John Denver facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Denver
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John Denver in 1973
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| 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 |
John Denver was a famous American singer, songwriter, and actor. His real name was Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. He was born on December 31, 1943, and passed away on October 12, 1997.
John Denver grew up in a military family, so he moved around a lot. In the late 1960s, he started his music career in folk groups. By the 1970s, he became one of the most popular acoustic artists. People loved his songs about nature, his dislike for city life, and his passion for music.
He recorded about 300 songs, writing around 200 of them himself. He sold over 33 million records worldwide! Some of his most famous songs include "Take Me Home, Country Roads", "Annie's Song", and "Rocky Mountain High". These songs earned him many gold and platinum albums.
Besides music, John Denver also appeared in films and TV shows. He cared deeply about the environment and spoke out against censorship in music. He lived in Aspen, Colorado, for most of his life. He loved Colorado so much that he sang about it often. In 1974, he was even named the state's poet laureate. His song "Rocky Mountain High" became one of Colorado's two state songs in 2007.
John Denver was also an enthusiastic pilot. Sadly, he died at age 53 in a plane crash while flying his own experimental aircraft.
Contents
Early Life and Music Beginnings
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Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. was born in Roswell, New Mexico. His father was a pilot in the United States Army Air Forces. Because his dad was in the military, John's family moved many times.
When he was 11, his grandmother gave him an acoustic guitar. He learned to play it very well. By the time he was in college, he was performing at local clubs. He chose the stage name "Denver" after Colorado's capital city, which was his favorite state.
John studied architecture at Texas Tech University. While there, he sang in a folk music group called "The Alpine Trio." In 1963, he left college and moved to Los Angeles. He continued singing in folk clubs.
In 1965, John joined a group called "The Mitchell Trio." Later, it became "Denver, Boise, and Johnson." In 1969, John decided to start a solo career. He released his first album, Rhymes & Reasons. He then released two more albums in 1970: Take Me to Tomorrow and Whose Garden Was This.
Helping Others and the Planet
As the 1970s ended, John Denver started focusing more on helping people and the environment. He worked on many conservation projects. He even started an environmental group called Plant-It 2020.
John was very interested in solving world hunger. In the 1980s, he visited Africa to see the suffering caused by starvation. He worked with African leaders to find solutions.
He also hosted the annual Grammy Awards in 1983 and 1984. In 1984, he wrote and sang the theme song for the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo. He was also a skiing commentator for the games.
For Earth Day in 1990, John Denver narrated a TV show about the environment called In Partnership With Earth. He loved flying and was very interested in NASA and space exploration. In 1985, NASA gave him a special medal. This award was for "helping to increase awareness of space exploration." He even tried to become the first citizen to fly on the Space Shuttle, but he wasn't chosen. After the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, he dedicated his song "Flying for Me" to all astronauts.
In 1985, John Denver spoke to the U.S. Senate about music censorship. He also toured Russia that year. His 11 concerts there were the first by an American artist in over 10 years. This helped open the door for other Western artists to perform in Russia. Two years later, he returned to perform at a concert to help victims of the Chernobyl disaster.
In 1992, he toured China. He also released a greatest hits CD to raise money for charities that help homeless people. In 1996, he was honored by being added to the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
In 1997, shortly before he passed away, John Denver filmed an episode for the Nature TV series. It showed the natural places that inspired his songs. His last song, "Yellowstone, Coming Home," was included in this episode.
He also recorded a children's train album called All Aboard!. This album won a Grammy Award after he died. It was his only Grammy.
His Family and Hobbies
John Denver's first wife was Anne Martell. They adopted two children together. His famous song "Annie's Song" was written about her. He wrote it in just ten minutes while on a ski lift in Colorado!
After the success of "Rocky Mountain High", John bought a home in Aspen, Colorado. He and Anne divorced in 1982.
In 1988, John married actress Cassandra Delaney. They had a daughter named Jesse Belle. They divorced in 1993.
John Denver had many interests besides music. He enjoyed painting, but because he was so busy, he focused more on photography. He also loved skiing and playing golf. But his biggest hobby, after music, was flying. In 1974, he bought a Learjet to fly himself to concerts. He collected old biplanes and owned several other aircraft.
He was a very experienced pilot, with over 2,700 hours of flying time. He had licenses to fly many different types of planes.
His Passing
John Denver died on October 12, 1997. He was flying his experimental plane, a Rutan Long-EZ, when it crashed into Monterey Bay in California. He was the only person in the plane.
Investigators found that the main reason for the accident was that John could not switch fuel tanks during the flight. He lost control of the plane while trying to do so.
After his death, 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, a place he loved so much.
His Lasting Impact
John Denver's music is still popular all over the world. Many people collect his old recordings and TV appearances.
In 2007, ten years after his death, a plaque was placed near his crash site in Pacific Grove, California, to remember him. Also in 2007, the Colorado Senate made his hit song "Rocky Mountain High" one of the state's two official state songs.
In 2009, a DVD set of his live concerts was released. It showed his performances from Australia, Japan, and England.
On April 21, 2011, John Denver was the first person to be added to the Colorado Music Hall of Fame. A concert was held to celebrate, and his three children accepted the award.
There is a bronze statue called the John Denver "Spirit" statue in Colorado. It was paid for by his fans and is located at the Colorado Music Hall of Fame.
In 2014, the state of West Virginia made "Take Me Home, Country Roads" its official state song. This means John Denver wrote two state songs!
On October 24, 2014, John Denver received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His children accepted this honor for him.
Discography
- Studio albums
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Images for kids
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Denver at the 1995 National Memorial Day Concert
See also
In Spanish: John Denver para niños
