John Denver

During my junior high years, way back in 1974, I fell in love with John Denver and his music. Born Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr., Denver was a country music/folk singer and songwriter, and eventually he became a folk rock musician. He was frequently referred to as a poet laureate, and was actually named Poet Laureate of Colorado in 1977. Denver had a distinctive image: his shaggy blond hair, complemented by bell-bottom jeans and cowboy boots. He was known for the catch phrase "Far out!" which he used in concerts and conversation, his happy, positive image, and his western accent

I think it was the song “Sunshine on My Shoulders” (1973) that finally put Denver on my radar and started lots of “buzz” among my peers. My best friend during that time, Ella Sims, was lucky enough to be able to see John Denver in concert, but I don’t remember if it was 1974 or 75. I can remember sitting home the night of the concert and listening to part of the program as it was simulcast over the radio.

In 1975, Denver was awarded the Country Music Association's Entertainer of the Year award. During this time, Denver became friends with the late Jim Henson and appeared in two Muppets specials. He branched out more into acting with a lead role in 1977’s “Oh God!” with George Burns.

Denver became outspoken in politics in the mid-seventies. In 1976, he campaigned for Jimmy Carter, who became a close friend and ally. Denver was a supporter of the Democratic Party, and a number of charitable causes for the environmental movement, the homeless, the poor, the hungry, and the African AIDS crisis. He founded the charitable Windstar Foundation in 1976 to promote sustainable living.

Denver's first marriage was to Annie Martell and she was the subject of his much-beloved hit "Annie's Song". He and Annie adopted a son (Zachary) and daughter (Anna Kate). Zachary was the subject of "A Baby Just Like You", which included the line ‘Merry Christmas little Zachary’. After his divorce from Annie in 1982, he later married Australian actress Cassandra Delaney in 1988 and they had a daughter named Jesse Belle.

On October 12, 1997, Denver was killed when the Long-EZ aircraft he was piloting crashed just off the coast of California at Pacific Grove, shortly after taking off from the Monterey Peninsula Airport. The Long-EZ is a two-seat experimental aircraft and Denver was the sole occupant of the aircraft. He was a pilot with over 2,700 hours of experience. Denver was cremated with his beloved 1910 Gibson guitar, given to him by his grandmother. He credited this guitar with most of the inspiration he had during his career.

John Denver albums from the 1970s:

“Take Me to Tomorrow” (1970)
“Whose Garden was This?” 1970)
“Poems, Prayers and Promises” (1971)
“Aerie” (1972)
“Rocky Mountain High” (1972)
“Farewell Andromeda” (1973)
“Back Home Again” (1974)
“Windsong” (1975)
“Spirit” (1976)
“I Want to Live” (1977)
“John Denver” (1979)