Donovan

Biography

Donovan Phillips Leitch (born 10 May 1946) is a Scottish musician, songwriter and record producer. He emerged from the British folk scene in early 1965 and scored many international hit singles and albums during the late 1960s. His work became emblematic of the flower power era with its blend of folk, pop, psychedelia and jazz stylings.
Donovan first achieved recognition with live performances on the pop TV series Ready Steady Go! in 1965. Having signed with Pye Records that year, he recorded singles and two albums in the folk vein for Hickory Records, scoring three UK hit singles: "Catch the Wind×Catch the WindFebruary 1988 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 17 tracks1Catch the Wind2:562Josie3:283Jersey Thursday2:154Oh Deed I Do2:085Belated Forgiveness Plea2:576Colours2:467Sunny Goodge Street2:578Ballad of Geraldine4:409Ballad of a Crystal Man3:5110Universal Soldier2:1411Do You Hear Me Now1:4912To Sing for You2:4513Hey Gyp (Dig the Slowness)3:1214Tangerine Puppet1:5215Turquoise3:3216You're Gonna Need Somebody on Your Bond4:0417The Little Tin Soldier2:56", "Colours×Colours28 May 1965 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAColoursBTo Sing for You" and "Universal Soldier×Universal Soldier15 August 1965 · EPSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracksA1Universal Soldier2:11A2The Ballad of a Crystal Man3:50B1Do You Hear Me Now?1:47B2The War Drags On3:39", the last written by Buffy Sainte-Marie. He then signed to CBS/Epic in the US and became more successful internationally, beginning a long collaboration with British record producer Mickie Most. In September 1966, "Sunshine Superman×Sunshine Superman26 September 1966 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Sunshine Superman3:05A2Legend of a Girl Child Linda6:36A3Three King Fishers3:07A4Ferris Wheel4:03A5Bert's Blues3:46B1Season of the Witch4:46B2The Trip4:26B3Guinevere3:33B4The Fat Angel4:01B5Celeste4:00" topped America's Billboard Hot 100 chart for one week and went to No. 2 in Britain, followed by "Mellow Yellow×Mellow YellowMarch 1967 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Mellow Yellow3:42A2Writer in the Sun4:28A3Sand and Foam3:17A4The Observation2:21A5Bleak City Woman2:22B1House of Jansch2:42B2Young Girl Blues3:45B3Museum2:54B4Hampstead Incident4:40B5Sunny South Kensington3:48" at US No. 2 in December 1966, then 1968's "Hurdy Gurdy Man×Hurdy Gurdy Man1994 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 18 tracks1Jennifer Juniper1:552Catch The Wind2:383Hurdy Gurdy Man5:554Sunshine Superman3:545Sadness2:476Universal Soldier2:367Cosmic Wheels3:428Atlantis2:439Wear Your Love Like Heaven2:1710To Susan On The Westcoast Waiting1:2611Colours2:1712Young Girl Blues4:5813Young But Growing3:3514Stealing4:0015Sailing Homeward2:5416Love Will Find A Way2:3317Lalena3:0618Make Up Your Mind To Be Happy5:13" in the top 5 in both countries and then "Atlantis×Atlantis1968 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAAtlantis4:54BTo Susan on the West Coast Waiting", which reached US No. 7 in May 1969. The compilation Donovan's Greatest Hits was released in March 1969 and peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200.
Donovan became a friend of other prominent musicians such as Joan Baez, Brian Jones and the Beatles. He taught John Lennon a finger-picking guitar style in 1968 that Lennon employed in "Dear Prudence", "Julia", "Happiness Is a Warm Gun" and other songs. His backing musicians included the Jeff Beck Group and John Bonham, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones, who later rose to fame as members of Led 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 and hippie image were scorned by critics, especially after the rise of punk rock. His performing and recording became sporadic until a revival in the 1990s with the emergence of Britain's rave scene and, in 1994, he moved permanently to Ireland where he still lives. In 1996, he recorded the album Sutras×Sutras14 October 1996 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 15 tracks1Please Don't Bend4:142Give It All Up3:103Sleep2:484Everlasting Sea3:345High Your Love2:316The Clear-Browed One3:207The Way2:168Deep Peace3:119Nirvana3:3210Eldorado3:0711Be Mine3:2812Lady of the Lamp3:5313The Evernow4:1014Universe Am I4:4615The Garden2:52 with producer Rick Rubin and, in 2004, made the album×The Album2017 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 32 tracks · 2 discsDisc 11Catch the Wind2:562Colours2:483The Ballad of a Crystal Man3:184Belated Forgiveness2:575Boy for Every Girl4:386Oh Deed I Do2:087The War Drags On3:438To Try for the Sun3:419Lady of the Sun3:0710No Man's Land5:2211Season of the Witch5:2512Shipwreck3:2913Only to Be Expected3:2314Every Reason3:0315Till I See You Again3:16Disc 21Atlantis2:522Hurdy Gurdy Man (live)5:003Universal Soldier (live)3:574Mellow Yellow (live)2:515Sunshine Superman (live)3:476Jennifer Juniper (live)2:447Isle of Islay (live)5:098Josie (live)3:409Lalena (live)2:5410Hey Gyp (live)2:2811Madrigalinda2:4812Harmony2:1813Ramblin' Boy2:3414Remember the Alamo3:0615Split Wood, Not Atoms2:4316Catch the Wind (live)3:1817Far Ye Well (a cappella version)1:50 Beat Cafe×Beat Cafe2004 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Love Floats4:192Poorman's Sunshine4:023Beat Cafe4:144Yin My Yang3:365Whirlwind4:476Two Lovers3:427The Question3:078Lord of the Universe4:489Lover o Lover4:5710The Cuckoo3:4911Do Not Go Gentle4:2712Shambhala5:29. Donovan was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012 and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2014.

Early life

Donovan was born on 10 May 1946, in Maryhill, Glasgow to a Protestant father and a Catholic mother, Donald and Winifred (née Phillips) Leitch. His grandmothers were both Irish. He contracted polio as a child. The disease and treatment left him with a limp. His family moved to the new town of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England. Influenced by his family's love of folk music, he began playing the guitar at 14. He enrolled in art school but soon dropped out, to live out his beatnik aspirations by going on the road. Donovan bought his first guitar in St Ives, Cornwall, in the early 1960s, as well as a fisherman's cap that he wore for years afterward.

