**MEDIA INVITE**MEDIA ALERT**MEDIA INVITE**
CITY OF LOS ANGELES WILL DECLARE SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3 AS
“DONOVAN DAY“
OFFICIAL CEREMONY, PRESS CONFERENCE AND ACOUSTIC PERFORMANCE TOMORROW,
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2
L.A. CITY HALL
John Ferraro Council Chambers
L.A. City Hall, 200 N Spring St., ROOM 340
Los Angeles, CA 90012
10:00 AM
Ceremony Led By Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Koretz,
5th DISTRICT 50TH ANNIVERSARY “SUNSHINE SUPERMAN”NORTH AMERICAN TOUR
TO LAUNCH SUNDAY, SEPT. 4 AND WRAP SATURDAY, OCT. 21
in Los Angeles:
Friday, October 7 Pasadena, CA The Rose
Saturday, October 8 Beverly Hills, CA The Saban Theatre
![]() WHO:
On FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2 at 10:00 AM, DONOVAN—60s legend, icon, poet and one of the world’s most enduring singer songwriters–and the Los Angeles City Council, led by Councilmember Paul Koretz, Fifth District as well as other city leaders, will be on hand for a special press conference, ceremony and brief acoustic performance from DONOVAN to mark the annual declaration of “DONOVAN DAY” at L.A. City Hall in downtown Los Angeles (John Ferraro Council Chambers, L.A. City Hall, 200 N Spring St, Los Angeles, CA 90012).
The City of Los Angeles will officially declare SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3 as “DONOVAN DAY.”
Tonight, Thursday, September 1, DONOVAN will stop by Jimmy Kimmel Live! for a performance. DONOVAN will sit in with Cleo & the Cletones (Jimmy’s house band) and perform classic songs from his legendary canon. Tune-in to Jimmy Kimmel Live! on ABC TV Thursday, September 1 at 11:35pm ET/PT to watch DONOVAN http://abc.go.com/shows/jimmy-kimmel-live.
Historically, SEPTEMBER 3, 2016, marks the actual to-the-date 50-year anniversary of when DONOVAN’s hit single “Sunshine Superman” reached #1 on the Billboard charts in 1966.
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of his landmark 1966 album Sunshine Superman, DONOVANwill launch his “Sunshine Superman’ North American Tour” this fall. In Los Angeles, the tour will stop in Pasadena, CA at The Rose on Friday, October 7 and in Beverly Hills, CA at The Saban Theatre on Saturday, October 8. Presented by ASTRELLA INC, tickets for the 50th Anniversary ‘Sunshine Superman’ North American Tour are on sale nowhere: http://donovan.ie/.
By 1966, DONOVAN had evolved beyond his initial folk troubadour style and fully embraced the budding “flower power” movement. Finding inspiration in jazz, blues, world music and West Coast U.S. rock, he partnered with top UK producer Mickie Most and arranger John Cameron to capture the sound he was pursuing in his mind. Their first collaboration, the “Sunshine Superman” single, was a smashing success, reaching #1 on the U.S. charts and establishing Donovan as a major pop star.
WHAT:
“DONOVAN DAY” Ceremony + acoustic performance + press conference.
WHEN: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2
TIME: 10:00 AM
MEDIA:
Are invited to attend and conduct in-person interviews and arrange photos with DONOVAN and L.A. City councilmembers.
WHERE: L.A. City Hall–John Ferraro Council Chambers, ROOM 340
200 N Spring Street,
Los Angeles, CA 90012
MEDIA RSVP: Libby Coffey/MSO PR 818-380-0400 x224; LCoffey@msopr.com
DONOVAN Photos and Biography:
A selection of vintage images are above and below.
Biography: http://www.donovan.ie/en/biography
Photos credit, Michael Collopy:Donovan Discs 2016:
![]() About DONOVAN’s Sunshine Superman:
By 1966 Donovan had evolved beyond his initial folk troubadour style and fully embraced the budding “flower power” movement. Finding inspiration in jazz, blues, world music and West Coast U.S. rock, he partnered with top UK producer Mickie Most and arranger John Cameron to capture the sound he was pursuing in his mind. Their first collaboration, the “Sunshine Superman” single, was a smashing success, reaching #1 on the U.S. charts and establishing Donovan as a major pop star. Containing a prominent psychedelic vibe and featuring exotic instrumentation like sitar and tablas, it foreshadowed the Summer of Love zeitgeist by a full year. Recorded at EMI Studios London, it also featured session guitarist and soon-to-be Yardbirds/Led Zeppelin member Jimmy Page. Upon signing with Epic Records in the U.S., Donovan, Most and Cameron traveled to Los Angeles to continue recording at CBS Studios. The subject matter of the songs ran the gamut, reflecting Donovan’s interests and influences. “The Fat Angel,” a tribute to Mama Cass, also name checks The Jefferson Airplane (who returned the favor by covering the song on their live album Bless Its Pointed Little Head). “Bert’s Blues” honors UK folk pioneer Bert Jansch, a major influence on Donovan, Jimmy Page and many other British guitarists. “The Trip” salutes the L.A. club of the same name and mentions Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, director Federico Fellini and the Buddhist concept of Zen in the lyrics. Elsewhere, the foreboding “Season of the Witch” served as the dark reflection of the cheery “Sunshine Superman” and remains one of Donovan’s most intriguing songs. Sessions for the Epic album, to be titled Sunshine Superman, concluded in May 1966 and it was released in the U.S. in September of that year. Due to a contract dispute with his former label, Pye Records, the album was not released in the UK until 1967, and then in a greatly altered form. The dispute, stemming from Donovan’s move to Epic, delayed the UK release of future recordings as well. This legal wrangling put Donovan in the rare position of a UK artist whose records came out in the U.S. before they appeared in his homeland. The Sundazed Sunshine Superman reissue has been sourced from the original analog Epic tapes in the rare U.S. MONO mix. Cameron’s arrangements sparkle as the instrument lineup varies from song to song (listen closely for Shawn Phillips on sitar) as Most’s production expertly frames each track. Above all, Donovan delivers an incredible collection of songs, perfectly preserving a moment in time. Sunshine Superman vinyl re-issue is available by Sundazed (here).
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For DONOVAN media inquiries, contact:
818-380-0400 x224
818-380-0400 x222
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