John Denver (December 31, 1943–October 12, 1997), born Henry John 
Deutschendorf, Jr., in Roswell, New Mexico, was an American country 
music/folk singer-songwriter who wrote environmentally conscious music that 
established him among the most beloved entertainers of his era. Wholesome 
and clean-cut, his appeal extended to fans of all ages and backgrounds. He 
was one of the most popular acoustic artists of the 1970s in terms of record 
sales, recording and releasing around 300 songs, of which about 200 were 
composed by him. Songs such as "Leaving on a Jet Plane" (1967), "Take Me 
Home, Country Roads" (1971), "Rocky Mountain High" (1972), "Sunshine on My 
Shoulders" (1973), "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" (1974), "Annie's Song" 
(1974), and "Calypso" (1975) are popular worldwide. 

Son of Erma Louise Swope and Henry John Deutschendorf, Sr., an Air Force 
officer and flight instructor of German ancestry, Denver described his life 
in his autobiography, Take Me Home, as the eldest son of a family shaped by 
a stern father who could never show his love for his children. Denver's 
mother's family was Scots-Irish and German Catholic and it was they who 
imbued Denver with a love of music.

Since Denver's father was in the military, the family moved often, making it 
hard for young John to make friends and fit in with people his own age.  
Constantly being the new kid was hard for the introverted youngster, and he 
grew up always feeling as if he should be somewhere else but never knowing 
where that "right" place was. Denver was happier in Tucson, Arizona, than 
anywhere else; but his father was transferred to Montgomery, Alabama, in the 
midst of the Montgomery boycotts. John Denver saw Alabama as a place of 
hatred and mistrust, and he wanted no part of it. It was in Montgomery, 
however, that he discovered that music was a way to make friends. When 
he sang and played his guitar, others paid attention to him. 

At the age of 12, Denver received a 1910 Gibson acoustic jazz guitar from his 
maternal grandmother, learning to play well enough to perform at local clubs by 
the time he was in college. He adopted the surname "Denver" after the capital 
of his favorite state, when Randy Sparks suggested that Deutschendorf 
(translated, German village) wouldn't fit comfortably on a marquee. 

He dropped out of the School of Engineering (Architecture) at Texas 
Technological College (now Texas Tech University) in Lubbock, Texas, 
in 1964, and moved to Los Angeles, California. Denver sang in the smoky 
underground folk clubs in Los Angeles, and in 1965 joined the Chad Mitchell 
Trio, a folk group that had been renamed "Denver, Boise, and Johnson" 
(John Denver, David Boise and Michael Johnson) after Mitchell departed.

In 1969, Denver abandoned the band life to pursue a solo career, and 
released his first album for RCA Records, Rhymes and Reasons. It was not a 
huge hit, but it contained "Leaving on a Jet Plane," which he wrote and was 
recorded by Peter, Paul and Mary. It hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Although RCA did not actively promote the album with a tour, Denver himself 
embarked on an impromptu supporting tour throughout the Midwest, stopping at 
various towns and cities, offering to play free concerts at local venues. 

When he was successful in convincing a school, college, American Legion Hall 
or local coffeehouse to let him play, he would spend a day or so putting up 
posters in the town, and could usually be counted to show up at the local 
radio station, guitar in hand, offering himself for an interview. With the 
foot in the door of having authored "Leaving on a Jet Plane," he was quite 
often successful in gaining some valuable promotional airtime, usually 
featuring one or two songs performed live. 

Some venues would let him play for the night's receipts; others restricted 
him to selling copies of the album at intermission and after the show. After 
several months of this constant low-key touring schedule however, he had 
sold enough albums to convince RCA to take a chance on extending his 
recording contract. More importantly however, he had built a sizable and 
solid fan base, many of whom remained loyal throughout his career.

Key to Denver's success was his many appearances on television. In the 
pre-MTV era of the 1970s, with his long blond hair, embroidered shirts 
emblazoned with images commonly associated with the American West (created 
by designer & appliqué artist Anna Zapp), affable manner and "granny" 
glasses, Denver became one of the first truly telegenic pop stars. His 
manager, Jerry Weintraub, insisted on these appearances (including a series 
of half-hour shows in England. 

Among one of his first appearances in the US was a spot filling in for Johnny 
Carson on The Tonight Show. During the show, Denver uttered the phrase, "Far out!" 
at least twenty times, thus ensuring the exclamation would become a sort of 
catchphrase forever associated with his name. After appearing as a guest on many 
shows, Denver went on to host his own variety/music specials, including several 
world-televised concerts from Red Rocks Amphitheatre near Denver. His seasonal 
special, Rocky Mountain Christmas, was watched by over 60 million people, and 
was the highest rated show for the ABC network at that time. His live concert 
special, An Evening with John Denver, won the Emmy for Best Variety or 
Musical Special in the same year.