1964–1966: Rise to fame

Returning to Hatfield, Donovan spent several months playing in local clubs, absorbing the folk scene around his home in St Albans, learning the crosspicking guitar technique from local players such as Mac MacLeod and Mick Softley and writing his first songs. In 1964, he travelled to Manchester with Gypsy Dave, then spent the summer in Torquay, Devon. In Torquay, he stayed with Mac MacLeod and took up busking, studying the guitar and learning traditional folk and blues.
In late 1964, Donovan was offered a management and publishing contract by Peter Eden and Geoff Stephens of Pye Records in London, for which he recorded a 10-track demo tape which included the original of his first single, "Catch the Wind×Catch the WindFebruary 1988 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 17 tracks1Catch the Wind2:562Josie3:283Jersey Thursday2:154Oh Deed I Do2:085Belated Forgiveness Plea2:576Colours2:467Sunny Goodge Street2:578Ballad of Geraldine4:409Ballad of a Crystal Man3:5110Universal Soldier2:1411Do You Hear Me Now1:4912To Sing for You2:4513Hey Gyp (Dig the Slowness)3:1214Tangerine Puppet1:5215Turquoise3:3216You're Gonna Need Somebody on Your Bond4:0417The Little Tin Soldier2:56" and "Josie×Josie1991 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Josie3:282Catch The Wind2:563Remember The Alamo3:054Cuttin' Out2:195Car Car1:316Keep On Truckin'1:497Goldwatch Blues2:328To Sing For You2:439You're Gonna Need Somebody On Your Bond4:0410Tangerine Puppet1:5211Donna Donna2:5612Ramblin' Boy2:32". The first song revealed the influence of Woody Guthrie and Ramblin' Jack Elliott, who had also influenced Bob Dylan. Comparisons with Dylan followed for some time. In an interview with KFOK 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."
While recording the demo, Donovan befriended Brian Jones of the 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. 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 and Ione Skye, both of whom became actors.

Donovan and Dylan

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 prompted The 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×Catch the WindFebruary 1988 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 17 tracks1Catch the Wind2:562Josie3:283Jersey Thursday2:154Oh Deed I Do2:085Belated Forgiveness Plea2:576Colours2:467Sunny Goodge Street2:578Ballad of Geraldine4:409Ballad of a Crystal Man3:5110Universal Soldier2:1411Do You Hear Me Now1:4912To Sing for You2:4513Hey Gyp (Dig the Slowness)3:1214Tangerine Puppet1:5215Turquoise3:3216You're Gonna Need Somebody on Your Bond4:0417The Little Tin Soldier2:56' sounds like 'Chimes of Freedom'. He's got a song, 'Hey Tangerine Eyes' and it sounds like Dylan's 'Mr. Tambourine Man'.
Donovan is the undercurrent In D. A. Pennebaker's film Dont Look Back documenting Dylan's tour. Near the start of the film, Dylan opens a newspaper and exclaims, "Donovan? Who is this Donovan?" and Alan Price from The 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 with Derroll Adams, in Dylan's suite at the Savoy 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". 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. Once the camera rolled, Donovan plays his song "To Sing For You×To Sing for You16 August 2019 · Album · Compilation,LiveSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 20 tracks1Catch The Wind2:132To Sing For You2:583Colours2:464The Candy Man2:275Working on the Railroad2:026Universal Soldier1:127Little Tin Soldier2:308Runnin' From Home1:579Turquoise3:0910Bert's Blues2:4611Daddy You've Been on My Mind2:0612Hampstead Incident4:4313The Tinker and the Crab2:5214Jennifer Juniper2:4915Lalena2:4816As I Recall It2:2317The Entertaining Of A Shy Girl1:5118Mad John's Escape2:3219Hi It's Been A Long Time2:3920Young Girls Blues5:54" and then asks Dylan to play "Baby Blue". Dylan later told Melody 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 was Martin Carthy – who incidentally was contacted by Dylan when Bob first came to the UK. Bob was influenced, as all American folk artists are, by the Celtic 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 after Woody [Guthrie], Pete [Seeger] and Joanie [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 was Jack 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 the Stones to the Beatles 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.

Collaboration with Mickie Most

In late 1965, Donovan split with his original management and signed with Ashley Kozak, who was working for Brian Epstein's NEMS Enterprises. Kozak introduced Donovan to American businessman Allen Klein (later manager of the Rolling Stones and, in their final months, the Beatles). Klein in turn introduced Donovan to producer Mickie Most, who had chart-topping productions with the Animals, Lulu and Herman'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 including Big Jim Sullivan, Jack Bruce, Danny Thompson, and future Led Zeppelin members John Paul Jones and Jimmy Page.
Many of Donovan's late 1960s recordings featured musicians including his key musical collaborator John Cameron on piano, Danny Thompson (from Pentangle) or Spike Heatley on upright bass, Tony Carr on drums and congas and Harold 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 album Donovan in Concert×Donovan in ConcertJuly 1968 · Album · LiveSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracksA1Isle of Islay4:23A2Young Girl Blues6:09A3There Is a Mountain3:11A4Poor Cow3:21A5Celeste5:21A6The Fat Angel3:19A7Guinevere2:40B1Widow With Shawl (A Portrait)3:30B2Preachin' Love5:05B3The Lullaby of Spring3:08B4Writer in the Sun4:36B5Pebble and the Man3:27B6Rules and Regulations2:33B7Mellow Yellow4:21.

