Denver days: Thank God He Was A Country Boy!

Shashank Chouhan It was the winter of 1971. A motley group of college students and locals were gathered at the campus of Alma College in Michigan, waiting for a rising folk singer who had given his first solo performance at the same place two years back and was now climbing up the popular charts. The guy was two hours behind schedule and the audience was getting impatient. Just as the organizer came up to the mike to announce that the he didn’t know where the singer was and there would be a refund, the side door to the gym opened and an arm came through with a snow-covered guitar. The mood went from riot to ecstasy in seconds. It was John Denver; whose car had broken down in the blizzard and who walked miles to perform at the college. In an era when music stars keep miles from their fans and cancel shows at the drop of a hat, the fact that a superstar like John Denver wrote back letters to his fans comes as a shock and also as a tell-all on his personality and popularity. When you hear ‘Sunshine on my shoulders…’ it does make you feel happy. And when you hear of the forests and mountains in Colorado, ‘Rocky mountain high’ sounds like the best song sung for nature. The gentle and environment friendly lyrics were a trademark of John Denver- the country singer with a penchant for flying planes. It added to his clean-cut and simple appeal. Earthy lyrics without any opulence or hard rustic appeal made him the most loved singer, songwriter of his era- the 70s and 80s. John never hit it off with critics who sneered at him and his down to earth songs. Songs about prayers, mountains, forests, cowboys, his love Annie and ofcourse the dusty country roads. John Denver was born John Henry Deutschendorf in Roswell in an Air Force family. That explained his passion for planes and clear skies. As John said once, his first love was nature and second, his guitar. It was a gift from his Grandmother on whose farm he spent countless nights under starry skies and beside camp fires with friends and family. As a college lad he was a part of the local rock band. John adopted the stage sirname ‘Denver’ as a tribute to the Rocky Mountain area he so cherished. And also because ‘Deutschendorf’ wont fit a marquee. He started out as a folk singer and lyrics writer in Los Angeles. It was to his credit that the fledgling ‘Chad Mitchell Trio’ was resuscitated, albeit not for long. In 1969, he took the solo path and released his first album for RCA Records, Rhymes and Reasons. It was not noticed until one of the songs- Leaving On A Jet Plane became a number one hit for the band called Peter, Paul and Mary. But it was not to be so good in the beginning. The records that follwed- Whose Garden Was This and Take Me To Tomorrow were not huge successes but earned John gold certification and are today considered his best work. The lack of sunshine reflected on his low key personality and the way he said – No one will miss me. He sure was wrong. Cruise on ‘Country Roads…’ John was a remarkable singer but something was preventing him from leading the charts. Enter Jerry Weintraub- John’s new manager and future Hollywood producer. Re-issuance of some tracks and a sustained radio campaign later, John’s album, Poems, Prayers and Promises turned out into a breakthrough for him in America, thanks in part to the single Take Me Home, Country Roads, which went to number two. By 1975 he was firmly established as America`s best-selling performer; albums like 1975`s An Evening With John Denver and Windsong were phenomenally popular, and he continued to top the singles charts with efforts including Thank God I`m a Country Boy and I`m Sorry. The sweet rhythm of success was not limited to American shores- John’s 1974 Best of sold more than 10mn copies worldwide, and remained on the charts for over two years! He was everywhere. The Governor of Colorado proclaimed him the state`s poet laureate, his label Windsong was responsible for hits like the Starland Vocal Band`s mammoth Afternoon Delight, and he appeared in a number of ratings-grabbing television specials, as well as several guest-host appearances on Johnny Carson`s Tonight Show. These appearances were planned by his manager to get him close to the audience as critics won’t show any interest in him. But with his perfect 70s look- long blond hair, embroidered `western` shirts, affable manner & granny glasses- John Denver truly became the first telegenic pop star. In 1977 he moved into film, co-starring with George Burns in the comedy hit Oh, God! Indeed, Denver`s Christmas special John Denver and The Muppets: A Christmas Together, is considered a classic. John married Ann Martell in June 1967 and wrote the endearing Annie’s Song for her. He and Annie adopted a son (Zachary) and daughter (Anna Kate) after determining that Denver was infertile. Zachary was the subject of A Baby Just Like You, a song he wrote for Frank Sinatra who also appeared on the Muppet Christmas Special. Although in 1988 when he married an Australian actress after John’s divorce from Annie, he had a daughter. With all this he followed his passion of flying. John flew small aircraft and was a licensed pilot. Many of his songs gave the feeling of soring above the clouds, wind ruffling the air and spirit rising high. Leaving on a Jet Plane, The Eagle and the Hawk, Fly Away etc. are lyrical testimonies of his soaring spirit and passion. John`s beautiful memorial song, Flying For Me, expresses deep appreciation for the Challenger crew. Valleys inevitably follow peaks. John dramatically curtailed his recording output, and after 1977`s I Want to Live, issued no new material until 1980`s Autograph. Children and the flower Are my sisters and my brothers His first love was never really off radar for John. Nature and its protection formed a major part of his activities- focusing primarily on ecological concerns and space exploration. NASA awarded him its public service medal for helping "increase awareness of space exploration by the people of the world." The Chernobyl accident led John to the closed Communist countries of Russia and China for mega concerts. He also founded his own environmental group, The Windstar Foundation. In the 90s he truly emerged as an international figure dedicated to larger issues. He not only sang songs about the good and simple things in life but also worked for those not privileged to get them. He thus sang, “Giving a voice to the forest, Giving a voice to the dawn. Giving a voice to the wilderness and the land that we live on…. October 12, 1997 was just another day. John wanted to fly his new and experimental aircraft called Long-EZ. The air was good but the modifications made in the plane coupled with zero fuel in the tank proved disastrous. He was flying over the Pacific Ocean off California coast when witnesses say they heard a thin popping sound and saw a plane plunge into the water and sea-gulls diving for their part in the tragedy. John Denver was dead. His passion killed him but perhaps exactly where he would have liked to die- in the lap of nature. John Denver gave us a lot in a short span of time. In a fast moving world and where being modern means being artificial, John brought his fans back to the heart, to nature and the eternal sunshine of mellifluous tones. With his songs he touched millions and, by being a most accessible star, he made a special place in the hearts of those millions. As he said, “Music does bring people together; it allows us to experience the same emotions. People everywhere are the same in heart and spirit. No matter what language we speak, what colour we are, the form of our politics or the expression of our love and our faith, music proves: We are the same." Even though a decade has passed since he is gone, John still stays on in his timeless music, still echoes in his melodious songs and continues to overwhelm our senses… You fill up my senses Like a night in the forest Like the mountains in springtime Like a walk in the rain Like a storm in the desert Like a sleepy blue ocean You fill up my senses Come fill me again