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| Troubadour Donovan Returns to America The legendary folk-rock-pop troubadour Donovan, who first cracked open the American pop charts in 1965 with "Catch The Wind, " is celebrating the 40th anniversary of his musical breakout with a full band tour of select American venues beginning November 19 at the Kent State Folk Festival (the only date performed as an acoustic duo) and making stops in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Detroit and Chicago before winding up in St. Paul on December 14. Donovan's upcoming concert tour coincides with the release of a career- spanning deluxe boxed retrospective, "Try for the Sun: The Journey of Donovan" (in stores now on Epic/Legacy). Spanning his recording career from 1964 to 2004, this 3 CD/1 DVD collection highlights every one of Donovan's 17 U.S. chart singles, rare B sides, previously unreleased studio and live recordings. The bonus DVD "There Is An Ocean, " is a revelatory portrait of Donovan, with never-before-seen live performance footage, in the company of friends and family on a voyage to Greece in 1970. On December 1, Donovan's U.S. fans will also be treated to the publication of his much-anticipated "The Autobiography of Donovan: The Hurdy Gurdy Man" (St. Martin's Press). Interspersed with lyrics, poetry and personal photographs, Donovan's witty and candid writing brings the psychedelic 60's to life with recollections, fantastic reminiscences, and a rainbow cast of counter-cultural characters including the young Jimi Hendrix, Andy Warhol, Joan Baez, Jimmy Page, The Beatles and Bob Dylan among others. Adding to his other creative abilities as singer, songwriter, poet and author, Donovan recently displayed his photographic art when he celebrated his first exhibition of Sapphographs at the prestigious Govinda Gallery in Washington D.C. Donovan's re-emergence into the U.S. is being spearheaded by New York City based Metropolitan Talent and John Scher taking on management representation in conjunction with Clive Black of Blacklist Entertainment in the U.K. Concert booking is handled by Little Big Man Booking. Born in Glasgow, Scotland Donovan began his career as an itinerant folk musician -- creating acoustic hits in 1965 with "Catch The Wind" and "Colours" along with his version of Buffy Sainte-Marie's protest anthem "Universal Soldier" -- before transforming the pop music landscape as a psychedelic rock avatar with a series of wondrous pop masterpieces that continue to be played on radio and television. From 1966 through the 1970's, Donovan scored a string of 11 Top 40 smashes in a row: "Mellow Yellow, " "Sunshine Superman"; "Epistle To Dippy, " "There Is A Mountain, " "Wear Your Love Like Heaven"; "Hurdy Gurdy Man, " "Jennifer Juniper, " "Lalena"; "Atlantis, " "Goo Goo Barabajagal (Love Is Hot), " "To Susan On The West Coast Waiting." He continued to chart with "Riki Tiki Tavi, " "Celia Of The Seals" and "I Like You." The universal appeal of Donovan's songwriting is evident in Madison Avenue's willingness to incorporate his hits in several major campaigns, including The Gap ("Mellow Yellow") Delta Airlines ("Happiness Runs") and, currently, Volvo ("Catch the Wind"). Heralded as both a step forward and a return-to-vintage-form Donovan's last album, 2004's "Beat Cafe, " (Appleseed Records) evoked a bohemian cafe society from smoky jazz-filled Parisian cellars to beat poets in Greenwich Village coffeehouses. "Beat Cafe" was Donovan's first studio effort since 1993's Rick Rubin-produced "Sutras." Lucky fans can catch the Hurdy Gurdy Man on the road with his band; Lisa Mezzacappa (acoustic bass), Eric Garland (drums), Michael Abraham (lead guitar), and Mitch Marcus (keyboard, horns). write your comments about the article :: © 2005 Jazz News :: home page |