Sunshine Superman

By 1966, Donovan had shed the Dylan/Guthrie influences and become one of the first British pop musicians to adopt flower power. He immersed himself in jazz, blues, Eastern music and the new generation of counterculture-era US West Coast bands such as Jefferson Airplane and the 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 fan John Cameron. Their first collaboration was Sunshine Superman, one of the first psychedelic pop records.
Donovan's rise stalled in December 1965 when Billboard broke news of the impending production deal between Klein, Most and Donovan, and then reported that Donovan was to sign with Epic 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 with Warner Bros. Records. As a result, the UK release of the Sunshine 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 and Sunshine 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", inspired by rumours that his recording career was over. He toured the US and appeared on episode 23 of Pete Seeger's television show Rainbow Quest in 1966 with Shawn Phillips and Rev. Gary Davis. After his return to London, he developed his friendship with Paul 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 to CBS 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 of jazz, American west coast psychedelia and folk rock – especially the Byrds. The LP sessions were completed in May and "Sunshine Superman×Sunshine Superman26 September 1966 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Sunshine Superman3:05A2Legend of a Girl Child Linda6:36A3Three King Fishers3:07A4Ferris Wheel4:03A5Bert's Blues3:46B1Season of the Witch4:46B2The Trip4:26B3Guinevere3:33B4The Fat Angel4:01B5Celeste4:00" 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 a gold disc. The LP followed in August, preceded by orders of 250,000 copies, reached No. 11 on the US album chart and sold over half a million.
The US version of the Sunshine 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 for Cass Elliot of the Mamas & the Papas. The song is notable for naming the Jefferson Airplane before they became known internationally and before Grace Slick joined. Other tracks include "Bert's Blues" (a tribute to Bert Jansch), "Guinevere" and "Legend of a Girl Child Linda", a track featuring voice, acoustic guitar and a small orchestra for over six minutes.
The album also features the sitar, which was played by American folk-rock singer Shawn Phillips. Donovan met Phillips in London in 1965 and he became a friend and early collaborator, playing acoustic guitar and sitar on recordings including Sunshine 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". Several songs including the title track had a harder edge. The driving, jazzy "The Trip×The Trip1991 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 24 tracks1The Trip4:362Lullaby of the Spring3:263Sunny South Kensington3:514Sand and Foam3:205Someone Singing3:056Guinevere3:417Celeste4:118Widow With a Shawl (A Portrait)3:019Writer in the Sun4:3110Entertaining of a Shy Girl1:4211The Land of Doesn’t Have to Be2:3012Skip-a-Long Sam2:2613Hampstead Incident4:4314Mad John’s Escape2:2015Three King Fishers3:1716Little Boy in Corduroy2:3517Isle of Islay2:2418Young Girl Blues3:4819Museum2:5720As I Recall It2:1021Legend of a Girl Child Linda6:5422House of Jansch2:4423Oh Gosh1:4924There Was a Time1:59", named after a Los Angeles club name, chronicled an LSD trip 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". Recorded with American and British session players, it features Donovan's first recorded performance on electric guitar. The song was covered by Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger and the Trinity on their first LP in 1967 and Al Kooper and Stephen Stills recorded an 11-minute version on the 1968 album, Super Session. Donovan's version is also in the closing sequence of the Gus Van Sant film, To Die For.
Because of earlier contractual problems, the UK version of Sunshine Superman LP was not released for another nine months. This was a compilation of tracks from the US albums Sunshine Superman and Mellow Yellow×Mellow YellowMarch 1967 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Mellow Yellow3:42A2Writer in the Sun4:28A3Sand and Foam3:17A4The Observation2:21A5Bleak City Woman2:22B1House of Jansch2:42B2Young Girl Blues3:45B3Museum2:54B4Hampstead Incident4:40B5Sunny South Kensington3:48. Donovan did not choose the tracks.

Mellow Yellow

On 24 October 1966, Epic released the single "Mellow Yellow×Mellow YellowMarch 1967 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Mellow Yellow3:42A2Writer in the Sun4:28A3Sand and Foam3:17A4The Observation2:21A5Bleak City Woman2:22B1House of Jansch2:42B2Young Girl Blues3:45B3Museum2:54B4Hampstead Incident4:40B5Sunny South Kensington3:48", arranged by John Paul Jones and purportedly featuring Paul McCartney on backing vocals, but not in the chorus. In his autobiography Donovan explained "electrical banana" was a reference to a "yellow-coloured vibrator". 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.
Through the first half of 1967, Donovan worked on a double-album studio project, which he produced. In January he gave a concert at the Royal 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 a National Theatre production of As 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×A Gift From a Flower to a GardenDecember 1967 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 22 tracks · 2 discsDisc 1A1Wear Your Love Like Heaven2:33A2Mad John’s Escape2:23A3Skip-a-Long Sam2:30A4Sun3:21A5There Was a Time2:06B1Oh Gosh1:59B2Little Boy in Corduroy2:41B3Under the Greenwood Tree2:01B4The Land of Doesn’t Have to Be2:40B5Someone Singing2:52Disc 2C1Song of the Naturalist’s Wife2:47C2The Enchanted Gypsy3:21C3Voyage Into the Golden Screen3:15C4Isle of Islay2:24C5The Mandolin Man and His Secret3:35C6Lay of the Last Tinker1:49D1The Tinker and the Crab2:55D2Widow With Schawl (A Portrait)3:02D3The Lullaby of Spring3:27D4The Magpie1:31D5Starfish-on-the-Toast2:45D6Epistle to Derroll5:44".
In March Epic released the Mellow Yellow LP (not released in the UK), which reached No. 14 in the US album charts, plus a non-album single, "Epistle to Dippy×Epistle to DippyJanuary 1967 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Epistle to Dippy2Preachin' Love", 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 the British Army in Malaysia. According to Brian Hogg, who wrote the liner notes for the Donovan boxed set Troubadour, 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 to Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Arrest

On 10 June 1966, Donovan became the first high-profile British pop star to be arrested for possession of cannabis. Donovan's drug use was mostly restricted to cannabis, with occasional use of LSD and mescaline. His LSD use is thought to be referenced indirectly in some of his lyrics. Public attention was drawn to his marijuana use by the TV documentary A 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 the News of the World.
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. A News of the World reporter claimed to have spent an evening with Mick 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 of The Who, Cream, The Rolling Stones and The Moody Blues regularly smoked marijuana, used other drugs and held parties where the recently banned hallucinogen LSD was used, specifically naming the Who's Pete Townshend and Cream's Ginger Baker.
It emerged later that the News of the World reporters were passing information to the police. In the late 1990s, The Guardian said News of the World reporters had alerted police to the party at Keith 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 the Monterey International Pop Festival in June that year.

