MEMORABLE MONDAYS: John Denver

 Great things have come out of Roswell. No, I don't mean the aliens. Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. came out of Roswell, New Mexico as well. You probably know him better by his shorter name, John Denver. He released around 300 songs, about 200 he had self-written. He appeared in various films and even had his songs turned into state songs. What made John Denver who he was?

Denver was born December 31st, 1943. His father was a US Army Air Forces pilot. He was decorated who set a number of air speed records in a Convair B-58 Hustler in 1961. His father was a stern man, and due to his military life, Denver moved often. This caused difficulty in him obtaining friends and getting along with children his own age. Introverted Denver felt misplaced and a lack of belonging. While stationed in Tucson, Arizona, his family bought a home and stayed there. From six to fourteen, Denver finally was in one place. He liked Tucson, but his father was moved again to Montgomery, Alabama. He was then moved to Fort Worth, Texas. Denver struggled in Texas and drove his father's car to California to visit family friends and begin his music career. His father had to fly out to retrieve Denver and return him to schooling. 

Denver's musical love began at 11, when he received an acoustic guitar from his grandmother. He decided to have the Denver monikor when Randy Sparks suggested his last name would not fit comfortably on a marquee. He attended Texas Tech University, and sang in a folk music group, The Alpine Trio, while studying architecture. He dropped out of college in 1963, and moved to Los Angeles, where he sang in folk clubs. In 1965, he joined the Chad Mitchell Trio. After more changes, the trio became known as "Denver, Boise, and Johnson". 

By 1969, Denver abandoned band life to pursue a solo career. He released his first album for RCA, Rhymes & Reasons. His deal came from the writing of "Leaving on a Jet Plane", which was later given to Peter, Paul and Mary for release and reached number one. His album was not actively promoted, but Denver bet on himself. He showed up to impromptu shows he did for free, and offered himself for interviews at local radio stations. He built a solid, loyal fanbase after several months of dedication to this. Then in 1970, he released two more albums. Take Me to Tomorrow and Whose Garden Was This. It was a mix of self-written material and covers. 

His break success came with his 1971 release "Poems, Prayers & Promises" because of his Take Me Home, Country Roads. In 1972, he had his first top ten album with Rocky Mountain High, with the title track reaching the top 10 as well. Both these songs were eventually turned into songs of the states they were written about, Colorado and West Virginia. He then went on a streak of 3 number one albums in his greatest hits, Back Home Again, and Windsong. Weintraub insisted on a good number of television appearances, including in Great Britain, to Denver's protest. He felt the critics would not ever go for John Denver, so exposure to the public was key. 

John Denver shifted away from being a guest on many shows to hosting TV specials and variety shows. This led to the John Denver Show, a weekly music and variety show. In 1982, Denver ended his business relationship with Weintraub due to the focus on other projects, and Weintraub threw him out of the office and accused him of Nazism. Denver said he'd bend his principles to support something Weintraub wanted of him, and when you do such a thing you sell your soul to the devil. 

Denver was also a guest on the Muppet Show, which began a lifelong friendship between him and Jim Henson. His acting career began some television episodes and led him to starring in the hit film Oh, God! He was also the Grammy awards host multiple times and guest-hosted the Tonight Show several times. 

In 1975, Denver was awarded the Country Music Association's Entertainer of the Year award. Outgoing entertainer Charlie Rich presented the award after setting fire to the slip of paper the award was announced on. Many viewed this as a protest of a non-traditional country artist being awarded. Rich's son argued he was drunk and dealing with a broken foot, and trying to be funny. Denver was defended by Kathy Mattea, who said he articulated an optimism and brought acoustic music to a forefront. 

Denver and his father also found reconciliation in the mid-70s, as his father taught Denver how to fly. They would go on to host a television special The Higher We Fly: The History of Flight. 

After the 70s, Denver's music career never quite took the same heights. This led to his later life shift in efforts. Much of his music showed his idealism, love of the world, and love of nature. While he continued music releases, in these times he became far more known for his humanitarian efforts. He co-founded the Hunger Project with Werner Erhard and Robert W. Fuller. He supported a number of charitable causes related to the environment, the poor, the homeless, and the African AIDS Crisis. He did a number of precedent-setting concerts in communist Asia after the Chernobyl Disaster. He opposed oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and joined a benefit to fight the passage of an anti-LGBT ballot mesure in Colorado. He formed Plant-It 2020 and visited Africa to see their issues firsthand. He annually performed for the Aspen Camp School for the Deaf and was their largest donor. He felt hurt when he was rejected from singing in We Are the World because it would hurt the image of it being a "pop-rock anthem". 

Due to his love of flying, he also became involved with NASA and their work in outer space. He helped create the Citizens in Space program and received a NASA Exceptional Public Service medal. He dedicated song "Flying for Me" to astronauts after the Challenger disaster. He testified before the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee on the topic of censorship alongside Dee Snider and Frank Zappa in opposing musical objections. In 1994, he published Take Me Home, an autobiography where he detailed his failings from drug abuse, infidelity, and domestic violence. His death would come because of his inability to abstain from alcohol and flying a plane. 

If you need to feel connected to optimism and beauty of the world, a John Denver record may very well be what you are looking for. Reach in and give it a shot!