Interview with a Hurdy Gurdy Man
Singer Donovan Leitch is known best by his first name. Donovan grew up in Glasgow, Scotland, before moving to the United States, where he became part of the groovy San Francisco scene in the late 1960s.
Donovan had a string of hits in the mid-1960s, including "Mellow Yellow" and "Sunshine Superman." He sat with the Beatles at the feet of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and is often credited with coining the term "Flower Power."
In this NPR interview by Terry Gross, the musical icon opens up about his sometimes strange and difficult journey as a '60s pop star and plays a live version of "Hurdy Gurdy Man" and a snippet from "Season of the Witch."
You also are treated to cuts from "Mellow Yellow" and other songs, including a Dylanesque early recording.
