Hedge & Donna: Where are they? (2019 Obit: Donna)

Subject: Hedge and Donna - Where are they now ?
From: Wesley S
Date: 18 May 04 - 01:41 PM

Does anyone remember Hedge and Donna ? They later changed their performing names to Capers and Carson. They were active in the late 60's to early 70's - released several fine LP's - recorded some of the early Jackson Browne songs. I was wondering what happened to them ? Are they still active in the music biz ? Selling used cars ? Retired on the hundreds of dollars they acquired during their career ? Just curious. Thanks.

Subject: RE: Hedge and Donna - Where are they now ?
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 19 May 04 - 01:43 AM

I saw them at the Main Point in Bryn Mawr, Pa. (near Philadelphia) in 1970 or 71. After that...nada. A Google search turned up a rambling interview done in 1974 by their former bass player, Arnie Moore, here, in which he talks a bit about Hedge and Donna and why he left them, but doesn't mention what happened to them. The interview has some interesting moments and is a fascinating glimpse back at 1970 seen from the perspective of 1974! He describes Linda Ronstadt thus: "She's a very sweet girl and has a hard time keeping a band."

Sorry, though, Wesley, can't give you any more than that. The hits I found on Google are mostly old concert lineups from their brief heyday.

Aloha,
Mark

Subject: RE: Hedge and Donna - Where are they now ?
From: wysiwyg
Date: 19 May 04 - 09:12 AM

Oh, I liked them! I'd like to know what happened to them, too.

~S~

Subject: RE: Hedge and Donna - Where are they now ?
From: wysiwyg
Date: 19 May 04 - 11:52 PM

CLICK


Also, apparently Hedge did some "acting," starring in and getting really bad reviews for:

Who Fears The Devil? (1972)
(edited and re-released as The Legend of Hillbilly John, 1973)
   
Category: Action/Adventure
Director: John Newland
Cast: Severn Darden, Denver Pyle, Susan Strasberg, Hedge Capers

Summary:
After seeing his kin struck down by evil during a ritual, Hillbilly John vowed to seek out the devil wherever he might hide his wicked countenance. When last seen, Hillbilly John was headed toward Washington, D.C. to take care of all the devils there. Good luck, Hillbilly John.


In other words-- after some serious rehearsal time, Hedge turned into Catspaw and is hiding in plain sight, right here at Mudcat.

~Susan

Subject: RE: Hedge and Donna - Where are they now ?
From: GUEST
Date: 20 May 04 - 04:34 PM

I met Hedge and Donna when I worked on a daily variety show called The Jim Nabors Show in LA around 1978 and they were guests. (JS appeared on that show once; his former manager Cort Casady was a fellow writer on that show, and John sang "July" in a solo performance.)

All of THAT you can believe probably, but the weird part is ... in "Hedge and Donna" ... Donna Capers was "Hedge." And Hedge was "Donna." I know that seems pretty bizarre. Even THEY didn't know what to make of it. And I think they got so confused they broke up.

G.M.

Subject: RE: Hedge and Donna - Where are they now ?
From: GUEST,Tony S.
Date: 19 Feb 05 - 06:18 PM

First saw Hedge and Donna in 1970 at the Golden Bear in Huntington Beach, CA. An old girlfriend was a waitress there and got me backstage to meet them. I've only found old vinyl searching the net. Would love to get a hold of some mp3 files. Thirty-five years later I can still hear their tunes in my head.....

Subject: RE: Hedge and Donna - Where are they now ?
From: GUEST,Fetjet
Date: 08 Mar 05 - 01:34 AM

Tony S: I think I might be able to help you. I went to college with Hedge & Donna and knew them quite well back then. We went to Whittier College together ( along with severka othe rfriends who still regularly see each other). I graduated in 1969 and H edge & Donna were a couple years ahead of me. I have three of their albums (their first one, "2", and "Revolution"). I have digitized these and then converted them into MP3 format. I'm happy to share these with you. If interested, email me at [e-mail]

Tom Dovidio

Subject: RE: Hedge and Donna - Where are they now ?
From: GUEST,Judy
Date: 11 Mar 05 - 01:35 AM

I did a google search awhile ago and found a site that said their son was a musician and that Hedge and Donna had been divorced a long time ago. Hedge was some kind of businessman near San Diego. I will try to find the info and post it here. I've had one of their albums since the 70's and loved it. I checked on eBay a year or two ago and someone had 3 of their albums and I think I was the only bidder. But they look like they have never been played. Now all I have to do is get a record player! Too bad they didn't stick together and find greater popularity. I loved them,

Subject: RE: Hedge and Donna - Where are they now ?
From: GUEST,dondonn
Date: 21 Jul 06 - 03:32 PM

don't know about hedge, but Donna is a lovely person and a wonderful friend..................didn't know them when they sang, but just got one of their vinyls from ebay.
Donna is wonderful and i feel fortunate to call her "my friend"
d

Subject: RE: Hedge and Donna - Where are they now ?
From: GUEST,Guest kjm
Date: 14 Aug 06 - 12:05 AM

Dondonn, if you ever read this post I hope you will share more about your friendship with Donna. Anything you can share about her post-recording life will be greatly appreciated and treasured by her fans, including of course me.