1967–1969: International success

In July 1967, Epic released "There Is a Mountain", which just missed the US top ten and was later used as the basis for the 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×A Gift From a Flower to a GardenDecember 1967 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 22 tracks · 2 discsDisc 1A1Wear Your Love Like Heaven2:33A2Mad John’s Escape2:23A3Skip-a-Long Sam2:30A4Sun3:21A5There Was a Time2:06B1Oh Gosh1:59B2Little Boy in Corduroy2:41B3Under the Greenwood Tree2:01B4The Land of Doesn’t Have to Be2:40B5Someone Singing2:52Disc 2C1Song of the Naturalist’s Wife2:47C2The Enchanted Gypsy3:21C3Voyage Into the Golden Screen3:15C4Isle of Islay2:24C5The Mandolin Man and His Secret3:35C6Lay of the Last Tinker1:49D1The Tinker and the Crab2:55D2Widow With Schawl (A Portrait)3:02D3The Lullaby of Spring3:27D4The Magpie1:31D5Starfish-on-the-Toast2:45D6Epistle to Derroll5:44, 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 boss Clive Davis also insisted the albums be split and sold separately in the US (the "Wear Your Love Like Heaven×Wear Your Love Like HeavenDecember 1967 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Wear Your Love Like Heaven2:30A2Mad John’s Escape2:24A3Skip-a-Long Sam2:30A4Sun3:21A5There Was a Time2:06B1Oh Gosh1:52B2Little Boy in Corduroy2:38B3Under the Greenwood Tree2:00B4The Land of Doesn’t Have to Be2:33B5Someone Singing3:09" album cover was photographed at Bodiam 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 an infra-red photograph by Karl Ferris showing Donovan at Bodiam Castle, dressed in a robe, holding flowers and peacock feathers, while the back photo showed him holding hands with Indian guru Maharishi 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 in Rishikesh, a topic discussed in a two-part interview for the first two issues of Rolling Stone.
In late 1967 Donovan contributed two songs to the Ken Loach film Poor Cow. "Be Not Too Hard" was a musical setting of Christopher Logue's poem September Song and was later recorded by such artists as Joan Baez and Shusha Guppy. The title track, originally entitled "Poor Love", was the B-side of his next single, "Jennifer Juniper×Jennifer Juniper20 February 1968 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAJennifer Juniper2:40BPoor Cow2:56", which was inspired by Jenny Boyd, sister of George 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 in transcendental meditation.
In early 1968 he was part of the group that travelled to the ashram of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in Rishikesh. The visit gained worldwide attention thanks to the presence of all four Beatles along with Beach Boys lead singer Mike Love, as well as actress Mia Farrow and her sister Prudence (who inspired Lennon to write "Dear Prudence"). According to a 1968 Paul McCartney interview with Radio Luxembourg, it was during this time that Donovan taught Lennon and McCartney finger-picking guitar styles including the clawhammer, 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".

