A Bite of John Denver 🍪
The cherished, nature-loving poet with the golden voice
Monday Bites are bite-sized musician spotlights & playlists by Grace Lilly.
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“I believe that we are here for each other, not against each other.”
As a Colorado native, it’s a given that I love John Denver. Growing up in Denver, I thought of him as a sort of official Colorado action hero. It was overwhelmingly cool to me that we had a musician named after the place I was from. He was one of us.
He loved nature and the mountains, skiing and camping, peace and sunshine. His album covers usually show him outside, smiling, guitar in hand (one of my earliest memories is being in the car, transfixed by his hat on the cover of his greatest hits CD).
I always felt good listening to his songs, but it wasn’t until I got older that I learned how important his music was.
“A lot of people write him off as lightweight, but he articulated a kind of optimism, and he brought acoustic music to the forefront, bridging folk, pop, and country in a fresh way... People forget how huge he was worldwide.”
It’s true. Most of his fans have been fans for decades, remaining passionate even after his death. John Denver wrote songs that reached the hearts of millions around the world. I feel lucky that I’m one of them.
John Denver
The basics
🤝 American singer, songwriter, actor, philanthropist, environmentalist, and humanitarian
🤝 b. 1943 (Roswell, New Mexico) - d. 1997 (Monterey Bay, California)
🤝 An iconic performer of the 1970s, his songs transcended musical trends
Why you should know him: Known for his warm spirit and earnest music about life’s simple pleasures, John Denver was one of the most beloved entertainers in American music history; his heartfelt urgings about ecology, peace, and compassion affected fans worldwide
If you like
✨ John Prine
✨ Maggie Rogers
✨ Noah Kahan
✨ The Avett Brothers
✨ Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
✨ James Taylor
Known for
🏆 Playing an acoustic guitar, singing sentimental songs about joy in nature with pristine tone and perfect pitch
🏆 Having 33 certified Gold and Platinum albums and singles
🏆 His love of Colorado, living in Aspen for much of his life, taking his stage name from the capital of his favorite state, and being named poet laureate of Colorado
🏆 Supporting LGBTQ rights, advocating for environmental issues & protesting censorship in music
🏆 Becoming the 2nd person in history to have written two state songs (Colorado adopted “Rocky Mountain High” and West Virginia adopted “Take Me Home, Country Roads”)
🏆 His long blond hair, wire-rimmed “granny” glasses, and embroidered Western shirts
Bite-sized facts
🍪 The son of a stern U.S. Air Forces pilot, he and his family moved often, making it hard for the introverted Denver to make friends
🍪 At 12, learned to play an acoustic guitar that his grandmother gave him, later sang in a boys chorus in junior high
“I started ninth grade a week after everybody else had started, and I didn't know anybody. I was in a chorus class, and they asked me to bring my guitar to school one day, which I did, and all of a sudden, people knew me... in the halls, people would start saying hello.”
🍪 Started his career at age 22 by joining a band, The Mitchell Trio, which performed some of Denver's early songs at US college campuses
🍪 Made a self-produced demo (that included his song “Leaving on a Jet Plane”), gave them out as Christmas presents, one got to Peter, Paul and Mary, who then recorded the song and it became a No. 1 hit
🍪 Reached the peak of his career as a top-selling artist in the mid-70s with three No. 1 albums and a string of No. 1 singles (including “Sunshine on My Shoulders” and “Thank God I’m a Country Boy”)
🍪 In his early thirties, adopted a boy (Zachary) and a girl (Anna Kate) with his first wife Annie
🍪 At 33, founded the charitable Windstar Foundation in 1976 to promote sustainable living and at 34, co-founded The Hunger Project, an organization committed to the sustainable end of world hunger
🍪 Became lifelong friends with Jim Henson after appearing as a guest star on The Muppet Show in the 70s
🍪 An avid pilot with over 2,700 hours of experience, Denver died at age 53 in a single-fatality crash while piloting a recently purchased light plane
🍪 The governor of Colorado ordered all state flags to be lowered to half-staff in his honor; his ashes were scattered in the Rocky Mountains
Other art forms
🎨 Beyond music, Denver's artistic interests included painting, but because of his limiting schedule, Denver pursued photography
“My camera bag is the heaviest thing on the tour.”