Subject: RE: Hedge and Donna - Where are they now ?
From: GUEST,Yolanda
Date: 24 Aug 06 - 09:02 PM

Ha! You guys made me go look to see which albums I have! I knew Hedge and Donna like most others back in the 60'and 70's I have pictures when Donna was pregnant with Ethan!

I was wondering about them today when I saw something online about Shawn Phillips, and that led me down memory lane....I typed in "Hedge & Donna where are they now" and your posts came up!

I last saw Donna years ago when I went to spend the weekend with her up in Los Angeles, and although we kept in touch for awhile, I lost touch with her and Ethan. Over the years I've thought of her often as her soul was wonderful...I'm sure it still is.....

What feels strange is the fact that I'm now 52 years old, and met them when I was probably about 15 or 16! Where DID the time go???

The albums I have (well that I found upon first look!)are
Hedge & Donna
All The Friendly Colors
Revolution
Hedge & Donna 2
Capers & Carson
New Spirit of Capital ( It had Jamie on it with other artists as well)
Thanks for sharing and allowing me to share!

dondonn, when you see Donna, please tell her Yolanda from Oceanside is still around and thinks of her often...thanks!
Yolanda

Subject: RE: Hedge and Donna - Where are they now ?
From: GUEST,TMAC
Date: 28 Sep 06 - 12:03 AM

I was looking around for Hedge and Donna albums - hoping that someone had the foresight to capture their work on CD, but no luck. I, too, saw them at the Golden Bear in Huntington Beach in 1970. I still sing "Hannah" to myself to this day. I miss their sounds and was glad to find this thread that gave me a little information re their whereabouts

Subject: RE: Hedge and Donna - Where are they now ?
From: GUEST,a librarian and fan from the 70's
Date: 03 Oct 06 - 10:29 PM

see Hedges' bio at

http://www.ssca.com/Vita_hedgescapers.html

note his name is Hedges Capers

Subject: RE: Hedge and Donna - Where are they now ?
From: GUEST,Sharon
Date: 18 Oct 06 - 04:10 PM

I think I was their biggest fan. I transferred all my vinyl to tapes back in the late 80s, with predictable poor results. Also picked up copies at garage sales of some of the same vinyl I already had -- hoping to make it last longer. Sadly, some are badly scratched now. Hannah was also my favorite. It is a beautiful, powerful, soul wrenching song. I will definitely be contacting [e-mail] for some MP3s, although the quality of MP3s is nothing like vinyl IMHO. I have searched for them frequently before, and am so glad to find this thread!!

I wish I could hear them live again!

Sharon

Subject: RE: Hedge and Donna - Where are they now ?
From: GUEST,Guest - Stu
Date: 21 Dec 06 - 08:48 PM

I just played golf with Hedge today in San Diego. Real nice guy and a fine golfer. He got a degree in clinical psychology after 10 years in the music industry and was a clinical psychologist before doing some consulting for businesses.

I just met him today - googled him when I got home. Like I said, nice guy with some good stories to tell.

Subject: RE: Hedge and Donna - Where are they now ?
From: Scrump
Date: 22 Dec 06 - 05:10 AM

Didn't Hedge join U2?

... I'll get me coat.

Subject: RE: Hedge and Donna - Where are they now ?
From: GUEST,Eric
Date: 22 Dec 06 - 02:56 PM

Arnie Moore also played bass for John Stewart and still mails to the John Stewart list; Bloodlines. I think he may be a teacher now. He has some interesting posts and I have to confess I have only heard of Hedge and Donna through Arnie mentioning them on the 'lines - they seem to have been a US only item. I can email the list and ask him to respond to this query on Hedge and Donna if anyone wants, though things will be a little quite over the Christmas period I guess so I may not get a response.

Subject: RE: Hedge and Donna - Where are they now ?
From: GUEST,chris
Date: 28 Dec 06 - 12:20 AM

They were the coolest and helped me get through hard times in the late sixties. I too still hear their music in my head after all these years.

