- Jerry Donahue
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Jerry Donahue 
Jerry Donahue playing his Peavey Omniac JD in 2008Background information Born September 24, 1946
Manhattan, New York City, U.S.Genres Folk rock, electric folk, blues rock, rock, country Occupations Musician, producer Instruments Guitar Associated acts Fotheringay, Fairport Convention, Hellecasters, Gathering - Legends of Folk Rock, The Electric Revelators Website Official Website Notable instruments Fender Telecaster and Stratocaster signature models, Peavey Omniac JD signature model Jerry Donahue (born September 24, 1946, Manhattan, New York City) is an American guitarist and producer primarily known for his work in the British folk rock scene as a member of Fotheringay and Fairport Convention as well as being a member of the rock guitar trio The Hellecasters.
Contents
Biography
Donahue was born in New York, the son of big band saxophonist Sam Donahue and actress Patricia Donahue and grew up in Los Angeles. Encouraged by his parents, Donahue took classical guitar lessons as a child, but it was Gerry McGee (who later joined The Ventures) who made the biggest impression on him, when the 14-year-old Donahue winessed him playing a behind-the-nut bend(!) at a performance at the Sea Witch, emulating Earl Scruggs' banjo technique. Donahue then took lessons from McGee. Regarding regular bends on the fretboard, Donahue cites Amos Garrett as a major influence. Other influences in his formative years were Chet Atkins, Duane Eddy, The Shadows and The Ventures; later influences were Clarence White, Danny Gatton, Albert Lee, Tommy Emmanuel and Robben Ford.[1][2][3]
After moving to England, Donahue soon became a respected member of the developing British folk rock scene. As a band member, he played with Poet And The One Man Band, Fotheringay and Fairport Convention. Later he recorded and/or toured with artists such as Joan Armatrading, Gerry Rafferty, Robert Plant, Elton John, The Proclaimers, Johnny Hallyday, George Harrison, Cliff Richard, Chris Rea, Warren Zevon, Bonnie Raitt, Hank Marvin, Roy Orbison, Nanci Griffith, The Beach Boys and The Yardbirds. In 1990 he founded the guitar trio The Hellecasters with Will Ray and John Jorgenson.[3] They recorded several instrumental albums and frequently toured in the 1990s and early 2000s. Donahue has released instructional videotapes and more recently has produced solo projects including Sandy Denny's Gold Dust (1998) and The Animals' Instinct (2004)[4] as well as finishing the second album by his short-lived Folk rock band Fotheringay in 2008.[5]
Recently, Donahue formed the band Gathering - Legends of Folk Rock with Clive Bunker, Rick Kemp, Ray Jackson, Doug Morter and daughter Kristina Donahue.[6]
2011 sees The Electric Revelators duo Gordon Wride & Simon Gregory teaming up with Jerry, for a UK tour of The Songs Of Robert Johnson in celebration of the king of delta blues birth in 1911.
Style and techniques
Feeling at home in the US as well as in the UK, Donahue musically draws from influences of both countries like Celtic music, rock, blues and country.[2] Technically, Donahue mostly plays in fingerpicking or hybrid picking style with his right hand. However, his left hand technique made him famous among guitar players: Since his first encounter with guitarists Gerry McGee and Amos Garrett as a teenager, Donahue was fascinated by and eventually mastered the technique of string "bending". Telecaster player Danny Gatton praised him as "the string-bending king of the planet".
Equipment
Around 1997, Fender made a Jerry Donahue signature Stratocaster[7] in Japan, but Donahue's style and technique are closely associated with his signature Fender Telecaster (from Japan)[8][9] and the Telecaster in general. His signature Stratocaster was even modified with a metal plate under the bridge pickup to more closely emulate the Telecaster sound. The JD Telecaster is noticeable for replacing the chrome Tele neck pickup with a Strat pickup and the addition of a 5-way switch with custom wiring. More recently (2005) Peavey released the Omniac JD signature guitar.[10][11]
The current guitar bearing the Jerry Donahue name is the Fret King Black Label Jerry Donahue model, designed by Jerry and the world renowned guitar designer, Trev Wilkinson. Guitarist magazine in the UK have given this guitar the coveted Guitarist's Choice award with 4.5 stars out of 5.
Discography
Partial discography only, for a fuller list, refer to the Hellecasters[12] site and Jerry Donahue at Allmusic.[13]
- Fotheringay: Fotheringay (Island 1970)***.
