Donovan
Sign in to saveDonovan 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 subsequently scored numerous 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.
Person · Open Library
- Born
- 1910
- Works
- 34
Top works
- Number patterns
- Adventures in graphing
- The world of measurement
- Mathmagic With Flexagons
- World of measurement
via Open Library + Wikidata
Film & TV
Acting · Glasgow, Scotland, UK
Donovan Philips Leitch, better known mononymously as Donovan, is a Scottish-born singer, songwriter and guitarist.
Known for
- BP Fallon: Rock'n'Roll Wizard — Self2025
- My Generation — Self (archive footage)2017
- Revolution: The Legacy of the Sixties2017
- The Music of David Lynch — Self2016
- Totally 60s Psychedelic Rock At The BBC — Self2015
- The Genius of Bert Jansch: Folk, Blues & Beyond — Self2014
- Meditation, Creativity, Peace — Self2012
- Acoustic at the BBC — Self2011
- Carnaby Street Undressed — Self2011
- Berlin Live — Self - Performer2011
via TMDB
Listeners · Last.fm
- Listeners
- 1,402,356
- Total plays
- 21,140,344
Tags
folksinger-songwriter60spsychedelicclassic rock
Donovan Philips Leitch (born May 10, 1946 in Maryhill, Lanarkshire), better known as simply Donovan, is a Scottish singer, songwriter, and musician. Originally a '60s folk singer, as the decade progressed Donovan cultivated his own unique eclectic sound, mixing elements of folk, pop, jazz, world music and more, often with a twinge of psychedelia. His most well-known work was suffused with altruistic political overtones, making him an iconic figure of the "flower power" counter-culture of the '60
Key facts
- Person.name
- Donovan
- Person.image
- Donovan 1969.JPG
- Person.caption
- Donovan performing on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in 1969
- Person.birth_name
- Donovan Phillips Leitch
- Person.birth_place
- Maryhill, Glasgow, Scotland
- Person.years_active
- 1964–present
- Person.children
- 5; including Donovan Leitch and Ione Skye
- Person.partner
- Enid Karl (1966–70)
- Musical artist.embed
- yes
via Wikipedia infobox
Key dates
- Born
- 20 May 1946
via Wikidata · CC0
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- human
- Gender
- male
- Citizenship
- United Kingdom
- Place of birth
- Glasgow
- Occupation
- musician
- Languages spoken
- English language
- Native language
- English language
- Notable work
- Catch the Wind
- Field of work
- lyrics
Article
27 sectionsContents
- Early life
- Music career
- 1964–66: Rise to fame
- Donovan and Dylan
- Collaboration with Mickie Most
- ''Sunshine Superman''
- Mellow Yellow
- Arrest
- 1967–69: International success
- 1970s: Changes
- Open Road band
- Reunions with Linda Lawrence and Mickie Most
- 1980s–1990s
- 2000s
- 2010s–2020s
- Legacy
- Personal life
- Religious beliefs
- Discography
- Filmography
- Actor
- As himself
- Musical composer
- Music and documentary DVD
- Literary works
- References
- External links
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 subsequently scored numerous 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", "Colours" and "Universal Soldier", 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" topped America's Billboard 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 compilation ''Donovan's Greatest Hits was released in March 1969 and peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard'' 200.
Gallery (13)
Connections
Categories
1946 births20th-century Buddhists20th-century Scottish male singers20th-century Scottish singer-songwriters21st-century Buddhists21st-century Scottish autobiographers21st-century Scottish male singers21st-century Scottish singer-songwritersBritish fingerstyle guitaristsBritish folk-pop singersBritish folk rock musiciansBritish Invasion artists