Subject: RE: Hedge and Donna - Where are they now ?
From: GUEST,Diana - guest
Date: 31 Dec 06 - 04:57 PM

I used to go out to this coffee house in La Mesa to listen to them. Dring way cool hot apple cider drinks - smoke strange things in the parking lot, and listen to Hedge and Donna play and sing so sweet. One of my great girlfriends, Gayla, dated Hedge for a long while before he hooked up with Donna Gayla sang too and wrote songs - a couple of hers are on one of the albums. Does anyone know if there is a way to get any of their song for download - ipod or other format? My vinyls are WAY too thrashed from the day - too much fun if you know what I mean. I think I have them all somewhere though!
Diana - reminishing and wishing in some ways it was 1966 again...can you hear me?

Subject: RE: Hedge and Donna - Where are they now ?
From: GUEST,rjtucker
Date: 29 Jan 07 - 03:58 PM

They were a great duet! Jamie is still my favorite song of all times. Their Any Day Now was great, Hannah was one of the best. I have been looking for CDs or downloads for them for years - which is how I ended up on this website. If anyone knows of a source, please post it!

Subject: RE: Hedge and Donna - Where are they now ?
From: GUEST,rjtucker
Date: 15 Feb 07 - 04:53 PM

BTW - Hey Marc, I love your music too!

Subject: RE: Hedge and Donna - Where are they now ?
From: GUEST,DJ
Date: 19 Feb 07 - 11:08 PM

Saw them at the Troubador. I still have "Can you hear me?" running thru my head. I'd like to hear the real thing again.

That night Hedge broke a guitar string, bothered him so much he couldn't finish the song. Hard to think of him as an actor

Subject: RE: Hedge and Donna - Where are they now ?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Feb 07 - 11:51 PM

Now this thread needs to ask "Mark Cohen - Where is he now?" It has been almost exactly one year (Feb. 22) since his last post. I hope he's doing well at the new practice.

SRS

Subject: RE: Hedge and Donna - Where are they now ?
From: GUEST,bridget
Date: 23 Feb 07 - 12:20 PM

still looking for a digitized version of their music - or a CD - any ideas?

Subject: RE: Hedge and Donna - Where are they now ?
From: GUEST
Date: 24 Feb 07 - 04:26 AM

Okay, When I was sharing a house on Ridpath in Laurel Canyon, with Paul Rothchild and Fritz Richmond,who was dating Linda Ronstadt. Hedge and Donna lived up behind us. We could hear them fighting a lot. They had a son together.   Many years later I somehow/somewhere met Hedge and we began to write together. I think I may have looked him up in the phone book. I am a lyricist.

This was around 1976-1978. Hedge was living on Stnaley Hills Drive off Lookout Mountain. We were dating, but everytime I took him anywhere he would collect the phone numbers of any attractive female in the room and I'd find them just leaving his home when i'd show up to work with him on a songthe next day. He was doing trance therapy on the side, and for some reason I believe he had a contract with A&M records as a staff writer.

I tracked him down in the 80s looking for a copy of a song we had worked on together. He had jsut left a very bad marriage ( from his ex wife's point of view) They were living in Santa Monica and he had a couple of kids with her.

After he left her he moved to La Jolla to work in Trance Therapy which he had been doing previously with his father (also named Hedges Capers)

He married a woman named Nancy Locke aka Nancy Hauser who was previously married to Wings Hauser. ( divorced 1999)

They presently live in La Jolla California.

I believe I have 3 Hedge and Donna vinyls I know I have the one with Lace Child on it and Can You Hear Me.

Their albums include:
Hedge & Donna (1960) -
Evolution (1960) -
Hedge & Donna 2
All the Friendly Colours (1969)
Special Circumstances (1970)


I would love to have an MP3 and can make my vinyls available here in So. Cal for someone to transfer them to an cds.

Sharmagne Leland-St. John

Subject: RE: Hedge and Donna - Where are they now ?
From: GUEST
Date: 24 Feb 07 - 10:51 AM

Sorry wanted to clarify. Nancy divorced Wings in '99 not Hedges. As far as I know they are still together.

Subject: RE: Hedge and Donna - Where are they now ?
From: wysiwyg
Date: 24 Feb 07 - 04:58 PM

Dick Greenhaus of CAMSCO records (a Mudcatter) has done re-issues such as Sharmagne describes. I'll send a PM.

Who will make a commitment to a purchase, among us? I don't think small-scale would be a problem.

I'm in.

~Susan

Subject: RE: Hedge and Donna - Where are they now ?
From: GUEST,GUEST
Date: 24 Feb 07 - 10:48 PM

Wow,

I just googled H&D on a lark because my kids wanted me to name a group they'd never heard of before and I've missed hearing their music for 35 years. If their albums are re-issued on CD, I'd certainly buy! and another for the friend who introduced me to them as well.

