I Am A Song
I Live to Be Sung
I Sing With All My Heart
This was the philosophy of a young struggling musician who eventually made his way to Colorado where he would make a home, raise a family and write a song that not only made him famous, but also ended up Colorado’s second state song. For more than 35 years he made Colorado his home base where the pristine mountain living inspired some of his greatest songs that remain traditional classics.
One of John Denver’s many albums. Photo courtesy of Linda Wommack.
He was born Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr. in 1943, Roswell, N.M., to Henry John and Erma Louise Swope Deutschendorf. Because his father was an officer in the Air Force, young John spent much of his childhood moving with his family from town to town. While living in Tucson, Ariz., John auditioned and became a member of the Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus for two years. John’s grandmother, recognizing his love for music, encouraged him by giving him her 1910 Gibson guitar. Within a few years, he learned to play the guitar well enough that his love of music took hold.
Following his graduation from Arlington Heights High School in Fort Worth, Texas, John entered the Texas Technological College (known today as Texas Tech University) where he majored in architectural engineering. John managed to pick up local work by singing at the college clubs and local bars. He gained a following, some much needed confidence, and polished his style and presence well enough that in his junior year of college, he dropped out and headed to California.
In 1963, Los Angeles was the center of America’s music scene. New groups such as the Mamas and the Papas, Sonny and Cher, Judy Collins, and Bob Dylan were all making music and breaking new ground. John played the smoky bars, folk clubs and coffee houses, and managed to make a number of friends. Among the friends was Randy Sparks, a member of The New Christy Minstrels. As John’s talent became more evident it was Sparks who suggested he change his name from Deutschendorf to something more “marketable,” a common business practice. John took the advice and from then on was known as John Denver, taking the name from the capital city of his favorite state.
In 1965, John, along with 250 singers, auditioned for the new Mitchell Trio. John, with his nearly perfect-pitch tenor vocals, won the audition and became a part of the folk group along with David Boise and Michael Johnson. He recorded three albums with the Mitchell Trio, leaving the group after two years to pursue a solo career in singing and songwriting. It didn’t take long, as one of his first songs, “Leaving On A Jet Plane,” was recorded by the popular folk group, Peter, Paul and Mary. The song became their first and only No. 1 hit on the musical charts. But John gained a great amount of recognition as the songwriter and soon built a following through his personal connections with his audiences across the country.
His songs and stage presence conveyed his feelings and delivered a message of peace, harmony and human fellowship. Known as the American Troubadour, he wrote in his 1994 autobiography, Take Me Home: An Autobiography, “My music and my work stem from the conviction that people everywhere are intrinsically the same.”
In 1971, John’s breakthrough album was Poems, Prayers & Promises, which included his first solo hit, “Take Me Home, Country Roads.” The success of the song was due in part to John’s manager, Jerry Weintraub. Weintraub began a radio air play campaign that started in Denver. John continued with a series of No. 1 songs and several successful albums, spanning more than 30 years.
John Denver in his beloved Aspen. Photo courtesy of Colorado Historical Society.
Following his huge hit, “Rocky Mountain High,” in 1972, John moved to Colorado, where he and his wife, Annie purchased a home near Aspen. It was on an Aspen ski lift in 1974 that John wrote one of his many hits, “Annie’s Song,” reportedly in 10 minutes. A song for Frank Sinatra was written in the hills of Aspen called “A Baby Just Like You.” The song included the line “Merry Christmas little Zachary,” which referenced his newly adopted son. He and Sinatra would later perform the song during a televised Christmas special.
John would call Colorado his home for the rest of his life. Red Rocks Amphitheatre was his favorite concert venue, and he played there often, including several worldwide-televised concerts. Rocky Mountain Christmas, an ABC Special, was watched by more than 60 million people and became the highest-rated show for the year. Also televised on ABC that same year was An Evening with John Denver, which won the 1975 Emmy Award for Outstanding Special, Comedy-Variety or Music category.
John also won the “Entertainer of the Year” award in 1975 by the Country Music Association. The spotlight was on John and he was everywhere. As one of the world’s best-known and best-loved performers, he often sat in for Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show. During one particular show, John used the phrase “far out” so much that the phrase instantly became a part of the ’70s culture. John also made a guest star appearance on The Muppet Show, which spawned a lifelong friendship between John and Muppet creator, Jim Henson. John even tried his hand at acting, starring with George Burns in the 1977 hit, Oh, God!
Through the years and a slew of hits, spanning three decades, John earned 14 gold albums and eight platinum albums. He also continued with his passion as an environmentalist, traveling across the world as a spokesman for UNICEF, and serving for President Jimmy Carter on World Hunger.
The world was stunned when he died in a single plane crash in October 1997. The funeral for John Denver was held at his mother’s church, Faith Presbyterian Church, in Aurora, and Gov. Roy Romer ordered state flags lowered to half-staff. John’s ashes were later scattered over his beloved Rocky Mountains.
In March 2007, the Colorado Senate passed a resolution proclaiming John’s greatest hit, “Rocky Mountain High,” as one of the state’s two official state songs, along with “Where the Columbines Grow.”
The love and appreciation of the environment and the Colorado Rockies continues to live on in John Denver’s music today.
