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submitted: Aug 15th 2008 | by: HealthyWealthynWise | Total views: 2 | Word Count: 477 | |

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," "Lalena," "Atlantis" and "Riki Tiki Tavi." He even worked in collaboration with The Beatles to create "Yellow Submarine".

Donovan's musical style has spread to many other musicians including John Lennon, George Harrison, Paul McCartney, Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Jimmy Page, and Brian Jones. Although most of Donovan's fame came during the 1960's, he has recently released a new album called "Beat Caf", 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 musical passion started in childhood. Born in Scotland in 1946, he was the son of a man who shared his passion for poetry with him. Donovan assumed it was typical for fathers to read poetry aloud to their sons, so he grew to appreciate the effort when he learned that most fathers don't do that.

Growing up, Donovan's love of poetry spread to music and art as well. Donovan believes music and poetry are inseparable sisters, because each uses the production of sound movement to create a rhythmic balance. This balance harmonizes all the tribes of the world, and when read aloud, even the worst poetry flows more easily than the best prose.

At age 15, Donovan left home to hitchhike with Gypsy Dave. They played music where ever they roamed, whether it be beaches, fields, or clubs. When he returned home at 17, Donovan got his shot at becoming the folk singer he dreamed of being. He was asked to record some demos at Tin Pan Alley in London. He knew this was his chance to legally protest and sing songs about civil rights.

Donovan's life isn't all music. Just as with poetry and music, he has a passion for Transcendental Meditation. He went to India for the first time in 1968 to learn about the technique, and was accompanied by The Beatles, Mike Love, and Mia Farrow. Now 40 years later, Donovan is the head of the musical wing of the David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and World Peace.

Donovan started down his religious path almost as early as he did poetry and music. In his teens he read "On the Road" by Jack Kerouac. The influence of Buddhism and Zen led him to learn more about Alan Watts, Christmas Humphries, Suzuki, Taoism, Hinduism, Vedas, and Celtic Mythology. Poetry, art, music, and spirituality are all at the very center of 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!

About the Author

In the 1960's Donovan was a giant folk music icon! Read his experiences and find out what Donovan is doing today to continue his folk music legend.

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