Linda Lawrence

Last updated
Linda Lawrence
DONOVAN+Family 1970 BathFestival.jpeg
Linda Lawrence with Donovan
and Julian, 1970
Born
Linda Anne Lawrence

1947 (age 76–77) [1]
Windsor, Berkshire, England
Notable workEco-Song (2019 album)
Spouse Donovan Phillips Leitch (m.1970)
Partner Brian Jones (met 1962) [1]
ChildrenJulian Brian Lawrence (b.1964)
Astrella Celeste
Oriole Nebula
Donovan Jerome Leitch (stepson)
Ione Skye (stepdaughter)
Parents
  • Stewart "Alec" Lawrence (father)
  • Violet (mother)
RelativesJoolz (grandson)
Coco Sian (granddaughter)

Linda Anne Lawrence (also called Linda Leitch; born Windsor 1947) [2] is the British wife, muse [3] and sometimes collaborator of folk-rock star Donovan (Donovan Phillips Leitch). Donovan wrote his US #1/UK #2 [4] hit song "Sunshine Superman" for her [5] [6] as well as "Legend of a Girl Child Linda". And according to Donovan, "Linda's in all the songs. 'Sunshine Superman,' 'Hampstead Incident,' 'Young Girl Blues'... Linda's the muse." [7]

Contents

Early life

I wrote 'Sunshine Superman' knowing she’d hear the lyrics [in LA] and realise I still loved her. I sang: 'It’ll take time, I know it, but in a while / You’re gonna be mine, I know it / We’ll do it in style'.

— Donovan, 2016 Guardian interview [6]

Lawrence's parents were Stewart "Alec" Lawrence,[ citation needed ] a middle-class contractor, [7] and his wife Violet.[ citation needed ] She was born Linda Anne Lawrence in 1946 in Windsor, Berkshire. [2]

In January 1963 she began a relationship with musician Brian Jones and had a child by him, Julian Brian Lawrence (born 23 July 1964). Lawrence and Jones broke up, and shortly after she met Donovan in the green room at Ready Steady Go! . Donovan fell in love, they spent time together, and he asked Linda to marry him. [8] But, beset by the stresses of teenage motherhood, the rock scene, and her breakup with Jones, Lawrence went to southern California, where she had a brief affair with Gram Parsons. [9] [10] A few years later, back in England, she reconnected with Donovan (who meantime had had two children – Donovan Jerome Leitch and Ione Skye – with Enid Karl, and become a major star) and they were married within a few weeks, [6] on 2 October 1970.

Marriage, family, and career

Linda Lawrence and Donovan settled in Ireland and raised her son Julian, who Donovan later adopted and who changed his name to Julian Leitch (he has used Julian Jones as a stage name). [11] Julian's son (Linda's grandson) Joolz is a musician and has toured with Donovan. [12] Lawrence also had two children with Donovan, singer/songwriter [13] and composer [14] Astrella Celeste and Oriole Nebula. Lawrence's granddaughter Coco Sian (daughter of Oriole and Shaun Ryder) is an artist and writer. [3] (Lawrence's stepchildren Donovan Jerome Leitch and Ione Skye were raised in America by their mother.) [15]

Lawrence has appeared in three documentary films: You Are What You Eat (1968), Let It Bleed: 40 Years of the Rolling Stones (2002), and Sunshine Superman: The Journey of Donovan (2008). She is co-credited on the 2019 album Eco-Song, which is ascribed to "Donovan & Linda" and dedicated to Greta Thunberg, [16] and has on occasion performed on stage with Donovan. [17] She contributed to Brian Jones: Butterfly in the Park, a 2019 book of Michael Cooper's photographs, [18] and was a founding director of Donovan's label, Donovan Discs Limited. [19] Donovan dedicated his 2016 autobiography The Hurdy Gurdy Man "To She..." ("She, my muse and only wife Linda Anne, without whom this book would never have been written"). [20]

On 16 October 2020, at Oakley Court, Lawrence publicly unveiled her book Luna Love, an illustrated memoir published in a limited edition of 300 copies. [21]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donovan</span> Scottish musician (born 1946)

Donovan Phillips Leitch, known mononymously as Donovan, is a Scottish musician, songwriter and record producer. He emerged from the British folk scene in early 1965, and subsequently scored multiple international hit singles and albums during the late 1960s. His work became emblematic of the flower power era with its blend of folk, pop, psychedelic rock, and jazz stylings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ione Skye</span> British-American actress (born 1970)

