John Denver (December 31, 1943 - October 12, 1997), born
Henry John Deutschendorf, was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and sometimes actor.
Career
Denver had a successful singing and songwriting career, and a minor career as an
actor—his most notable film credit being in 1977's Oh, God! opposite George Burns. In 1994 Denver wrote an autobiography entitled Take Me Home. He was born in Roswell, New Mexico, lived most of his adult life in Aspen, Colorado and died off the coast of Monterey, California while piloting a Rutan Long-EZ, an experimental fiberglass airplane. Denver's plane
had the fuel tank selector located behind his seat and it is believed he lost control while trying to engage the secondary fuel
tank.
Denver was recognized not only for his musical ability but also for his humanitarian work. He worked extensively on conservation
projects and helped to create the Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. He also founded his own environmental group
called the Windstar Foundation. Denver had a keen interest in
the causes of and solution to hunger, and visited Africa during the 1980s to witness first-hand the suffering caused by
starvation and also to work with African leaders towards a solution.
After an enjoyable experience as a guest on The Muppet
Show, he recorded two Muppets
television specials: John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together (1979)
and John Denver and the Muppets: Rocky Mountain Holiday (1982).
Defying all conventional labels, John Denver held a singular place in American music: a songwriter whose immensely popular
work was suffused with a deep and abiding kinship with the natural world. Songs such as 'Country Roads', 'Leaving on a Jet
Plane', 'Rocky Mountain High' are popular the world over. His songs are characterised by their sweet melodies, elegant
guitar-strumming and his soulful rendition of the lyrics. He became one of the few western singers widely known in the
non-European world including Africa, India and South-East Asia.
In the months just prior to his death in a plane accident in 1997 at the age of only 53, Denver was filming an episode of the
Nature series, centering on the natural wonders that inspired many of his best-loved songs. The result is a poignant and
melodic film that records his final journeys into the wilderness and contains his last song, "Let this be a voice", composed
while rafting along the Colorado River with his son and young
daughter.
The mass media published inconsistent versions for the cause of the untimely
plane crash. There were multiple, serial causes of the crash. First, it is believed that the aircraft completed takeoff with the
fuel selector set to an empty tank, so that only the small amount of fuel in the fuel lines was available to the engine. Second,
the design of the aircraft is such that the fuel selector is difficult to reach, being behind the left shoulder of the pilot.
Third, on Denver's aircraft, the fuel selector handle had been replaced with a Vise Grips, complicating operation of the
selector further. Finally, due to Denver's preoccupation with the fuel selector, the aircraft entered a stall, and
subsequently, a spin, both conditions of which the Long-EZ is more unforgiving than aircraft of more conventional
design. Although an eyewitness stated that she heard a pop and saw a puff of smoke.
Related artists
Denver started his recording career with the Chad Mitchell Trio; his distinctive voice can be heard where he sings solo on Violets of
Dawn. He recorded three albums with the Mitchell Trio, replacing Chad Mitchell himself as lead singer.
His group Denver, Boise and Johnson released a single before he moved on to a solo career.
Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert appeared as singers and
songwriters on many of Denver's albums up until forming the Starland Vocal Band in 1976. The band's albums
were released on Denver's Windstar label.
Denver's early solo success was largely due to a recording of his Leaving, on a Jet
Plane which was recorded by Peter, Paul and Mary.
It became a number 1 hit for the group.
Denver recorded songs by Tom Paxton, Eric Anderson, David Mallet, and many
others in the folk scene.
Discography
In chronological order, 1969-1991 (U.S. Releases)
RCA Records
- Rhymes & Reasons - 1969 †
- Take Me To Tomorrow - 1970
- Whose Garden Was This? - 1970
- Poems, Prayers, and Promises - 1971 †
- Aerie - 1972
- Rocky Mountain High - 1972 †
- Farewell Andromeda - 1973
- Greatest Hits - 1973 ††
- Back Home Again - 1974
- An Evening with John Denver (live) - 1975
- Windsong - 1975 †
- Rocky Mountain Christmas - 1975
- Spirit - 1976
- Greatest Hits Vol. 2 - 1977
- I Want To Live - 1977
- John Denver (JD) - 1978
- A Christmas Together (with The Muppets) - 1979
- Autograph - 1980
- Some Days Are Diamonds - 1981
- Seasons of the Heart - 1982
- It's About Time - 1983
- Rocky Mountain Holiday (with The Muppets) - 1983
- Greatest Hits Vol. 3 - 1984
- Dreamland Express - 1985
- One World - 1986
Windstar Records
- Higher Ground - 1989
- Earth Songs - 1990
- The Flower That Shattered the Stone - 1990
- Christmas, Like a Lullaby - 1990
- Different Directions - 1991
† Albums widely considered to be among Denver's most important works.
†† The first "Greatest Hits" album is important historically because it contains new, revisionist recordings of
several hit songs. After its release these versions were used for airplay despite differing in subtle but important ways from the
original versions; generally, they are more polished.
Songs of note
- "Annie's Song", written in the 1970s, for his wife Annie.
- "Rocky Mountain High"
- "For Baby"
- "Thank God I'm a Country Boy"
- "Leaving, On a Jet Plane"
- "Take Me Home, Country Roads" - The de facto anthem of West
Virginia, though it has no official status
- "Sunshine On My Shoulders"
- "Calypso" - A musical tribute to Jacques-Yves
Cousteau and his crew
External links
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