Photograph's Courtesy of Douglas MacDonald. The Irish World
Back in the sixties Donovan was a superstar with his
own blend of hits such as Mellow Yellow, Sunshine Superman, Catch
the Wind etc-from folksinger to flower-child to timeless musical poet
his distinctive,magical songs have become familiar to decades of musical
fans.So it was with great anticipation that fans flocked to the Derby
Assembly Rooms to meet their hero on his national tour.
It is aptly named The Beat Cafe tour for throughout the evening he
takes the audience on a journey through his musical career and the
various influences and events that have created the inspiration for
his songs.
During the first half he plays alone with his acoustic guitar while
in the second he is joined by his four piece backing band.
Click on photo for bigger view
The concert opens with a twenty minute spot from a
young girl singer called Astrella Celeste who is actually Donovan's
daughter and she has a singing style quite similar.
Among the audience I met Valerie Abbar who had travelled all the way
from London and Rhiana Morgan from Derby who told me that Donovan's
songs had supported her through a serious illness-she was thrilled to
be actually meeting him in person.
Donovan himself told me that although he was born in Glasgow he was
from Irish roots and that indeed he so loved Ireland that he in fact
now lives there-in Mallow-co Cork.
He finishes the tour at Southend on the 11th of June after 27 consecutive
venues and after a short break he is off to the United States.
The new cd Beat Cafe was released in 2004 and he has new book this autumn
called Hurdy Gurdy Man which reveals quite candidly his musical experiences.
The members of Donovan's excellent band are Joe Atkinson [keyboards]
Chris Miller [drums] Tom Mason [ double bass] and Stuart Lawrence [bongo
drums]
