Theatre Within in association with Music Without Borders presents The 36th Annual John Lennon Tribute. A New York City tradition since 1981, the Tribute joyously celebrates John Lennon’s music, life and timeless message of peace, love and social activism.

 

This year’s Tribute features music icon Donovan, who will receive the 2016 “John Lennon Real Love Award” and play an extended set of John Lennon and Beatles songs, as well as some of his own classic hits. Donovan famously accompanied the Beatles in 1968 on their historic journey to India to study meditation with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

Thank you Mayor Eric Garcetti and Councillor Koretz of City Hall Los Angeles for this singular honor to mark the Fiftieth Birthday of my song SUNSHINE SUPERMAN reaching number one on the Billboard Top 100. A love song for Linda yes, but also when we met we both knew we were on the same journey to raise awareness of a higher consciousness for the future generations. We are still on that journey. Come to my 21 city SUNSHINE SUPERMAN AMERICAN TOUR and share this birthday with me.

 

Donovan

By 1966 Donovan had evolved beyond his initial folk troubadour style and fully embraced the budding “flower power” movement. Finding inspiration in jazz, blues, world music and West Coast U.S. rock, he partnered with top UK producer Mickie Most and arranger John Cameron to capture the sound he was pursuing in his mind. Their first collaboration, the “Sunshine Superman” single, was a smashing success, reaching #1 on the U.S. charts and establishing Donovan as a major pop star. Containing a prominent psychedelic vibe and featuring exotic instrumentation like sitar and tablas, it foreshadowed the Summer of Love zeitgeist by a full year. Recorded at EMI Studios London, it also featured session guitarist and soon-to-be Yardbirds/Led Zeppelin member Jimmy Page.

 

Upon signing with Epic Records in the U.S., Donovan, Most and Cameron traveled to Los Angeles to continue recording at CBS Studios. The subject matter of the songs ran the gamut, reflecting Donovan’s interests and influences. “The Fat Angel,” a tribute to Mama Cass, also name checks The Jefferson Airplane (who returned the favor by covering the song on their live album Bless Its Pointed Little Head). “Bert’s Blues” honors UK folk pioneer Bert Jansch, a major influence on Donovan, Page and many other British guitarists. “The Trip” salutes the L.A. club of the same name and mentions Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, director Federico Fellini and the Buddhist concept of Zen in the lyrics. Elsewhere, the foreboding “Season of the Witch” served as the dark reflection of the cheery “Sunshine Superman” and remains one on Donovan’s most intriguing songs.

 

Sessions for the Epic album, to be titled Sunshine Superman, concluded in May 1966 and it was released in the U.S. in September of that year. Due to a contract dispute with his former label, Pye Records, the album was not released in the UK until 1967, and then in a greatly altered form. The dispute, stemming from Donovan’s move to Epic, delayed the UK release of future recordings as well. This legal wrangling put Donovan in the rare position of a UK artist whose records came out in the U.S. before they appeared in his homeland. This Sundazed reissue has been sourced from the original analog Epic tapes in the rare U.S. MONO mix! Cameron’s arrangements sparkle as the instrument lineup varies from song to song (listen closely for Shawn Phillips on sitar!) as Most’s production expertly frames each track. Above all, Donovan delivers an incredible collection of songs, perfectly preserving a moment in time. It is now yours to enjoy forever.

 

BUY HERE

 

Other albums available on vinyl

 

DONOVAN TEAMS UP WITH DAVID LYNCH TO SUPPORT MEDITATION FOR CHILDREN

DONOVAN, ‘60s legend, icon, poet and one of the world’s most enduring singer songwriters, announced his FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY NORTH AMERICAN TOUR, with dates in September and October 2016. Tickets for the tour will go on sale starting Monday, April 11.