- Fairport Convention: Nine (Island, October 1973)
- Fairport Convention: Rosie (Island, March 1973)
- Fairport Convention: A Moveable Feast (Island, October 1974)
- Fairport Convention: Rising for the Moon (Island, July 1975)
- Jerry Donahue: Telecasting (Spindrift, 1986)
- Jerry Donahue: Meetings (Fun, 1988)
- Jerry Donahue: Neck of the Wood (Cross Three, Road Goes on... 1992)
- Jerry Donahue: Country Tech (CPP, Warner Bros., 1992)
- Jerry Donahue: Telecasting Recast (Pharaoh, 1999)
- Fotheringay: 2 (Fledg'ling, 2008)
References
- ^ Pekka Rintala and Rob Timmons - Jerry Donahue Interview 10/05/2004, N. Hollywood, California, http://www.b-band.com/index.php?page=jerry-donahue, retrieved 2009-04-21
- ^ a b Radio Lancashire - Bend it like Jerry, http://www.bbc.co.uk/lancashire/content/articles/2007/07/26/radio_jerry_donahue_drift_feature.shtml, retrieved 2009-04-21
- ^ a b Dmitry M. Epstein - Interview with Jerry Donahue January 2006, http://dmme.net/interviews/donahue.html, retrieved 2009-04-21
- ^ Rock Artist Management - Animals and Friends - Instinct - Album reviews, http://www.rockartistmanagement.com/page/the_animals_instinct_, retrieved 2009-04-21
- ^ Folk Alley - Fotheringay 2 - The Lost Second Album - Jerry Donahue Interview October 14, 2008, http://www.folkalley.com/archives/001083.php, retrieved 2009-04-21
- ^ Gathering - Legends of Folk Rock website, http://www.myspace.com/thegatheringonline, retrieved 2009-04-21
- ^ Harmony Central - Fender Jerry Donahue Limited Edition Stratocaster, http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Guitar/product/Fender/Jerry+Donahue+Limited+Edition+Stratocaster/10/1, retrieved 2009-05-19
- ^ Harmony Central - Fender Custom Shop Jerry Donahue Tele, http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Guitar/product/Fender/Custom+Shop+Jerry+Donahue+Tele/10/1, retrieved 2009-05-19
- ^ Harmony Central - Fender Jerry Donahue Signature Tele, http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Guitar/product/Fender/Jerry+Donahue+Signature+Tele/10/1, retrieved 2009-05-19
- ^ Harmony Central - Peavey Unveils Jerry Donahue Signature Omniac Guitar, http://namm.harmony-central.com/WNAMM05/article/Peavey/Jerry-Donahue-Omniac.html, retrieved 2009-04-21
- ^ GuitarPlayer - Peavey Omniac USA, http://www.guitarplayer.com/article/peavey-omniac-usa/feb-07/25622, retrieved 2009-04-21
- ^ Hellecasters site
- ^ Jerry Donahue at Allmusic
External links
Fairport Convention Maartin Allcock · Dan Ar Braz · Bob Brady · Roger Burridge · Gerry Conway · Sandy Denny · Jerry Donahue · Judy Dyble · Tom Farnell · Roger Hill · Ashley Hutchings · Martin Lamble · Chris Leslie · Cathy Lesurf · Trevor Lucas · Dave Mattacks · Iain Matthews · Simon Nicol · Dave Pegg · David Rea · Bruce Rowland · Ric Sanders · Dave Swarbrick · Richard Thompson · Paul Warren
Studio albums Fairport Convention (1968) · What We Did on Our Holidays (1969) · Unhalfbricking (1969) · Liege & Lief (1969) · Full House (1970) · Angel Delight (1971) · Babbacombe Lee (1971) · Rosie (1973) · Nine (1973) · Rising for the Moon (1975) · Gottle O'Geer (1976) · The Bonny Bunch of Roses (1977) · Tipplers Tales (1978) · Gladys' Leap (1985) · Expletive Delighted! (1986) · In Real Time: Live '87 (1987) · Red & Gold (1988) · The Five Seasons (1990) · Jewel in the Crown (1995) · Old New Borrowed Blue (1996) · Who Knows Where the Time Goes? (1997) · The Wood and the Wire (2000) · XXXV (2001) · Over the Next Hill (2004) · Sense of Occasion (2007) Festival Bell (2011)
Singles "If I Had a Ribbon Bow" (1968) · "Meet on the Ledge" (1968) · "I'll Keep It with Mine" (1969) · "Si Tu Dois Partir" (1969) · "If (Stomp)" (1970) · "Now Be Thankful" (1970)
Live albums Fairport Live Convention (1974) · Live at the L.A. Troubadour (1977) · Farewell Farewell (1979) · Moat on the Ledge - Live at Broughton Castle (1982) · House Full (1986) · Heyday (1987) · 25th Anniversary Concert (1992) · Cropredy 98 (1999) · The Quiet Joys of Brotherhood (2004) · Journeyman's Grace (2005) · Live at the BBC (2007) · Off the Desk (2008) Off the Desk (2008) Live at Cropredy 08 (2009)
Compilations History of Fairport Convention (1972) · Tour Sampler (1975) · Fairport Chronicles (1976) · The Woodworm Years (1991) · A Chronicle of Sorts 1967 - 1969 · Meet On the Ledge: The Classic Years 1967-1975 · Some of Our Yesterdays · Fairport Convention · Then & Now 1982 - 1996: The Best of Fairport Convention · Rhythm of the Times (2003) Across the Decades (2003)
Box sets The Cropredy Box (1998)Related articlesCategories:- 1946 births
- Living people
- American country guitarists
- Electric folk musicians
- American expatriates in the United Kingdom
- People from Manhattan
- Fairport Convention members
- The Yardbirds members
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