John Denver

John Denver
John Denver
	John Denver in 1974.
Background information
Birth name	Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr.
Born	December 31, 1943; Roswell, New Mexico, United States
Died	October 12, 1997 (aged 53); Monterey Bay, California, United States
Genres	Country, folk, pop
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter, instrumentalist, record producer, composer, activist, actor
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards, violin
Years active	1962–1997
Labels	Mercury, RCA, BMG, Windstar, Sony Wonder
Associated acts	The John Denver Band, The Back Porch Majority, The New Christy Minstrels, Chad Mitchell Trio, The Muppets, Olivia Newton-John, Plácido Domingo, Emmylou Harris, Johnny Cash, Tina Turner, Glen Campbell
Website	http://www.johndenver.com/

Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. (December 31, 1943 – October 12, 1997) was an American musician and songwriter. He was of German and Irish ancestry. He was very popular in the 1970s. He died when the plane he was flying crashed in California.^[1]^[2]

Denver began his music career with folk music groups during the late 1960s. By 1974, he was one of America's best-selling performers, and AllMusic has described Denver as "among the most beloved entertainers of his era" ^[3]^[4]On 12 October 1997, John Denver died in a plane crash aged 53.

Studio albums

John Denver Sings (1966) Rhymes & Reasons (1969) Take Me to Tomorrow (1970) Whose Garden Was This (1970) Poems, Prayers & Promises (1971) Aerie (1971) Rocky Mountain High (1972) Farewell Andromeda (1973) Back Home Again (1974) Windsong (1975) Rocky Mountain Christmas (1975) Spirit (1976) I Want to Live (1977)	John Denver (1979) Autograph (1980) Some Days Are Diamonds (1981) Seasons of the Heart (1982) It's About Time (1983) Dreamland Express (1985) One World (1986) Higher Ground (1988) Earth Songs (1990) The Flower That Shattered the Stone (1990) Different Directions (1991) All Aboard! (1997)

Awards and recognition

Academy of Country Music

1974 Album of the Year for Back Home Again

American Music Awards

1975 Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist
1976 Favorite Country Album for Back Home Again
1976 Favorite Country Male Artist

Country Music Association

1975 Entertainer of the Year
1975 Song of the Year for "Back Home Again"

Emmy Awards

1975 Emmy for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special for An Evening With John Denver

Grammy Awards

1997 Best Musical Album For Children for All Aboard!
1998 Grammy Hall of Fame Award for "Take Me Home, Country Roads"

Songwriters Hall of Fame

Inducted in 1996

Death

On October 12th, 1997 Denver was piloting his own "experimental ultralight plane" off of Monterey Bay, California. He made an error in calculating his remaining fuel levels and fatally crashed directly into the ocean near Lover's Point, Pacific Grove, after the plane ran completely out of gas. After a thorough investigation completed by the National Aviation Services and supporting law enforcement, it was deemed that he was too confined within the limited space of his plane to successfully engage his reserve tank. Denver was 53 years old; his remains were cremated, and his ashes were scattered in the Rocky Mountains.

John Denver Media

John Denver's first guitar.
Photo of Doris Day and John Denver from a 1975 TV special Doris Day Today (CBS, Feb. 19, 1975)
Denver's live concert television special An Evening With John Denver (1975)
Denver at the 1995 National Memorial Day Concert
A Long-EZ two-seater canard plane
The plaque marking the location of Denver's plane crash in Pacific Grove, California
John Denver Memorial stone with the lyrics to "Rocky Mountain High" in Rio Grande Park, Aspen, Colorado