Ione Skye Lee is a British-American actress and the daughter of singer Donovan. She made her film debut in the thriller River's Edge (1986) before gaining mainstream exposure for her starring role in Cameron Crowe's Say Anything... (1989). She continued to appear in films throughout the 1990s, with notable roles in Gas Food Lodging (1992), Wayne's World (1992) and One Night Stand (1997).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donovan Leitch (actor)</span> English-American actor, singer (b. 1967)

Donovan Jerome Leitch is an English-born American actor, singer and former model. He is the son of the singer-songwriter Donovan and the brother of actress Ione Skye. He was a member of the hard rock band Camp Freddy, and was a founding member of neo-glam group Nancy Boy along with Jason Nesmith, the son of Michael Nesmith of The Monkees. As an actor, he is best known for portraying Paul Taylor in the 1988 remake of The Blob.

<i>Island of Circles</i> 1992 studio album by Various artists

Island of Circles is a tribute album to singer-songwriter Donovan that was released on June 26, 1992, by Nettwerk. The title song "Island of Circles" is provided by Donovan himself. Along with Donovan's contemporaneous box set collection Troubadour: The Definitive Collection 1964–1976, the album contributed to a resurgence of interest in Donovan's music in the early 1990s, after he had been deemed unfashionable and out of step with changing musical tastes in the 1970s.

<i>Sunshine Superman</i> (album) 1966 studio album by Donovan

Sunshine Superman is the third studio album by Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. It was released in the United States on August 26, 1966, but was not released in the UK because of a contractual dispute. In June 1967, a compilation of tracks from this album and the follow-up Mellow Yellow was released as Sunshine Superman in the UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mellow Yellow</span> 1966 single by Donovan

"Mellow Yellow" is a song written and recorded by Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. Released in the US in 1966, it reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Outside the US, "Mellow Yellow" peaked at No. 8 in the UK in early 1967.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mac MacLeod</span> British musician

Keith MacLeod, was an English musician who was a part of the Hertfordshire folk and blues scene from 1959 onwards. He played in St Albans alongside Mick Softley and Maddy Prior and toured with John Renbourn. Influences include Softley, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Derroll Adams, Jesse Fuller, Big Bill Broonzy, Snooks Eaglin, Reverend Gary Davis and Davey Graham.

<i>Mellow Yellow</i> (album) 1967 studio album by Donovan

Mellow Yellow is the fourth album from Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. It was released in the US in February 1967 (Epic Records LN 24239 / BN 26239, but not released in the UK because of a continuing contractual dispute that also prevented Sunshine Superman from a UK release. In June 1967, a cross-section of both albums was released as Sunshine Superman in the UK. "Mellow Yellow" was the name of Donovan's hit single released the previous November.

<i>The Hurdy Gurdy Man</i> 1968 studio album by Donovan

The Hurdy Gurdy Man is the sixth studio album by Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. It was released in the US in October 1968 on Epic Records, but not in the UK due to a continuing contractual dispute that also prevented Sunshine Superman (1966) and Mellow Yellow (1967) from being released there. A songbook of lead sheets to the album was nonetheless issued in both countries.

<i>Donovans Greatest Hits</i> 1969 greatest hits album by Donovan

Donovan's Greatest Hits is the first greatest hits album from Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. It was released in the United States in January 1969 on Epic Records and in the United Kingdom in March 1969 on Pye Records. Donovan's Greatest Hits peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200, and has been certified platinum by the RIAA.

<i>Barabajagal</i> 1969 studio album by Donovan

Barabajagal is the seventh studio album and eighth album overall from British singer-songwriter Donovan. It was released by Epic Records in the United States on 11 August 1969, but was not released in the United Kingdom because of a continuing contractual dispute that also prevented Sunshine Superman, Mellow Yellow, and The Hurdy Gurdy Man from being released in the UK.

<i>HMS Donovan</i> (album) 1971 studio album by Donovan

HMS Donovan is the ninth studio album, and tenth album overall, from Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. It marks the second album of Donovan's children's music, after the For Little Ones portion of A Gift from a Flower to a Garden. HMS Donovan is the second double album of Donovan's career, and was released in the UK only, in July 1971.

<i>Lady of the Stars</i> 1984 studio album by Donovan

Lady of the Stars is the seventeenth studio album, and nineteenth album overall, by the Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. It was released in the UK in 1983 and the US in January 1984.

