovan has held joint art and photography exhibitions.[73][74][75] Lawrence was the inspiration for "Sunshine Superman".[76]
Donovan is also the adoptive father of Lawrence's andBrian Jones's son, Julian Brian (Jones) Leitch.[13]
In February 2024, Donovan was disqualified from driving for two years and fined €500 for dangerous driving bySkibbereen District Court inIreland. A charge of being drunk in charge of a vehicle was dismissed, as the court determined it would be unsafe to convict him for that offence. The court heard that the singer was still working and that he supports charitable causes. He has lived in Ireland for 30 years, with no previous convictions.[3]
Donovan, as of February 2024,[update] lives inCastlemagner,Kanturk inCounty Cork. He suffers fromchronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)[77] and a "restricted lung disease".[3]
Donovan identifies aspagan.[78] RaisedProtestant, he left the religion after readingLao Tzu,Zen andCeltic mythology as a teenager. His personal belief system combines Celtic mythology,Buddhism andgoddess worship.[79] During a 2022 interview withVariety, he said "[E]very other song of mine celebrates the Goddess. She isMother Nature. And we have been placed in this extraordinary position, almost on the edge of extinction, by this totally, overly male view that every resource, every river, every breeze, every cloud, every metal in the land should be raped and pillaged and sold as a commodity."[80]
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