Donovan's next single, in May 1968, was the psychedelic "Hurdy Gurdy Man×Hurdy Gurdy Man1994 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 18 tracks1Jennifer Juniper1:552Catch The Wind2:383Hurdy Gurdy Man5:554Sunshine Superman3:545Sadness2:476Universal Soldier2:367Cosmic Wheels3:428Atlantis2:439Wear Your Love Like Heaven2:1710To Susan On The Westcoast Waiting1:2611Colours2:1712Young Girl Blues4:5813Young But Growing3:3514Stealing4:0015Sailing Homeward2:5416Love Will Find A Way2:3317Lalena3:0618Make Up Your Mind To Be Happy5:13". The liner notes from EMI's reissues say the song was intended for Mac MacLeod, who had a heavy rock band called Hurdy Gurdy. After hearing MacLeod's version, Donovan considered giving it to Jimi 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. Alternatively, it is credited to Alan Parker.
Donovan credits Page and "Allen Hollsworth" (a misspelling of Allan Holdsworth) as the "guitar wizards" for the song, saying they created "a new kind of metal folk".
Since John Bonham and John Paul Jones also played, Donovan said perhaps the session inspired the formation of Led Zeppelin. 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 like Cream and the 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.
In July 1968, Epic released Donovan in Concert, the recording of his Anaheim concert in September 1967. The cover featured only a painting by Fleur 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×Epistle to Derroll12 July 2021 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Epistle to Derroll Mono Mix5:50", 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×Happiness Runs2005 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Happiness Runs3:30". In the summer of 1968, Donovan worked on a second LP of children's songs, released in 1971 as the double album, HMS Donovan×HMS Donovan1971 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 28 tracks · 2 discsDisc 11The Walrus and the Carpenter8:362Jabberwocky2:373The Seller of Stars2:524Lost Time2:295The Little White Road2:056The Star1:457Coulter's Candy1:448The Road1:089Things to Wear1:0610The Owl and the Pussycat2:2411Homesickness2:3112Fishes in Love1:0413Mr. Wind2:3814Wynken, Blynken and Nod2:38Disc 21Celia of the Seals3:022The Pee Song2:063The Voyage of the Moon5:184The Unicorn0:555Lord of the Dance2:316Little Ben1:447Can Ye Dance1:328In an Old Fashioned Picture Book3:119The Song of the Wandering Aengus3:5610A Funny Man1:5111Lord of the Reedy River2:3812Henry Martin5:0813Queen Mab2:1814La Moora2:21. In September, Epic released a single, "Laléna×LalénaOctober 1968 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksALaléna2:52BAye My Love1:45", a subdued acoustic ballad which reached the low 30s in the US. The album The Hurdy Gurdy Man×The Hurdy Gurdy ManOctober 1968 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracksA1Hurdy Gurdy Man3:17A2Peregrine3:37A3The Entertainment of a Shy Girl1:42A4As I Recall It2:09A5Get Thy Bearings2:50A6Hi It’s Been a Long Time2:35A7West Indian Lady2:18B1Jennifer Juniper2:43B2The River Song2:17B3Tangier4:13B4A Sunny Day1:55B5The Sun Is a Very Magic Fellow2:45B6Teas2:31 followed (not released in the UK), continuing the style of the Mellow Yellow LP, and reached 20 in the US, despite containing two earlier hits, the title track and "Jennifer Juniper".
After another US tour in the autumn he collaborated with Paul McCartney, who was producing Postcard, the debut LP by Welsh singer Mary 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×Atlantis1968 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAAtlantis4:54BTo Susan on the West Coast Waiting", which was released in the UK (with "I Love My Shirt" as the B-side) in late November and reached 23.
Early in 1969, the comedy film If 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 gentle calypso-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 in Martin Scorsese's 1990 film GoodFellas. "Atlantis" was revived in 2000 for an episode of Futurama 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 of Atlanta which featured in the episode.
In March 1969 (too soon to include "Atlantis"), Epic and Pye released Donovan's Greatest Hits, which included four previous singles – "Epistle To Dippy×Epistle to DippyJanuary 1967 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Epistle to Dippy2Preachin' Love", "There is a Mountain", "Jennifer Juniper" and "Laléna", as well as rerecorded versions of "Colours×Colours28 May 1965 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAColoursBTo Sing for You" and "Catch The Wind×Catch the WindFebruary 1988 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 17 tracks1Catch the Wind2:562Josie3:283Jersey Thursday2:154Oh Deed I Do2:085Belated Forgiveness Plea2:576Colours2:467Sunny Goodge Street2:578Ballad of Geraldine4:409Ballad of a Crystal Man3:5110Universal Soldier2:1411Do You Hear Me Now1:4912To Sing for You2:4513Hey Gyp (Dig the Slowness)3:1214Tangerine Puppet1:5215Turquoise3:3216You're Gonna Need Somebody on Your Bond4:0417The Little Tin Soldier2:56" (which had been unavailable to Epic because of Donovan's contractual problems) and stereo versions of "Sunshine Superman×Sunshine Superman26 September 1966 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Sunshine Superman3:05A2Legend of a Girl Child Linda6:36A3Three King Fishers3:07A4Ferris Wheel4:03A5Bert's Blues3:46B1Season of the Witch4:46B2The Trip4:26B3Guinevere3:33B4The Fat Angel4:01B5Celeste4:00" (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)×Barabajagal (Love Is Hot)1969 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksABarabajagal (Love Is Hot)3:30BTrudi2:25" (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 original Jeff Beck Group, featuring Beck on lead guitar, Ronnie Wood on bass, Nicky Hopkins on piano and Micky 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.
On 7 July 1969, Donovan performed at the first show in the second season of free rock concerts in Hyde Park, London, which also featured Blind Faith, Richie Havens, the Edgar Broughton Band and the Third Ear Band. In September 1969, the "Barabajagal×Barabajagal11 August 1969 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Barabajagal3:23A2Superlungs My Supergirl2:42A3Where Is She2:48A4Happiness Runs3:28A5I Love My Shirt3:22B1The Love Song3:17B2To Susan on the West Coast Waiting3:15B3Atlantis5:06B4Trudi2:26B5Pamela Jo4:24" album reached 23 in the US. Only the recent "Barabajagal"/"Trudi" single and "Superlungs My Supergirl" were 1969 recordings; the remaining tracks were from sessions in London in May 1968 and in Los Angeles in November 1968.
In the late 1960s to the early 1970s he lived at Stein, on the Isle of Skye, where he and a group of followers formed a commune and where he was visited by George Harrison. He named his daughter, born 1970, Ione Skye.

1970s: Changes

In late 1969, the relationship with Most ended after an argument over an unidentified recording session in Los Angeles. In the 1995 BBC Radio 2 The 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.

Open Road band

Donovan said he wanted to record with someone else, and he and Most did not work together again until Cosmic Wheels (1973). After the rift, Donovan spent two months writing and recording the album Open Road×Open Road1970 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracksA1Changes2:57A2Song for John2:43A3Curry Land4:39A4Joe Bean's Theme2:53A5People Used To4:09A6Celtic Rock3:37B1Riki Tivi Tavi2:55B2Clara Clairvoyant2:57B3Roots of Oak4:54B4Season of Farewell3:25B5Poke at the Pope2:48B6New Year's Resovolution5:09 as a member of the rock trio Open 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 US, 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 the HMS 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?
Donovan's plan for Open Road was to tour the world for a year, beginning with a boat voyage around the Aegean Sea, documented in the 1970 film There is an Ocean. This was partially on the advice from his management to go into tax 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 the BOAC 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.
The band would continue without Donovan, adding new members, touring and releasing the album Windy Daze in 1971 before disbanding in 1972.

