Overview

Donovan Phillips Leitch, born in Maryhill, Glasgow, Scotland, UK, on 10th May 1946, known mononymously as Donovan, is a musician, songwriter, & record producer, who developed an eclectic, distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelic rock and world music, especially calypso. He's lived in Scotland, Hertfordshire, London, California then since 2008 in County Cork, Ireland. Emerging from the British folk scene, Donovan became famous in the UK during early 1965, following live performances on the TV series Ready Steady Go!. Having signed with Pye Records that year, Leitch recorded singles & 2 albums in the folk vein for Hickory Records, after which he signed to CBS/Epic in the US-the 1st signing by the company's new vice-president Clive Davis-becoming more successful internationally. Donovan began a long, successful collaboration with leading British independent record producer Mickie Most, having a number of hit singles and L.Ps in Britain & the States, among other countries. Leitch broke through in 1965 with 3 UK hit singles: Catch the Wind, Colours and Universal Soldier, the last written by Buffy Sainte-Marie. Sunshine Superman topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US for a week during September the following year, also making UK No. 2. Mellow Yellow then hit US No. 2 in December 1966, before Hurdy Gurdy Man made the top 5 in both countries during 1968 then Atlantis reached US No. 7 in May 1969. Donovan became a friend of pop & folk musicians including Joan Baez, the Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones, and the Beatles. Leitch taught John Lennon a finger-picking guitar style during 1968 that he used on Dear Prudence, Julia & Happiness Is a Warm Gun, among other songs. His backing musicians included the Jeff Beck Group, John Bonham, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones, who later formed Led Zeppelin. Donovan's records didn't do so well after he parted from Most in 1969, so he left the business for some time. Leitch continued to perform & record sporadically during the '70s - '80s but his musical style & hippie image were scorned by critics, especially after punk rock. He had a revival in the '90s with the emergence of Britain's rave scene, recording the album Sutras (1996) with producer Rick Rubin then Beat Cafe (2004). Donovan was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame during 2012 then the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2014.

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