Jamie

Subject: RE: Hedge and Donna - Where are they now ?
From: GUEST,Donalda Mosby Lovelace
Date: 26 Feb 07 - 10:14 PM

I went to high school with Donna in San Diego. If anyone is in touch with her ask her to email me.

Subject: RE: Hedge and Donna - Where are they now ?
From: GUEST,ginger_gower
Date: 08 Mar 07 - 01:56 PM

I would buy H&D CDs!

Subject: RE: Hedge and Donna - Where are they now ?
From: GUEST,ahimsakid
Date: 15 Mar 07 - 01:57 PM

I would buy a reissue. The lyric still floating in my head and apropos to today: "The crooked king was crawling/His courage left behind/He couldn't keep up with himself/His army won the battle but the enemy was blind/They lost their pride and nothing else."

Subject: RE: Hedge and Donna - Where are they now ?
From: wysiwyg
Date: 15 Mar 07 - 02:50 PM

Are any of those interested in reissues in a position to contact the copyright holders to try to get permission for a reissue?

I should have said earlier, sorry-- I DID NOT mean to suggest that Camsco would, could, or should do anything remotely like bootlegging. I just was hoping, like any other fan, that a deal could be put together that could result in a reissue plan, and it seemed to me that maybe we had enough pieces here to venture in that direction.

~Susan

Subject: RE: Hedge and Donna - Where are they now ?
From: GUEST,Hippups
Date: 20 Mar 07 - 11:17 PM

I have 3 of their albums transferred from vinyl to cd. If anyone is interested, post here.

Subject: RE: Hedge and Donna - Where are they now ?
From: GUEST
Date: 20 Mar 07 - 11:20 PM

Correction: I have 4 albums. Everything except Evolution.

Subject: RE: Hedge and Donna - Where are they now ?
From: mrmoe
Date: 21 Mar 07 - 07:13 AM

Hippups.....I would be VERY interested in your transferred albums

Subject: RE: Hedge and Donna - Where are they now ?
From: GUEST,kmarnyc
Date: 22 Mar 07 - 07:57 PM

I also would be interested in CDs of H&D. Made me "cry" a bit just reading on this list everyone else's comments and memories of the lyrics and the smooth contrast in vocal tones of H&D. I think I was in 10th grade in high school in Detroit area (I'm 53 now); friend of mine had two or three albums of theirs and let me borrow them. Think I must have seen them on the Smothers Brothers or something (there were a lot of great variety shows on regular TV at the time featuring the most challenging bands/vocalists. Pretty amazing, given the drivel that's on now).

Anyway, let us know about CDs if possible.

Subject: RE: Hedge and Donna - Where are they now ?
From: GUEST,GUEST:mhsgbrown
Date: 08 Apr 07 - 04:47 PM

I would be very interested in CD's of Hedge and Donna. I thought I was the only one that couldn't get their music out of my head. None of my current friends has ever heard of them. Anyway, let me know if any cd's or songs become available to buy or download.

Subject: RE: Hedge and Donna - Where are they now ?
From: GUEST,jgh
Date: 17 Apr 07 - 12:39 PM

I found this thread because I, too, am one of those who still dreams of H&D music. I have several badly treated vinyls... would love to get the music on CD!

Hippups - I'd love transferred music until someone finally sees the light and reissues a CD collection.

Hedges Capers, Sr. was actually a quite famous humanist psychologist in the Transactional Analysis field. La Jolla was ground zero for this movement.

From the bio, it sounds like Hedges, Jr. followed in dad's footsteps. Those of us who were part of the humanist psychology movement of the 70's aren't surprised by the description of his behaviors by the GUEST above - not saying the description is true or accurate.

But many of the people in the movement felt that sexual repression was a core source of mental/emotional disfunction - and that the answer to unhealthy dependency was sexual freedom and freedom from jealousy ala'the popular book, Open Marriage.

The experiementation that followed often ended badly - the authors of that famous book later divorced - and many therapists were guilty of crossing what are now clearly defined ethical boundaries. Fritz Perls was a brilliant therapist, the pivotal character in Gestalt therapy, but his "therapy" sessions in hot tubs are legendary. Trance therapy and sexual promiscuity would not have been seen as oddities in this milieu... they would actually have been seen as positives.

I hope Hedges Jr. is one of those that survived the craziness, learned from it, and established a healthy life full of real commitment. I also hope Donna found happiness.

