Henry John Deutschendorf Jr.
Roswell, New Mexico: The Dairy Capital of the Southwest and home of many so called “UFOs.” Within this odd mix of yogurt and extraterrestrials, a baby was born on December 31, 1943. His name was Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. Being in an Air Force family, John frequently had to move around and make new friends. However, starting from when he was a little, he was constantly “... repeating songs that [he] heard on the radio,” leading to his childhood nickname of “jitterbug” (“John Denver Remembered” 4). At the age of 12, John was given a 1910 Gibson acoustic guitar from his grandmother, Grandma Swope. This guitar wasn’t given easily though. It was only after John promised to practice and take music lessons that Grandma Swope entrusted him with her own guitar.
Years later, John enrolled in Texas Tech in 1961 majoring in architecture while playing at various clubs. It was then that Henry John Deutschendorf became John Denver, choosing “Denver” because of his love for the Colorado state and its Rocky Mountains. In 1964, Denver dropped out of college to pursue his career in music, moving to Los Angeles. Once in L.A. he joined the Chad Mitchell Trio in 1965, replacing Chad Mitchell. Among the lows and highs of the music industry, Denver joined the Trio during the lows. Nonetheless, with the skills of Denver’s writing skills and overall charisma with his audience, the Trio was brought back to life. Further enhancing the group, they donned a new name: Denver, Boise and Johnson. During a concert at Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota, Denver met his future wife, Ann Martell, in 1966(eventually divorcing in 1983). Three years later, Denver left the group to debut as a solo performer.
Among the many hits such as "Leaving on a Jet Plane", "Annie's Song", and "Thank God I'm a Country Boy", “Take Me Home, Country Roads” was the single that propelled John Denver into international stardom. During the zenith of his career, Denver was named the poet laureate of Colorado, appeared in television specials and even a comedy film- Oh God! costarring with George Burns. Shortly after these achievements, Denver took a break because, “[He] started tightening up, building a shell around [himself], so [he] wasn't aware of the messages people were sending [him]. [He] learned over the past six months that [he was] intimidating to people... [He] had to recognize that [he was] a very aggressive person, especially in work,” (“The Playboy Interview”, 5).
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Amid the time during the break, Denver focused on humanitarian causes; he supported the preservation of more than 100 million acres of wild, public, Alaskan land, advocated space exploration, toured in Communist-run China and Russia, and even performed in a benefit concert in Chernobyl after the unfortunate nuclear accident for all the victims in 1987. Denver believed that it was important “... that we always remember that nature, environment, wild places, and wild things are a big part of what makes us who and what we are as human beings… To deny this is to deny our own heritage, our own spirit, and our own souls,” (“Singing Nature’s Song”, 6). After being an aviator for over 20 years, he died on October 12, 1997 over the Monterey Bay. Denver was 53 when he was flying an experimental plane that suddenly swan-dived, killing him instantly. His ashes were spread all around the Rocky Mountains, which he revered a great deal.
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