Linda Lawrence

Linda Lawrence (also called Linda Leitch; born 1947) is a British person. She is the wife, muse[1] and sometimes collaborator of folk-rock star Donovan Leitch. Donovan wrote his US #1/UK #2[2] hit song "Sunshine Superman" for her[3][4] 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."[5]

Not to be confused with Lynda Laurence.
Linda Lawrence with Donovan and Julian, 1970

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[4]

Lawrence's parents were Alec Lawrence, a middle-class contractor,[5] and his wife Violet. She was born Linda Anne Lawrence in 1947 in Windsor, Berkshire.[5]

As a teen, she began a relationship with musician Brian Jones (then 20) and soon 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.[6] 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.[7][8] A few years later, back in England, she reconnected with Donovan (who meantime had had two children – Donovan Leitch and Ione Skye – with Enid Karl, and become a major star) and they were married within a few weeks,[4] on 2 October, 1970.

Marriage, family, and career

Linda Lawrence and Donovan settled in Ireland and raised his stepson, who Donovan and Lawrence later adopted and who changed his name to Julian Leitch (he has used Julian Jones as a stage name).[9] Julian's son (Linda's grandson) Joolz is a musician and has toured with Donovan.[10] Lawrence had two children with Donovan, singer/songwriter[11] and composer[12] Astrella Celeste and Oriole Nebula. Lawrence's granddaughter Coco Sian (daughter of Oriole and Shaun Ryder) is an artist and writer.[1] (Lawrence's stepchildren Donovan Leitch and Ione Skye were raised in America by their mother.)[13]

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,[14] and has on occasion performed on stage with Donovan.[15] She contributed to Brian Jones: Butterfly in the Park, a 2019 book of Michael Cooper's photographs,[16] and was a founding director of Donovan's label, Donovan Discs Limited.[17] 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").[18]

References
  1. Andrea Smith (3 April 2017). "How Donovan and Coco, his granddaughter, caught their wind". Irish Independent. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  2. 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.
  3. Marc Myers (9 April 2017). "The Story Behind Donovan's 'Sunshine Superman'". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  4. Dave Simpson (2 May 2016). "How We Made: Donovan's Sunshine Superman". The Guardian. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  5. Kaitlyn (9 September 2011). "Legend Of A Girl Child Linda". Born Late. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  6. Richard Harrington (6 March 1997). "Donovan, Mellow Fellow". Washington Post. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. "The Rolling Stones Children: Where Are They Now?". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  10. "Dpnovan - When the grandfather with the grandson". Eclipsed. 5 April 2018. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  11. Joe Montague. "Astrealla Celeste". Riveting Riffs. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  12. Linda Lawrence on IMDb
  13. "Donovan's Kid, Ione Skye, Gets Her Feet Wet in River's Edge". People. 3 August 1987. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  14. Zoe Williams (13 April 2020). "Donovan: 'I waited to see if Greta Thunberg's generation would have their own songwriters'". Irish Times. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  15. Kim Stringfellow. "That High Desert Sound". The Mojave Project. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  16. "Butterfly In The Park". Genius Book Publishing. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  17. "Donovan Discs Limited". DueDil. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  18. Leitch, Donovan (2016). The Hurdy Gurdy Man. Donovan Discs Print. p. Dedication. ISBN 978-1-5272-0082-1. Retrieved July 22, 2020.

Linda Lawrence on IMDb

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