Donovan (born Donovan Philips Leitch (born 10 May 1946) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist. Emerging from the British folk &lt;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folk_music%3E">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folk_music&gt;</a>; &nbsp;scene, he developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz &lt;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jazz%3E">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jazz&gt;</a>; , pop &lt;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popular_music%3E">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popular_music&gt;</a>; , psychedelia &lt;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychedelic_rock%3E">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychedelic_rock&gt;</a>; , and world music &lt;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_music%3E">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_music&gt;</a>; . He currently lives with his family in County Cork &lt;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County_Cork%3E">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County_Cork&gt;</a>; &nbsp;in Ireland.[1] &lt;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donovan#cite_note-0%3E">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donovan#cite_note-0&gt;</a>; <br /><br />Donovan came to fame in the United Kingdom in early 1965 with a series of live performances on the pop TV series, Ready Steady Go! &lt;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ready_Steady_Go%21%3E">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ready_Steady_Go%21&gt;</a>; , and his popularity spread to the US and other countries. After signing with the British label Pye Records &lt;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pye_Records%3E">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pye_Records&gt;</a>; &nbsp;in 1965, he recorded a handful of singles and two albums in the folk music vein. After extricating himself from his original management contract, he began a long and successful collaboration with leading independent record producer Mickie Most &lt;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mickie_Most%3E">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mickie_Most&gt;</a>; , scoring a string of hits in the UK, the US, Australia and other countries. His successful records in the 1960s included the UK hits "Catch the Wind &lt;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catch_the_Wind%3E">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catch_the_Wind&gt;</a>; " and "Colours &lt;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colours_%28Donovan_song%29%3E">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colours_%28Donovan_song%29&gt;</a>; " in 1965, while "Sunshine Superman &lt;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunshine_Superman%3E">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunshine_Superman&gt;</a>; " topped the US Billboard Hot 100 &lt;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_Hot_100%3E">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_Hot_100&gt;</a>; &nbsp;chart the following year, and reached number two in Britain. Donovan was the first artist to be signed to CBS/Epic Records by then-new Administrative Vice President Clive Davis &lt;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clive_Davis%3E">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clive_Davis&gt;</a>; , who later became head of the CBS Record empire.<br /><br />Donovan was one of the leading British recording artists of his day. He produced a series of hit albums and singles between 1965 and 1970.[2] &lt;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donovan#cite_note-pc48-1%3E">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donovan#cite_note-pc48-1&gt;</a>; &nbsp;He became a friend of leading pop musicians including Joan Baez &lt;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_Baez%3E">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_Baez&gt;</a>; , Brian Jones &lt;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Jones%3E">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Jones&gt;</a>; , and The Beatles &lt;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles%3E">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles&gt;</a>; . He influenced both John Lennon &lt;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Lennon%3E">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Lennon&gt;</a>; &nbsp;and Paul McCartney &lt;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_McCartney%3E">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_McCartney&gt;</a>; &nbsp;when he taught them his finger-picking &lt;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finger-picking%3E">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finger-picking&gt;</a>; &nbsp;guitar style in 1968.[3] &lt;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donovan#cite_note-2%3E">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donovan#cite_note-2&gt;</a>; &nbsp;Donovan's commercial fortunes waned after he parted ways with Mickie Most in 1969, and he left the music industry for a time.<br /><br />He continued to perform and record sporadically in the 1970s and 1980s, but gradually fell from favour. His gentle musical style and hippie &lt;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippies%3E">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippies&gt;</a>; &nbsp;image was scorned by critics, especially after the advent of punk rock &lt;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punk_rock%3E">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punk_rock&gt;</a>; . Donovan withdrew from performing and recording several times during his career, but he underwent a revival in the 1990s with the emergence of the rave &lt;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rave%3E">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rave&gt;</a>; &nbsp;scene in Britain. Late in the decade, he recorded the 1996 album Sutras &lt;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sutras_%28album%29%3E">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sutras_%28album%29&gt;</a>; with producer and long-time fan Rick Rubin &lt;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Rubin%3E">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Rubin&gt;</a>; &nbsp;and in 2004 released a new album, Beat Cafe &lt;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beat_Cafe%3E">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beat_Cafe&gt;</a>; . Donovan was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame &lt;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_and_Roll_Hall_of_Fame%3E">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_and_Roll_Hall_of_Fame&gt;</a>; &nbsp;in 2012.