Helen Mary "Jenny" Boyd is an English former model, the younger sister of 1960s model and photographer Pattie Boyd. She quit her modelling career in the 1960s after discovering Transcendental Meditation, stating that modelling was "a waste of her time". She later managed an addiction treatment centre and wrote two books.

"Barabajagal" is a song by British singer/songwriter Donovan Leitch, released by Donovan in 1969. It was later used as title track to the album Barabajagal. The instrumental backing is provided by The Jeff Beck Group, with backing vocals by Lesley Duncan, Suzi Quatro and Madeline Bell.

<i>The Collection</i> (Donovan album) 1990 compilation album by Donovan

The Collection is a compilation album from Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. It was released in the United Kingdom in December 1990 and in the United States on 1 July 1992.

<i>Sunshine Superman: The Very Best of Donovan</i> 2002 greatest hits album by Donovan

Sunshine Superman: The Very Best of Donovan is a compilation album from Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. It was released on 8 October 2002.

<i>Try for the Sun: The Journey of Donovan</i> 2005 compilation album by Donovan

Try for the Sun: The Journey of Donovan is the second CD boxed set from Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. It was released on 13 September 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hurdy Gurdy Man</span> 1968 single by Donovan

"Hurdy Gurdy Man" is a song by the Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. It was recorded in April 1968 and released the following month as a single. The song gave its name to the album The Hurdy Gurdy Man, which was released in October of that year in the United States. The single reached number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. and number 4 on the UK Singles Chart.

"Season of the Witch" is a song by Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan released in August 1966 on his third studio album, Sunshine Superman. The song is credited to Donovan, although sometime collaborator Shawn Phillips has also claimed authorship. Because of a dispute with Donovan's record company, a UK edition with the song was not released until June 1967.

References

  1. 1 2 "Linda Lawrence was born in 1947 ..." Brian Jones–Rolling Stones. Facebook . Retrieved 16 May 2023.
  2. 1 2 "Home". bmd.org.uk.
  3. 1 2 Smith, Andrea (3 April 2017). "How Donovan and Coco, his granddaughter, caught their wind". Irish Independent . Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  4. ↑ Gilliland, John (1969). "Show 48 - The British are Coming! The British are Coming!: With an emphasis on Donovan, the Bee Gees and the Who. [Part 5]" (audio). Pop Chronicles . University of North Texas Libraries.
  5. ↑ Myers, Marc (9 April 2017). "The Story Behind Donovan's 'Sunshine Superman'". The Wall Street Journal . Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  6. 1 2 3 Simpson, Dave (2 May 2016). "How We Made: Donovan's Sunshine Superman". The Guardian . Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  7. 1 2 Kaitlyn (9 September 2011). "Legend Of A Girl Child Linda". Born Late. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  8. ↑ Harrington, Richard (6 March 1997). "Donovan, Mellow Fellow". The Washington Post . Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  9. ↑ Fong-Torres, Ben (1998). Hickory Wind: The Life and Times of Gram Parsons. St. Martin's Griffin. p. 160. ISBN   978-0312194642 . Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  10. ↑ Meyer, David (2008). Twenty Thousand Roads: The Ballad of Gram Parsons and His Cosmic American Music. Villard. p. 302. ISBN   978-0345503367 . Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  11. ↑ "The Rolling Stones Children: Where Are They Now?". Rolling Stone . Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  12. ↑ "Dpnovan - When the grandfather with the grandson". Eclipsed. 5 April 2018. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  13. ↑ Montague, Joe. "Astrealla Celeste". Riveting Riffs. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  14. ↑ Linda Lawrence at IMDb
  15. ↑ "Donovan's Kid, Ione Skye, Gets Her Feet Wet in River's Edge". People. 3 August 1987. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  16. ↑ Williams, Zoe (13 April 2020). "Donovan: 'I waited to see if Greta Thunberg's generation would have their own songwriters'". The Irish Times . Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  17. ↑ Stringfellow, Kim. "That High Desert Sound". The Mojave Project. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  18. ↑ "Butterfly In The Park". Genius Book Publishing. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  19. ↑ "Donovan Discs Limited". DueDil. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  20. ↑ Leitch, Donovan (2016). The Hurdy Gurdy Man. Donovan Discs Print. p. Dedication. ISBN   978-1-5272-0082-1 . Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  21. ↑ "The Unveiling of the Empowering New Book Luna Love by Linda Lawrence". Donovan official website. 2020. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
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