As is the case with one of my other favorite duos from the same era, Ian & Sylvia, I'm sorry about the difficulty of the relationship but that doesn't take away from the beauty of the art they created together.

Subject: RE: Hedge and Donna - Where are they now ?
From: GUEST,jgh
Date: 17 Apr 07 - 12:51 PM

and my favorite H&D song? (Often associated with Richie Havens)

Follow
Jerry Merrick

Let the river rock you like a cradle
Fly to the treetops, child, if you're able
Let your hands tie a knot across the table.
Come and touch the things you cannot feel.

And don't mind me
for I ain't nothin
but a dream

Subject: RE: Hedge and Donna - Where are they now ?
From: GUEST,ric
Date: 24 Apr 07 - 12:51 PM

a friend of mine saw hedge and donna in LA, as some small club, in what turned out to be their final performance. farewell! he talked with them briefly after they finished their set and they told him they were quitting the music biz to begin a marriage counselling practice! perhaps, being an interracial couple, they felt they had some insight into the challenges of marriage? in any case, bizarre as it sounds, that's what THEY said they were going to be doing. this was in the mid 70's. maybe 76-77-78?

i wonder if its true...
ric

Subject: RE: Hedge and Donna - Where are they now ?
From: GUEST,Guest WWB
Date: 02 May 07 - 08:09 PM

I lived next store to Hedges in Monterey in 1963. His dad was the chaplin at th Naval Post Graduate School. We next saw he and Donna in 1969 at the Celler Door in DC.

I woLet the river rock you like a cradle
Fly to the treetops, child, if you're able
Let your hands tie a knot across the table.
Come and touch the things you cannot feel.

And don't mind me
for I ain't nothin
but a dream uld love to get a copy of the song (my brother lost the LP!)

Subject: RE: Hedge and Donna - Where are they now ?
From: GUEST,Clyde
Date: 13 May 07 - 11:00 AM

Have all five of their records and am copying two each per cd still love them after all these years

Subject: RE: Hedge and Donna - Where are they now ?
From: ClydeIII
Date: 13 May 07 - 11:07 AM

Have all five records and am copying them on cd's. Anyone interested let me know. Seems I can get two records per cd. Still love their music after all these years

Subject: RE: Hedge and Donna - Where are they now ?
From: GUEST,Kathy
Date: 13 May 07 - 08:27 PM

My sister had one of their albums back in the mid-70s. We let someone borrow it and never got it back. Thirty years later I still regret the loss. I would love an opportunity to get copies of their music.

Subject: RE: Hedge and Donna - Where are they now ?
From: GUEST,jmad
Date: 15 May 07 - 09:04 PM

ClydeIII,
I am very intrested in getting the lp's on cd, can you help?

Subject: RE: Hedge and Donna - Where are they now ?
From: GUEST,Tom
Date: 19 May 07 - 01:38 PM

Has anyone on this thread obtained any of the digital copies mentioned above. I have made digital copies but alas my LP's (the first 5) have seen some hard days so the quality is poor - hence I am looking for better quality digital than I have.

Cheers.

Subject: RE: Hedge and Donna - Where are they now ?
From: GUEST,Mike
Date: 02 Jun 07 - 02:56 AM

I imprinted on Hedge & Donna 2 in about 8th-9th grade when it was current and my older sister had a borrowed copy. She had seen them at the Main Point, probably the same show or shows as an earlier entry mentioned. The album meant a lot to me and is deep in my psyche. I can still hear "Please Understand Me" in my head, word for word, in it's entirety, and WOULD LOVE ANY WAY TO BUY/DOWNLOAD, etc. THAT ALBUM and check out any of the others. I google them every couple years or so just to check in. Not sure how this link thing works, but if anyone can hook me up with aforementioned digitization(s), please contact me: mike's address

I saw a used vinyl copy of H&D2 for sale on the internet a few years back and didn't move fast enough on it. Drat.

This is a nice thread. Thanks for all the inputs & updates.

Subject: RE: Hedge and Donna - Where are they now ?
From: wysiwyg
Date: 02 Jun 07 - 10:42 AM

Y'all will have to join Mudcat to be able to exchange PMs (personal messages) to get some results on this.

I wish someone would get artist permission to do a re-issue. There is clearly a market for it!

~Susan

Subject: RE: Hedge and Donna - Where are they now ?
From: GUEST,hedgehog2
Date: 08 Jun 07 - 02:37 AM

Hey Clyde III

Subject: RE: Hedge and Donna - Where are they now ?
From: GUEST,hedgehog2
Date: 08 Jun 07 - 02:38 AM

Hey Clyde III:

I'd love to get some burns of the H&D albums.


Lemme know.


Richard