Tribute: John Denver

John Denver (Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr.) was an award-winning musician, a successful actor, and an esteemed humanitarian. This page is a Tribute to Denver's numerous accomplishments. The facts of Denver's life are amazing, and the events of his death are equally intriguing. He was killed in a plane crash on 12 October 1997, when the mono wing Long EZ he was piloting crashed into the Pacific Ocean. He was 53. Read the National Transportation Safety Board's (NTSB) executive summary and factual report, which details the bizarre events of the fatal plane crash. (To make a long story short, the lever to switch fuel tanks was placed behind the pilot, instead of in front of him, where it would normally be located. Denver had to take his attention away from the other plane controls to turn around and reach it. When turning the 90 degrees to reach the fuel selector, he may have inadvertently applied pressure to the right rudder with his foot, causing the plane to turn hard to the right and the pilot to lose control of the plane.) John Denver was cremated, and his ashes scattered over the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. 

Greatest Hits

"Back Home Again"

"Take Me Home, Country

Roads"

"Thank God I'm a Country Boy"

"Rocky Mountain High"

"Annie's Song"

"Sunshine on My Shoulders"

"Leaving on a Jet Plane"

Awards

1974

Cashbox's #1 Album seller, #1 Artist

ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) Award for Top Album of the Year

Academy of Country Music Awards - Album of the Year, "Back Home Again"

1974/1975

Record World’s Top Male Recording Artist

1975

ABC’s Bi-centennial Music Award for Top Male Vocalist by the National Press

Country Music Song of the Year, "Back Home Again"

People’s Choice Award - Favorite Musical Performer

AGVA (American Guild of Variety Artists) Singing Star of the Year

Country Music Association Award - Song of the Year, "Back Home Again"

Country Music Association Award - Entertainer of the Year

Emmy Award - Outstanding Variety, Music Or Comedy Special - "An Evening with John Denver"

American Music Award - Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist, 1975

1976

American Music Award - Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist

American Music Award - Favorite Country Male Artist

American Music Award - Favorite Country Album, "Back Home Again"

1977

People’s Choice Award

Poet Laureate of Colorado

1979

Named one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of America by the United States Junior Chamber ("Jaycees")

1982

Carl Sandburg’s People’s Poet Award

1985

NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal

1993

Albert Schweitzer Music Award

1996

Induction into Songwriter’s Hall of Fame

1997

Grammy Award - Best Musical Album For Children, "All Aboard!"

1998

Grammy Hall of Fame Award, "Take Me Home, Country Roads"

2007

"Rocky Mountain High" named the state song of Colorado

Activist

John Denver helped create the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. He also founded his own environmental group, the Windstar Foundation. ("Windstar is Educating about the Environment to all ages on a World Wide Level.") Denver visited Africa to witness the suffering caused by starvation and to work with African leaders towards a solution. In 1985 alone, he participated in the original Farm Aid, testified in front of Congress against censorship during the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) hearings, and he toured Russia, returning two years later to perform at a benefit for the victims of the Chernobyl disaster. In October 1992, he toured China. Denver also released "Homegrown", a collection of his greatest hits, to raise money for charities helping the homeless.

Thespian

Denver appeared in several films and made dozens of television appearances. For a complete listing, view his entry in the Internet Movie Database. Selected popular appearances are given below.

"Oh, God!" (1977) with George Burns and Terri Garr. Denver plays Jerry Landers.

"The Christmas Gift" (1986, television) with Jane Kaczmarek and Kurtwood Smith. Denver portrays George Billings.

"Foxfire" (1987, television) with Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn. Denver plays Dillard Nations.

Denver appeared as himself in the following television productions:

"The Merv Griffin Show" (two appearances, 1970 and 1976)

"The Midnight Special" (1972)

"The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" (fifteen appearances, 1972-1990)

"The John Denver Show" (1973)

"Rocky Mountain Christmas" (1975)

"An Evening with John Denver" (1975)

"The John Denver Special" (1976)

"The Muppet Show" (1979), episode #4.1

"John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together" (1979)

"Rocky Mountain Holiday with John Denver and the Muppets" (1982)

Six episodes (1982-1996) of "The Today Show"

"The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson" (1990)