Reunions with Linda Lawrence and Mickie Most

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 album HMS Donovan×HMS Donovan1971 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 28 tracks · 2 discsDisc 11The Walrus and the Carpenter8:362Jabberwocky2:373The Seller of Stars2:524Lost Time2:295The Little White Road2:056The Star1:457Coulter's Candy1:448The Road1:089Things to Wear1:0610The Owl and the Pussycat2:2411Homesickness2:3112Fishes in Love1:0413Mr. Wind2:3814Wynken, Blynken and Nod2:38Disc 21Celia of the Seals3:022The Pee Song2:063The Voyage of the Moon5:184The Unicorn0:555Lord of the Dance2:316Little Ben1:447Can Ye Dance1:328In an Old Fashioned Picture Book3:119The Song of the Wandering Aengus3:5610A Funny Man1:5111Lord of the Reedy River2:3812Henry Martin5:0813Queen Mab2:1814La Moora2:21 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 film The Pied Piper, in the title role, and for Brother 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 LP Cosmic Wheels×Cosmic Wheels1973 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Cosmic Wheels4:10A2Earth Sign Man4:03A3Sleep3:54A4Maria Magenta2:21A5Wild Witch Lady4:36B1The Music Makers4:29B2The Intergalactic Laxative2:53B3I Like You5:23B4Only the Blues3:19B5Appearances3:44, which featured arrangements by Chris Spedding. It was his last chart success, reaching the top 40 in America and Britain. Late in the year, he released Essence To Essence, produced by Andrew Loog Oldham, and a live album recorded and released only in Japan, which featured an extended version of "Hurdy Gurdy Man×Hurdy Gurdy Man1994 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 18 tracks1Jennifer Juniper1:552Catch The Wind2:383Hurdy Gurdy Man5:554Sunshine Superman3:545Sadness2:476Universal Soldier2:367Cosmic Wheels3:428Atlantis2:439Wear Your Love Like Heaven2:1710To Susan On The Westcoast Waiting1:2611Colours2:1712Young Girl Blues4:5813Young But Growing3:3514Stealing4:0015Sailing Homeward2:5416Love Will Find A Way2:3317Lalena3:0618Make Up Your Mind To Be Happy5:13", including an additional verse written by George Harrison in Rishikesh. While recording the album, Alice Cooper invited Donovan to share lead vocals on his song "Billion Dollar Babies".
Cosmic Wheels was followed up by two albums that same year: his second concert album, Live in Japan: Spring Tour 1973×Live in Japan: Spring Tour 19731973 · Album · LiveSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracksA1Hurdy Gurdy Man3:17A2Only the Blues3:20A3Sadness3:04A4A Working Man3:07A5Your Broken Heart3:42A6The Universal Soldier2:48A7The Dignity of Man4:45B1Hey Gyp (Dig the Slowness)2:26B2Tinker Tune2:47B3Living for the Love Light2:53B4Josie3:21B5Sailing Homeward3:23B6The Ferrymans Daughter2:38B7Life Is a Merry Go Round3:52 and the more introspective Essence to Essence×Essence to Essence1973 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracksA1Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth3:29A2Lazy Daze4:44A3Life Goes On2:38A4There Is an Ocean4:50A5Dignity of Man5:20B1Yellow Star3:04B2Divine Daze of Deathless Delight3:12B3Boy for Every Girl4:15B4Saint Valentine’s Angel3:57B5Life Is a Merry-Go-Round4:00B6Sailing Homeward2:59. His last two albums for Epic Records were 7-Tease×7-TeaseNovember 1974 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracksA1Rock And Roll Souljer3:44A2Your Broken Heart3:38A3Salvation Stomp3:13A4The Ordinary Family4:14A5Ride-A-Mile4:48A6Sadness2:38B1Moon Rok2:58B2Love Of My Life4:22B3The Voice Of Protest3:20B4How Silly2:38B5The Great Song Of The Sky2:45B6The Quest3:30 (1974) and Slow Down World×Slow Down World1 May 1976 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1Dark-Eyed Blue Jean Angel3:432Cryin' Shame4:233The Mountain (Derroll Adams)3:254Children of the World3:195My Love Is True (Love Song)3:346A Well Known Has-Been7:077Black Widow5:328Slow Down World4:149Liberation Rag2:50 (1976). In 1977, he opened for Yes on their six-month tour of North America and Europe following the release of Going for the One (1977). The 1978 LP, Donovan was on Most's RAK Records in the UK and on Clive Davis' new Arista Records in the US; it reunited him for the last time with Most and Cameron, but was not well received at the height of the new wave and did not chart.

1980s–1990s

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. In this period, he released the albums Neutronica×Neutronica1980 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracksA1Shipwreck3:27A2Only to Be Expected3:21A3Comin' to You3:28A4No Hunger2:44A5Neutron2:05A6Mee Mee I Love You2:46B1The Heights of Alma3:42B2No Man's Land5:20B3We Are One3:46B4Madrigalinda2:46B5Harmony2:16 (1980), Love Is Only Feeling×Love Is Only FeelingOctober 1981 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Lady of the Flowers3:102Lover O Lover3:533The Actor4:054Half Moon Bay3:555The Hills of Tuscany4:086Lay Down Lassie4:157She4:018Johnny Tuff4:589Love Is Only Feeling3:0410Marjorie Margerine4:01 (1981) and Lady of the Stars×Lady of the StarsJanuary 1984 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Lady of the Stars4:37A2I Love You Baby3:28A3Bye, Bye Girl3:22A4Every Reason3:05A5Season of the Witch5:27B1Boy for Every Girl4:39B2Local Boy Chops Wood3:29B3Sunshine Superman4:06B4Living for the Love Light3:44B5Till I See You Again3:14 (1984), and guest-starred on Stars on Ice, a half-hour variety show on ice produced by CTV in Toronto. There was a respite when he appeared alongside Sting, Phil Collins, Bob Geldof, Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck in the Amnesty International benefit show The Secret Policeman's Other Ball. Accompanied by Danny Thompson, Donovan performed several hits including "Sunshine Superman×Sunshine Superman26 September 1966 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Sunshine Superman3:05A2Legend of a Girl Child Linda6:36A3Three King Fishers3:07A4Ferris Wheel4:03A5Bert's Blues3:46B1Season of the Witch4:46B2The Trip4:26B3Guinevere3:33B4The Fat Angel4:01B5Celeste4:00", "Mellow Yellow×Mellow YellowMarch 1967 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Mellow Yellow3:42A2Writer in the Sun4:28A3Sand and Foam3:17A4The Observation2:21A5Bleak City Woman2:22B1House of Jansch2:42B2Young Girl Blues3:45B3Museum2:54B4Hampstead Incident4:40B5Sunny South Kensington3:48", "Colours×Colours28 May 1965 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAColoursBTo Sing for You", "Universal Soldier×Universal Soldier15 August 1965 · EPSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracksA1Universal Soldier2:11A2The Ballad of a Crystal Man3:50B1Do You Hear Me Now?1:47B2The War Drags On3:39" and "Catch the Wind×Catch the WindFebruary 1988 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 17 tracks1Catch the Wind2:562Josie3:283Jersey Thursday2:154Oh Deed I Do2:085Belated Forgiveness Plea2:576Colours2:467Sunny Goodge Street2:578Ballad of Geraldine4:409Ballad of a Crystal Man3:5110Universal Soldier2:1411Do You Hear Me Now1:4912To Sing for You2:4513Hey Gyp (Dig the Slowness)3:1214Tangerine Puppet1:5215Turquoise3:3216You're Gonna Need Somebody on Your Bond4:0417The Little Tin Soldier2:56". He was also in the performance of Dylan's "I Shall Be Released" for the show's finale. Donovan also appeared at the Glastonbury Festival on 18 June 1989 with the band Ozric Tentacles accompanying him onstage.
In 1990, Donovan released a live album featuring new performances of his classic songs. In 1991, Nettwerk released a tribute album to Donovan, Island of Circles. Sony's double-CD boxed set Troubadour: The Definitive Collection 1964–1976 (1992) continued the restoration of his reputation and was followed by the 1994 release of Four 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 and Def Jam label owner Rick Rubin and recorded the album Sutras×Sutras14 October 1996 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 15 tracks1Please Don't Bend4:142Give It All Up3:103Sleep2:484Everlasting Sea3:345High Your Love2:316The Clear-Browed One3:207The Way2:168Deep Peace3:119Nirvana3:3210Eldorado3:0711Be Mine3:2812Lady of the Lamp3:5313The Evernow4:1014Universe Am I4:4615The Garden2:52 for Rubin's American Recordings label.

