DONOVAN

born May 10, 1946, Glasgow, Scot. in full Donovan Phillip Leitch Scottish singer-songwriter who had consistent commercial success with his playful pop songs in the mid- to late 1960s. Looking and sounding like Bob Dylan, Donovan emerged in 1965 as a folksinger with Catch the Wind. As the musical landscape became more kaleidoscopic, Donovan adapted his approach and helped define the era with odes to the hippie lifestyle such as Sunshine Superman (1966), Mellow Yellow (1967), and Hurdy Gurdy Man (1968). His obscure lyrics, often laced with drug references, were sung in a soft and sometimes soulful voice over melodies influenced by folk, blues, jazz, and Indian music. In the 1970s Donovan recorded several film soundtracks and continued to release albums sporadically through the 1990s.