Photo credit: Michael Collopy: Donovan Discs 2016
A percentage of the proceeds from the tour will support the “Donovan Children’s Fund”–a division of the David Lynch Foundation—which will help bring Transcendental Meditation to tens of thousands of at-risk students in underserved schools throughout the United States.
DONOVAN’s 21-city tour will launch with a benefit concert on Tuesday, August 30, in the East Hamptons, at Guild Hall. He will return to New York City on September 15 for a concert at Carnegie Hall (also a 50-year anniversary since his first performance at this iconic theatre).
ASTRELLA INC will present THE SUNSHINE SUPERMAN TOUR.

The 50th Anniversary Tour will honour an artist whose fingerprints can be seen throughout the last half-century of popular music.“I am delighted to be going on tour throughout North America, to thank all who have followed my work from the beginning–and all who have just discovered me now,” DONOVAN says.

Photo credit: Donald Leitch (Donovan Discs 2016)

This year, 2016, celebrates the 50th anniversary of DONOVAN’s hit single “SUNSHINE SUPERMAN” when it reached #1 on The Billboard Charts. The album of the same name is considered a classic masterpiece, described during DONOVAN’s induction into The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2012: “Donovan single-handedly initiated the Psychedelic Revolution with Sunshine Superman.”
Audiences during the tour will be treated to DONOVAN’s history of hits, including “Sunshine Superman,” “Mellow Yellow,” “The Hurdy Gurdy Man,” “Jenifer Juniper” as well as his legendary storytelling and other cult classic songs.
SONY/LEGACY RECORDINGS will present “The Essential Donovan”–a collection of DONOVAN’s hits and other innovative album selections.
Gibson Guitars has created a special “Donovan Model J45 Guitar,” the guitar on which DONOVAN composed, recorded, and performed all his 60s works.
It’s all a long way from that heady 60s decade that birthed him, but 2016 will confirm DONOVAN as much more than a mere heritage act. He embodies the history of British rock and pop. DONOVAN is an institution, and his legacy and influence will ensure that he is part of its future, too.

DONOVAN initial SUNSHINE SUPERMAN TOUR dates are as follows below, with more U.S. dates to be added.

August 30: The Guild Hall (East Hampton, NY)

September 4: Sondheim Center (Fairfield, IA)

September 7: Capitol Theatre (Clearwater, FL)

September 8: Parker Playhouse (Ft. Lauderdale, FL)

September 10: Landmark (Port Washington, NY)

September 11: SOPAC (South Orange, NJ)

September 14: Troy Music Hall (Troy, NY)

September 15: Carnegie Hall (NYC, NY)

September 17: New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall (Boston, MA)

September 20: The Majestic (Dallas, TX)

September 21: Wortham Center’s Cullen Theather (Houston, TX)

September 22: The Tobin Theatre (San Antonio, TX)

September 24: The Paramount (Austin, TX)

September 25:  Boulder Theatre (Boulder, CO)

September 27: The Musical Instrument Museum (Phoenix, AZ)

October 7: The Rose (Pasadena, CA)

October 8: The Saban Theatre (Beverly Hills, CA)

October 12: The Regency Ballroom (San Francisco, CA)

October 13: The Regency Ballroom (San Francisco, CA)

October 15: Neptune (Seattle, WA)

October 16: Neptune (Seattle, WA)

I am delighted to announce, in my RETROSPECTIVE fiftieth Anniversary 2015-2016, my brand new Website and Store (donovan.ie/store/). The Store has all my albums from 1964 onwards plus The Buried Treasures Series, of Un-Released Masters. The Store also has Fun Merchandise, my books of Poetry and Autobiography and Spoken Word recordings are also there. I am especially pleased to announce The Archive Collection coming soon.

Watch this Site for Future Announcements.

Be sure to keep your eye on concerts near you (see CONCERTS and VIP Packages to Meet & Greet me and even have a private lunch with me, portions of the VIP fees go to teaching my students to TM meditate in Scotland).

See you soon at a concert or here on-line!

Again thanks for your support for the Donovan Mission!

Donovan