Denver was also a guest star on The Muppet Show, the beginning of a life-long 
friendship between Denver and Jim Henson that spawned two television specials 
with The Muppets. He also tried his hand at acting, starring in the 1977 film Oh, God! 
opposite George Burns. Denver hosted the Grammy Awards five times in the 1970s 
and 1980s, and guest-hosted The Tonight Show multiple times.

In 1975, Denver was awarded the Country Music Association's Entertainer of the Year 
award. At the ceremony, the outgoing Entertainer of the Year Charlie Rich (who 
himself had a series of crossover hits) was to present the award to his successor. 
Instead of simply reading the winner's name, Rich set fire to the envelope with 
a lighter and announced in tones of disgust, "my good friend, John Denver!" 
Some considered it a statement against country pop and the Music Row-controlled 
Nashville Sound, and many condemned Rich's action as inappropriate and rude.

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 environment, the homeless, the poor, the hungry, and the African AIDS 
crisis. He founded the charitable Windstar Foundation in 1976 to promote 
sustainable living. His dismay at the Chernobyl disaster led to 
precedent-setting concerts in parts of communist Asia and Europe.

In 1977, Denver co-founded The Hunger Project with Werner Erhard and Robert W. Fuller. 
He served for many years, and supported the organization until his death. John was 
also appointed by President Jimmy Carter to serve on the President's Commission 
on World Hunger, writing the song "I Want to Live," as its theme song.

In 1979, Denver performed "Rhymes and Reasons" at the Music for UNICEF 
Concert. Royalties from the concert performances were donated to UNICEF.

In later years, Denver had a lower profile career, due in fact to his 
environmental activism and humanitarian efforts. He had a few more U.S. Top 
30 hits as the 1970s ended, but nothing to match his earlier success. He 
began to focus more on his conservation projects and helping to create the 
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. He visited Africa during the 
1980s to witness first-hand the suffering caused by starvation and to work 
with African leaders towards solutions.

Denver testified on the topic of censorship during a Parents Music Resource 
Center hearing in 1985. Denver also toured Russia in 1985, meeting with 
Communist Party luminaries at every opportunity. His eleven Soviet Union 
concerts were the first by any American artist in more than 10 years, and 
marked a very important cultural exchange that culminated in an agreement to 
allow other western artists to perform there. He returned two years later to 
perform at a benefit concert for the victims of the Chernobyl accident. In 
October 1992, John undertook a multiple-city tour of People's Republic of China, 
shaking hands and meeting with Communist Party leaders in every city. He also 
released a greatest-hits CD, "Homegrown," to raise money for homeless charities.

In 1994, he published his autobiography, Take Me Home. In 1996, he was 
inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

In early 1997, Denver filmed an episode for the Nature series, centering on 
the natural wonders that inspired many of his best-loved songs. The episode 
contains his last song, "Yellowstone, Coming Home," which he composed while 
rafting along the Colorado River with his son and young daughter.

On October 12, 1997, at age 53, 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. He was 
cremated with the 1910 Gibson guitar, given to him by his grandmother that 
had inspired much of his career. 

In 2000, CBS presented the television movie Take Me Home: The John Denver Story, 
loosely based on his memoirs, starring Chad Lowe. Denver's brother, Ron 
Deutschendorf, voiced the feelings of many of the singer's fans when he wrote 
a letter to the Los Angeles Times criticizing the film's many inaccuracies: 
multiple chronological errors, exaggerated difficulties in his relationship 
with his father and a completely superficial treatment of Denver's commitment 
to his various causes. Ron Deutschendorft would like to see a new film about 
his brother made that was treated Denver's story more accurately.

An anthology musical featuring John Denver's music, Back Home Again: A John 
Denver Holiday premiered at the Rubicon Theatre Company in November 2006.

On March 12, 2007, Colorado's Senate passed a resolution to make Denver's 
trademark 1972 hit, "Rocky Mountain High" one of the state's two official 
state songs, sharing duties with its predecessor, "Where the Columbines 
Grow." Similar proposals have also been made to the West Virginia House of 
Delegates to make "Take Me Home Country Roads" the official song of that 
particular state.


Awards and recognition:
Academy of Country Music
* 1974 Album of the Year-"Back Home Again"

American Music Awards
* 1975 Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist
* 1976 Favorite Country Album-"Back Home Again"
* 1976 Favorite Country Male Artist

Country Music Association
* 1975 Entertainer of the Year
* 1975 Song of the Year-"Back Home Again"

Emmy Awards
* 1975 Emmy for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special-"An Evening  
with John Denver"

Grammy Awards
* 1997 Best Musical Album For Children-"All Aboard!"
* 1998 Grammy Hall of Fame Award-"Take Me Home, Country Roads"

Songwriters Hall of Fame
* Inducted in 1996

Other recognition
* Poet Laureate of Colorado, 1977
* People’s Choice Award, 1977
* Ten Outstanding Young Men of America, 1979
* Carl Sandburg’s People’s Poet Award, 1982
* NASA Public Service Medal, 1985
* Albert Schweitzer Music Award, 1993
* "Rocky Mountain High" declared state song of Colorado, 2007