“Clapton chose pure blues, and he hated it when the volume went up. He actually said to Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck, ‘You’re too loud!’ Because he’s a purist”: ’60s icon Donovan salutes a golden generation of guitar heroes

Legendary folk singer Donovan knows a thing or two about great guitar players. In the ’60s he had Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck playing on his records. He also witnessed Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton performing at their peak.

Speaking to MusicRadar, Donovan discusses that period and his connection to those groundbreaking musicians.

“I loved Hendrix,” he says. “My friend Gypsy Dave and I were the first ones to say hello to Jimi when Chas Chandler, the bass player of The Animals, flew him in from America.

“And of course The Yardbirds had three super guitar players. One was called Jeff Beck, one was called Jimmy Page, and one was called Eric Clapton."

He continues: “Jimmy Page loved my music from day one. Jimmy was on [Donovan’s 1966 hit] Sunshine Superman, and one time when I visited him at his house in Windsor he showed me an EP of mine that was only released in France, and one of the songs on it was one I'd forgotten I'd written. It was called Every Man Has His Chain. Jimmy showed me that EP and he said, ‘Don, I’ve followed you from day one. I love your music, Don, and I will be there for you whenever you want me.’

“So Jimmy followed the unfolding Donovan story, and it made sense that at one point Jimmy would like his own band.”

When Page formed Led Zeppelin – originally under the name of The New Yardbirds – he enlisted another former session musician, John Paul Jones, who had worked with Donovan.

“JPJ – John Paul Jones – could put arrangements together,” Donovan says. “So Page said him, ‘Will you please join me and help me start a new band?’ These super session guys all wanted to do their own bands, but it’s not easy.

“I mean, who knows what was in Page in JP J’s brains when they were talking to each other about starting a band, but when Page asked JPJ he was begging him – because he knew JPJ was a talent beyond any other talent that anybody knew about.”

Donovan says of the three legendary guitarists who had played in The Yardbirds at various stages: “Clapton chose pure blues, and he hated when the volume went up. He actually said to Jimmy Page and Beck, ‘You're too fucking loud!’ Because he’s a purist.”

He also fondly recalls a connection with another iconic guitar hero – Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple.

“Ritchie called me up and said, ‘We just love your stuff. Do you mind if I record your song? The song was Lalena, which was a ballad, and when Deep Purple recorded it I was so honoured.”