From Spirituality Blossoms Change

Donovan is a successful musician with numerous Top-40 hits including “Mellow Yellow,” “Sunshine Superman,” “Epistle to Dippy,” “There is a Mountain,” “Wear Your Love Like Heaven,” “Hurdy Gurdy Man,” Jennifer Juniper, “Laleña,” “Atlantis” and “Riki Tiki Tavi.” He even worked in collaboration with The Beatles to create “Yellow Submarine”.

Donovan’s influence has touched many other successful musicians as well, including John Lennon, George Harrison, Paul McCartney, Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Jimmy Page, and Brian Jones. Much of Donovan’s success was seen during the 1960’s, but in recent years, he has released a new album called “Beat Café”, a boxed set called “Try for the Sun: The Journey of Donovan”, and a book called “The Autobiography of Donovan: The Hurdy Gurdy Man”.

Donovan’s passion for music started very early in life. He was born in Scotland in 1946 to a father who loved poetry. Donovan didn’t learn until later in life that his father was one of only a handful who read poetry to their sons. Even before Donovan was old enough to understand the words and meanings, he was able to appreciate the metered sound of poetry.

As he grew, Donovan’s love of poetry blossomed into music and art as well. To Donovan, music and poetry are, and will always be, sisters. In each, sounds created produce a movement of air that is in rhythmic balance and harmonizes the tribes of the world. When read aloud, even the worst poetry has more flow than the best prose.

Donovan left home at age 15 to hitchhike with Gypsy Dave. They played in local clubs until he was 17 years old. When he returned home, Donovan was approached about recording demos at Tin Pan Alley in London. He knew this was his chance to become a folk singer. It was his chance to protest and sing about civil rights.

Donovan’s life isn’t completely about music. He is also very interested in Transcendental Meditation. He first traveled to India in 1968 to learn about the technique along with The Beatles, Mike Love, and Mia Farrow. Today, Donovan heads up the musical wing of the David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and World Peace.

Donovan started down the path of religion at an early age just as he did with music. As a teenager, he read “On the Road” by Jack Kerouac. Reading about Buddhism and Zen led him to other people and religions including Alan Watts, Christmas Humphries, Suzuki, Taoism, Hinduism, Vedas, and Celtic Mythology. Poetry, art, music, and spirituality have always, and will always rule Donovan’s life.

Donovan had to overcome many, many obstacles to become the successful man he is today. From a shy book-loving boy with a polio limp was born the man who made it his goal to change a generation through song. Lawsuits, arrests, and broken hearts couldn’t keep him down!