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John Denver music biography continued...

of performance and creation. John Denver has not only proven those criteria but also far exceeded way beyond one wildest imagination. For over three decades he brought his music, his ideals and his love and passion for the world we live in. The word "superstar" should be reserved for legends like John Denver. Born Henry John Deutschendorf Jr., son of a U.S Air Force officer, he took up the guitar at the age of eleven and by the age of twenty he knew that music was the way to express the thoughts and dreams that were swirling in his head. Heading to the L.A folk music scene, he tried out and was chosen to replace Chad Mitchell as the lead vocalist in the popular Mitchell Trio, a staple on the folk circuit. He changed his name to John Denver for show biz purposes and for the next two years recorded and toured with the group. John was also branching out as a prolific songwriter and it was not before long that the folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary, recorded one of his songs. "Leaving On A Jet Plane" would be the trio's first and only #1 hit, a million seller. That was in 1969 and by this time the Mitchell Trio had disbanded and John set out on his own to find fame and fortune. Signing with RCA records he would record his first album "Rhymes and Reasons" and it would take two more albums before his first single "Take Me Home, Country Roads" spent twenty three weeks on the charts in 1971 and peaked at the #2 position while selling over a million copies. "Rocky Mountain High" would climb to the #9 position in early 73' and one year later he would have his first #1 hit, "Sunshine On My Shoulders", followed by "Annie's Song", both million selling chart toppers. By now his songs had started to be enjoyed in droves by the country music audience and his next single "Back Home Again" would be the first to reach the #1 spot on that chart while peaking at # 5 pop and again selling over a million copies. The world was now aware of the talent of John Denver and his albums and singles were gaining Gold and Platinum sales status in countries all over the globe. And the hits just kept on coming as "Thank God l'm A Country Boy" and the beautiful ballad "l'm Sorry" were both #1 pop and country hits and Platinum singles in 1975. John would win an Emmy for his 1975 television special An Evening With John Denver and star along side George Burns in the movie Oh God in 77'. His love of the environment would find him championing several causes to help preserve the world we live in. He would write and record a song dedicated to the French explorer Jacques Cousteau and his ship the Calypso that would chart at # 2 in 75' and duet with Olivia Newton John on "Fly Away" in 76'. As the musical landscape was ever changing and by the late 70s a harder rock sound was in vogue and Johns singles were now mid charting, his album sales remained strong. It did not take a radio hit to drive his loyal fans to the record stores or to see him in concert. John was touring the world and in 1985 was one of the first American artists to play in the Soviet Union and in 1992 he did several dates in Mainland China, again one of the first Westerners to do so. John was also an avid adventurer and he piloted his own ultra light planes. While on a test run off the California coast on October 12, 1997 tragedy struck and the plane crashed into the ocean and at the age of 53 we lost the talents of John Denver. His legacy will always be with us through his music and his songs. We are thankful for three decades of excellence and this collection contains ail of Johns #1 hits and some of his best-loved songs. John Denver truly deserves the title "Superstar"!