John Denver-Gone, But Not Forgotten

I like John Denver.

OK…… there, I said it.

There was a time that admitting you actually liked John Denver’s music was like admitting you enjoyed opera. Usually met with a “Oh…..that’s nice”, your friends and casual acquaintances would then edge slightly away.

It’s not that I don’t “get it”…..John Denver really wasn’t cool. Never was. With the big glasses and bowl haircut and down vest, he didn’t launch any fashion trends or fuel passion among the fast crowd.

But on this, the 13th anniversary of his death in an ultra light aircraft accident, you have to admit that the man could sing. A crystal clear voice—combined with considerable songwriting talents—and in spite of his persona (or perhaps because of its novelty)—a star was born.

John Denver sounds a tad more show-biz than his given name: Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr, which doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue. Contrary to popular belief, he wasn’t born in the mountains of Colorado or West Virginia, but rather, in Roswell, New Mexico (yes, THAT Roswell) Maybe he was an alien.

The song that put John Denver on the map was “Take Me Home, Country Roads” in 1971. That song made it to #2 on the Billboard charts. He was really no stranger to hits by then, though—as the songwriter for “Leaving On A Jet Plane”, a #1 smash for Peter, Paul and Mary in 1969.

Here’s a video of that first hit of John’s, set to some beautiful scenery from the state of West Virginia—which, as you know from the song is “almost heaven”---enjoy:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k49paH8plfY

The 70’s were good to Denver, who recorded more Top 10 hits, including “Sunshine On My Shoulders”, “Annie’s Song” and “Thank God I’m A Country Boy”. He released 11 albums that went platinum, making him one of the most successful artists of the 70’s.

And who knew he could act? Jumping into TV and film, his most memorable roles were opposite George Burns in the “Oh, God!” series of movies.

By the 1990’s, his commercial popularity had waned, although Denver still performed live regularly. Along the way, he also became an accomplished pilot, with more than 2,700 hours on single and multi-engine aircraft. However, on this day in 1997, he was at the helm of an ultra-light aircraft with which he was not familiar. He lost control over Monterey Bay and lost his life.

A singer, songwriter, actor and political activist, John Denver sold more than 32 MILLION albums in the United States alone.

Maybe I wasn’t the ONLY one who liked him after all.

If you’d like my bog in your box, just let me know: tim.moore@citcomm.com