2000s

In 2000, Donovan narrated and played himself in the Futurama episode "The Deep South " on 16 April with a parody of the song "Atlantis×Atlantis1968 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAAtlantis4:54BTo Susan on the West Coast Waiting".
A new album, Beat Cafe×Beat Cafe2004 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Love Floats4:192Poorman's Sunshine4:023Beat Cafe4:144Yin My Yang3:365Whirlwind4:476Two Lovers3:427The Question3:078Lord of the Universe4:489Lover o Lover4:5710The Cuckoo3:4911Do Not Go Gentle4:2712Shambhala5:29, on Appleseed Records in 2004, marked a return to the jazzy sound of his 1960s recordings and featured bassist Danny Thompson and drummer Jim Keltner, with production by John Chelew (The Blind Boys of Alabama). At a series of Beat Cafe performances in New York, Richard Barone (The Bongos) joined Donovan to sing and read passages from Allen Ginsberg's Howl.
In May 2004, Donovan played "Sunshine Superman×Sunshine Superman26 September 1966 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Sunshine Superman3:05A2Legend of a Girl Child Linda6:36A3Three King Fishers3:07A4Ferris Wheel4:03A5Bert's Blues3:46B1Season of the Witch4:46B2The Trip4:26B3Guinevere3:33B4The Fat Angel4:01B5Celeste4:00" at the wedding concert for the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Denmark. He released his early demo tapes, Sixty Four and a re-recording of the Brother Sun, Sister Moon soundtrack on iTunes. 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 autobiography The Hurdy Gurdy Man was published. In May/June 2005, Donovan toured the UK (Beat Cafe Tour) and Europe with Tom Mansi on double bass, former Damned drummer Rat Scabies and Flipron keyboard player, Joe Atkinson.
In 2006, Donovan played British festivals and two dates at Camden's The Jazz Cafe, London.
In January 2007, Donovan played at the Kennedy Center, in Washington, D.C.; at Alice Tully Hall, in New York City; and at the Kodak Theatre, in Los Angeles, in conjunction with a presentation by filmmaker David Lynch supporting the David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and world peace. The concert at the Kodak Theatre was filmed by Raven Productions and broadcast on public television as a pledge 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 at Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa, in May 2007, and toured the UK with Lynch in October 2007.
In March 2007, Donovan played two shows at the South by Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas. He had planned a spring 2007 release of an album, along with a UK tour, but the tour was cancelled and the album×The Album2017 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 32 tracks · 2 discsDisc 11Catch the Wind2:562Colours2:483The Ballad of a Crystal Man3:184Belated Forgiveness2:575Boy for Every Girl4:386Oh Deed I Do2:087The War Drags On3:438To Try for the Sun3:419Lady of the Sun3:0710No Man's Land5:2211Season of the Witch5:2512Shipwreck3:2913Only to Be Expected3:2314Every Reason3:0315Till I See You Again3:16Disc 21Atlantis2:522Hurdy Gurdy Man (live)5:003Universal Soldier (live)3:574Mellow Yellow (live)2:515Sunshine Superman (live)3:476Jennifer Juniper (live)2:447Isle of Islay (live)5:098Josie (live)3:409Lalena (live)2:5410Hey Gyp (live)2:2811Madrigalinda2:4812Harmony2:1813Ramblin' Boy2:3414Remember the Alamo3:0615Split Wood, Not Atoms2:4316Catch the Wind (live)3:1817Far Ye Well (a cappella version)1:50 delayed.
In April 2007, Donovan presented a three-part series on Ravi Shankar for BBC Radio 2. In October 2007, he announced plans for the "Invincible Donovan University" focusing on Transcendental Meditation, to be near Glasgow or Edinburgh. In October 2007 the DVD The 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 a BMI Icon at the 2009 annual BMI London Awards. The Icon designation is given to BMI songwriters who have had "a unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers".

