The Donovans
Encyclopedia
The Donovans is an Australia
n Aboriginal country band. It comprises the Donovan brothers and Troy Russell. They won a Deadly Award
in 2004.
They are members of a large musical family who were profiled in an episode of ABC's Dynasties television series. The family includes Casey Donovan
, winner of the 2004 Australian Idol
competition and also "Most Promising New Talent in Music" at The Deadlys
.
They are multi-talented, sharing drums as well as lead and rhythm guitar.
in 2004. They were nominated for two awards in 2003.
They have played at the Tamworth Country Music Festival
, the 2004 Survival Concert at La Perouse
and the 2004 Yaban Concert at Redfern
, Sydney
.
The Donovans have played with the likes of Col Hardy, Jimmy Little
, Roger Knox
, Vic Simms
and Troy Cassar Daley.
Michael, Ashley and Merv have recently completed studio work on Changes, a CD they have released with their niece, Emma Donovan.
The Donovan brothers look forward to a line-up of performances prior to the album's release.
Began playing with the Donovans after meeting Michael at Eora College.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n Aboriginal country band. It comprises the Donovan brothers and Troy Russell. They won a Deadly Award
The Deadlys
The Deadlys are an annual celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander achievement in music, sport, entertainment and community. Vibe Australia hosts the awards, which for have been held at the Sydney Opera House since 2001. The first Deadly awards were held in 1995...
in 2004.
They are members of a large musical family who were profiled in an episode of ABC's Dynasties television series. The family includes Casey Donovan
Casey Donovan (singer)
-Australian Idol :Donovan transferred to the Australian Institute of Music in Sydney's Surry Hills in 2004 and it was in this year that her stepfather encouraged her to audition for the second season of Australian Idol...
, winner of the 2004 Australian Idol
Australian Idol
Australian Idol is a Logie Award-winning Australian singing competition, which began its first season on July 2003 and ended its run in November 2009. As part of the Idol franchise, Australian Idol originated from the reality program Pop Idol, which was created by British entertainment executive...
competition and also "Most Promising New Talent in Music" at The Deadlys
The Deadlys
The Deadlys are an annual celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander achievement in music, sport, entertainment and community. Vibe Australia hosts the awards, which for have been held at the Sydney Opera House since 2001. The first Deadly awards were held in 1995...
.
They are multi-talented, sharing drums as well as lead and rhythm guitar.
The Deadlys
The Donovans won the award for Band of the Year at The Deadly AwardsThe Deadlys
The Deadlys are an annual celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander achievement in music, sport, entertainment and community. Vibe Australia hosts the awards, which for have been held at the Sydney Opera House since 2001. The first Deadly awards were held in 1995...
in 2004. They were nominated for two awards in 2003.
They have played at the Tamworth Country Music Festival
Tamworth Country Music Festival
The Tamworth Country Music Festival is an annual music festival held in Tamworth, New South Wales, Australia and is a celebration of Australian country music culture and heritage. The festival lasts for two weeks during late January and during this period the city of Tamworth comes alive, with...
, the 2004 Survival Concert at La Perouse
La Perouse, New South Wales
Lapérouse is a suburb in south-eastern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The suburb of Lapérouse is located about 14 kilometres south-east of the Sydney central business district, in the City of Randwick....
and the 2004 Yaban Concert at Redfern
Redfern, New South Wales
Redfern is an inner-city suburb of Sydney. Redfern is 3 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of the City of Sydney...
, Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
.
Members
- Michael DonovanMichael DonovanMichael David Donovan is a voice actor for many TV shows and anime. He is most known for his voice on the series ReBoot for his voices of Phong, Mike the TV, Cecil, and Al. He has also provided the voice of Sabretooth for X-Men: Evolution and Carnage for Spider-Man Unlimited. He played the lead...
– bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, lead vocalsLead vocalistThe lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the... - Ashley Donovan - rhythm and lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
and backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists... - Merv Donovan – lead guitar and backing vocals
- Troy Russell - drums.
The Donovans have played with the likes of Col Hardy, Jimmy Little
Jimmy Little
Jimmy Little AO , is an Australian Aboriginal musician, singer, songwriter and guitarist, whose career has spanned six decades. For many years he was the only Aboriginal star on the Australian music scene...
, Roger Knox
Roger Knox
Roger Knox is an Australian country singer known as the Black Elvis and the Koori King of Country. He is an Gamilaroi man , was born in Moree and grew up in the Toomelah Aboriginal Mission near Boggabilla near the border between New South Wales and Queensland.In 1980s Knox was in a plane crash that...
, Vic Simms
Vic Simms
William Victor Simms, known as Vic Simms and Vicki Simms, is an Australian singer and song writer. He is from La Perouse, New South Wales and is a Bidjigal man....
and Troy Cassar Daley.
Michael, Ashley and Merv have recently completed studio work on Changes, a CD they have released with their niece, Emma Donovan.
Michael Donovan
- has toured Australia with the legendary Brian Young Show and is the musical director for the Aboriginal Showcase held annually at the Tamworth Country Music FestivalTamworth Country Music FestivalThe Tamworth Country Music Festival is an annual music festival held in Tamworth, New South Wales, Australia and is a celebration of Australian country music culture and heritage. The festival lasts for two weeks during late January and during this period the city of Tamworth comes alive, with...
. - was a member of the band Runaway Train, which was nominated for a Golden GuitarGolden GuitarThe Big Golden Guitar is one of the many "big" attractions that can be found around Australia. Located in Tamworth, New South Wales, the monument is one of the best-known points of interest in New England New South Wales...
in 1998. - released a solo album during 2004
Ashley Donovan
- Completed studio recording on a children's CD Happy To Be Me, by Aunty Wendy's Mob launched on 8 September 2004 at Darlington Primary School.
Merv Donovan
- Participated with Emma Donovan and guitarist Alan MorrisAlan MorrisAlan Morris was an English cricketer. He was a right-handed batsman and a leg-break bowler. He played first-class cricket between 1974 and 1980....
in a series of arts and cultural activities leading up to the 2004 Olympics in Athens.
The Donovan brothers look forward to a line-up of performances prior to the album's release.
Troy Russell
Plays drums and bass. Moved to Dubbo to teach music in 2004. Troy has made an award-winning documentary (The Foundation 1963 - 1975; Chilifilms and Mongreldogs Production; 2002.)Began playing with the Donovans after meeting Michael at Eora College.
External links
- Source: Deadly's nomination The Donovans