“Over the years I’ve always enjoyed taking photos as a way of relaxing. For me it offers a wonderful opportunity to stop and focus on this moment right here and forget all the other things.”
“Photography is a way to communicate a feeling.”
🎨 In 2014, an exhibition of over 40 never-before-seen photographs taken by Denver debuted at the Leon Gallery in Denver, Colorado
📚 Denver also wrote poems, books, and children’s books including: The Children and the Flowers (1979) and Alfie the Christmas Tree (1990)
In film & TV
Denver had 48 credits across film and television, including:
📺 The John Denver Show (1973): starred in his own BBC six-part television series, a weekly musical and variety show, of which DVDs are now sought-after collectables
📺 Rocky Mountain Christmas (1975): his seasonal special was watched by more than 60 million people and was the highest-rated show for ABC at that time
📺 Oh, God! (1977): starred in this hit film alongside George Burns
📺 Alaska, the American Child (1978): heavily funded and appeared in this documentary designed to gather support for a bill to protect Alaskan parks and wildlife refuges
📺 The Muppet Show (1979): appeared as a special guest in episode 401 and two Muppet television specials, A Christmas Together and Rocky Mountain Holiday
Songs & dates
♫ 1969 Releases “Leaving on a Jet Plane” as a single off his debut album, Rhymes & Reasons, after he wrote and recorded it three years prior in 1966
♫ 1971 Gets his breakthrough with his 2nd album, Poems, Prayers & Promises partially thanks to his No. 2 hit single “Take Me Home, Country Roads”
♫ 1972 “Rocky Mountain High” reaches the Top Ten in 1973, from his first Top Ten album of the same name
♫ 1973 Releases “Sunshine on My Shoulders” as a single, goes No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
♫ 1974 Releases the No. 1 hit “Annie’s Song” about his first wife (Annie Martell), which he composed in 10 minutes on a Colorado ski lift
♫ 1975 His first live album, An Evening with John Denver, gets an Emmy for Outstanding Variety, Music, or Comedy Special
♫ 1986 Releases “Let Us Begin (What Are We Making Weapons For?),” expressing his criticism of the conservative politics of the 1980s
He said
⭐ “My purpose in performing is to communicate the joy I experience in living.”
⭐ “Things go up and down. If you can survive the down, it will come back.”
⭐ “I was never trying to write a hit. I was just trying to write good songs and get a message out, and it was my great good fortune to be popular.”
⭐ “I'll tell you the best thing about me. I’m some guy’s dad; I’m some little gal’s dad. When I die, Zachary John and Anna Kate’s father, boy, that’s enough for me to be remembered by. That’s more than enough.”
John Denver Playlist
I gathered my fav Denver songs, from me to you with love. Like & save on Spotify and listen all week 💗
Where to start
Singing his hit song at age 29
Performing “Rocky Mountain High” live on The Tonight Show in 1972
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Interview before a concert in 1985
Listen to John Denver talk about everything from getting his start in music to his work to end world hunger
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With The Muppets
Watch John Denver sing with Kermit and friends in his Muppets’ special, Rocky Mountain Holiday
Down the rabbit hole
If you wanna dive even deeper:
John Denver: Country Boy (2013)
This definitive documentary explores the private life and public legacy of John Denver. Exclusive accounts from those closest to him reveal the man behind the music in an intimate profile to mark the anniversary of his 70th birthday. Featuring pivotal people in Denver's life, from his former managers to his son, brother, and former wives.
Watch on Youtube.
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Your post had me going down the John Denver rabbit hole of songs! I listened to him a LOT when I was young. There was always something so pleasant about his voice and songs. My friend Paula dreamed of being in Colorado in his world! He was quite rage for a while. So, as I was listening to some of his greatest hits, I decided to rank my favorites:
1. Calypso
2. Take Me Home, Country Roads
3. Back Home Again
4. Looking for Space
5. Fly Away
6. Sunshine on My Shoulders
7. Thank God I’m a Country Boy
8. Rocky Mountain High
9. Annie’s Song
10. How Can I Leave You Again?
Ah! The memories these songs spark!