2010s–2020s

In October 2010, Donovan released the double album Ritual Groove×Ritual Groove18 October 2010 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 26 tracks1Univerz2:312E-Motion3:593Waves4:294Diggin' The Future Now2:305I'm An American4:046Mistaken Eternity3:077Cherchez L'Erreur3:348Shaman1:419The Mountain3:3210Devil Weed4:4511The Olive Tree4:2412Linda3:1313Local Boy Chops Wood3:3114The Breath4:3315The Illusion5:1416Flame3:2417Refugee of Love5:2818Still Waters3:3819Big Pop Star3:5020Love Seed3:4721Ja Healer3:4322Gentle Heart3:5623Dreams of Love3:2424A Woman's Work4:0925Save the World3:1826The Breath (Reprise)2:40, which he had described as "a soundtrack to a movie not yet made." On 10 May 2021, his 75th birthday, Donovan released the music video for the album's song "I Am the Shaman×I Am the Shaman10 May 2021 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1I Am the Shaman4:22". David Lynch produced the track and directed the video.
In 2012, he released The Sensual Donovan, recorded in 1971 with John Phillips of The Mamas and the Papas, backed by The Crusaders. In 2013, he recorded the album Shadows of Blue×Shadows of Blue9 September 2013 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Blue Jean Angel3:022Ressurect Your Love4:043To Love You3:504River Of Ruin3:475Shadows Of Blue3:416Rock & Roll Gypsy3:147The Loving Of You3:038The Blame Game4:109The Harmonica Girl4:2010The Bungalow3:07 at Treasure Isle Studios in Nashville. The album includes songs he wrote in the 1970s and explores a country style.
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. It features covers by The Flaming Lips, Lissie and Sharon Van Etten.
In 2019, Donovan released Eco-Song, an album of songs with an ecological theme, inspired by Greta Thunberg. He hoped to adapt the album into a rock opera but was unable due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2019, to mark the 50th anniversary of Brian Jones's death, Donovan released a tribute album, Joolz Juke, featuring Jones's grandson (and Donovan's step-grandson), Joolz Jones. In 2021, he released the album Lunarian×Lunarian31 March 2021 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Only You4:322The Language of Love3:163Nature Boy4:174The Olive Tree4:265Still Waters3:406Ressurect your Love4:067Mistaken Eternity3:098To Love You3:549Linda3:1310Listen4:17, dedicated to his wife. The album's song "Still Waters" was recorded decades earlier with Nils Lofgren. 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.
Donovan released the album Gaelia×Gaelia2 December 2022 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube MusicTracklist · 13 tracks1Moon Over Clare2:412Watching the Sun Go Down3:533Glasgow Town3:214The Ferryman’s Daughter3:485The Ghost of Pagan Song8:376Where Are You Now?4:007Living on Love2:318The Lake Isle of Innisfree2:379Madrigalinda2:5610Down by the Harbour4:3911Rock Me4:2712Lover O’ Lover4:5013Awaking Year2:14 in December 2022. The album's singles "Rock Me" and "Lover O' Lover" featured David Gilmour on guitar. Donovan took a hiatus in 2024 to prepare for a 60th anniversary concert series planned for 2025.

Legacy

Bill Pearis of BrooklynVegan said: "Donovan personified the hippy-folk ideal, having spent time meditating with the Maharishi, living on a commune and making some of the era's great music."
In November 2003, the University of Hertfordshire awarded Donovan an honorary Doctor of Letters degree. 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.
On 14 April 2012, Donovan was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Personal life

Donovan had a relationship with American model Enid Karl and they had two children: actor-musician Donovan Leitch in 1967 and actress Ione Skye in 1970. In October 1970, Donovan married Linda Lawrence. They have two children together, Astrella and Oriole; Oriole had a relationship with Shaun Ryder of the Happy Mondays and had a daughter, Coco, with whom Donovan has held joint art and photography exhibitions. Lawrence was the inspiration for "Sunshine Superman×Sunshine Superman26 September 1966 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Sunshine Superman3:05A2Legend of a Girl Child Linda6:36A3Three King Fishers3:07A4Ferris Wheel4:03A5Bert's Blues3:46B1Season of the Witch4:46B2The Trip4:26B3Guinevere3:33B4The Fat Angel4:01B5Celeste4:00".
Donovan is also the adoptive father of Lawrence's and Brian Jones's son, Julian Brian (Jones) Leitch.
In February 2024, Donovan was disqualified from driving for two years and fined €500 for dangerous driving by Skibbereen District Court in Ireland. 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.
Donovan, as of February 2024, lives in Castlemagner, Kanturk in County Cork. He suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and a "restricted lung disease".

Religious beliefs

Donovan identifies as pagan. Raised Protestant, he left the religion after reading Lao Tzu, Zen and Celtic mythology as a teenager. His personal belief system combines Celtic mythology, Buddhism and goddess worship. During a 2022 interview with Variety, he said "[E]very other song of mine celebrates the Goddess. She is Mother 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."

Actor

If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium (1969)
The Pied Piper (1972)
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978)

As himself

A Boy Called Donovan (1966)
Dont Look Back (1967)
"The Deep South", Futurama season 2 episode 12 (2000)

Musical composer

Poor Cow (1967)
Brother Sun, Sister Moon (1972)
The Pied Piper (1972)

Music and documentary DVD

Festival (directed by Murray Lerner, 1967), with footage from the Newport Festival 1963–66. Also with Joan Baez, Bob Dylan and Peter, Paul and Mary
Dont Look Back (documentary film by D. A. Pennebaker, 1967)
There is an Ocean (1970), a documentary of Donovan and Open Road travelling and performing outdoors on several Greek islands.
Isle of Wight festival (1970, featuring "Catch the Wind×Catch the WindFebruary 1988 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 17 tracks1Catch the Wind2:562Josie3:283Jersey Thursday2:154Oh Deed I Do2:085Belated Forgiveness Plea2:576Colours2:467Sunny Goodge Street2:578Ballad of Geraldine4:409Ballad of a Crystal Man3:5110Universal Soldier2:1411Do You Hear Me Now1:4912To Sing for You2:4513Hey Gyp (Dig the Slowness)3:1214Tangerine Puppet1:5215Turquoise3:3216You're Gonna Need Somebody on Your Bond4:0417The Little Tin Soldier2:56")
The Secret Policeman's Other Ball (1981, featuring "Catch the Wind", "Universal Soldier×Universal Soldier15 August 1965 · EPSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracksA1Universal Soldier2:11A2The Ballad of a Crystal Man3:50B1Do You Hear Me Now?1:47B2The War Drags On3:39" and "Colours×Colours28 May 1965 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAColoursBTo Sing for You")
Donovan: The Donovan Concert Live in L.A. 21 January 2007
Sunshine Superman: The Journey of Donovan (2008, documentary directed by Hannes Rossacher)
I Am The Shaman (2021, single produced and directed by David Lynch)

Literary works

Leitch, Donovan, The Hurdy Gurdy Man, Century, an imprint of Random House, London, 2005 (published in the US as The Autobiography of Donovan: The Hurdy Gurdy Man), St. Martin's Press, New York, 2005; ISBN 0-312-35252-2