I love John Denver!!!

What a damn talent and voice.. should not lost in the Seventies to be forgotten..

 

Well it's not like he's been forgotten by the public. He was still regularly performing up until his death.

 

I agree with you @gramfan, John Denver should not be a forgotten voice but sadly he has been largely overlooked by the music press. Case in point, last year CNN had an original series entitled "CNN: Music Of The Sixties" and "CNN: Music Of The Seventies" both failed to even give mention to John Denver. Personally, I believe it's because Denver's songs defy both genre and category, his music was usually in the Pop section, but could also be found in Rock, Country or Folk. Even today listening to his music it's difficult to classify his style of music. Some of Denver's songs are so personal and heartbreakingly, listening to them is an emotional experience unlike any I can compare. Other songs contain themes of nature, flight and the passage of time. Has anyone else noticed how you never hear John Denver on the radio? He sold over 30 million records in his career!! During the 1970s his album sales were on par with Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd, bands who rule the airwaves still today. It seems John Denver has been rediscovered by new artists. A few years ago there were a couple of loving tribute album that featured Dave Matthews, My Morning Jacket, J Mascis and Sharon Van Etten. Another featured Low, Red House Painters, Bonnie Prince Billy, Innocence Mission and Tarnation. For vinyl fans, Night Fever Music has just released three of John Denver's albums back on LP. Remastered and on colored, 180 Gram, limited edition vinyl. More are coming in 2017!

 

I saw him "in the round" in the early 80's. It was a fantastic concert. All you need to know about John is this album..........

 

I wasn't a big fan, but I was saddened by his untimely passing.

 

He's very underrated I think, mostly due to his dweeby ways. Though I wish I never heard Thank God I'm A Country Boy, it would've been a better life. haha

 

My favorite John Denver album. He was great in concert, with a good sense of humor.

 

He was a brilliant singer/songwriter, but at a certain point in the Seventies, he was no longer taken seriously, due to his own career moves:

 

His Christmas in Concert album is just wonderful.

 

Aw but those are two of the best things he was involved in!

 

John Denver - The Eagle and the Hawk:

 

Here's a forgotten gem from the latter days.

 

Here's a paeticularly beautiful song, with Olivia Newton John singing back up...

John Denver & Olivia Newton-John "Fly Away" (1975):

 

One of my favorite artists of all time. Saw him perform in Reno back in 1996. Great show!

 

...and the song he wrote that kickstarted his career...

John Denver - Leaving on a Jet Plane:

 

John Denver Wildlife Concert
One great show

 

Sadly, he left us the same way.....

 

Saw him when I was about twelve years old. I remember being blown away by his 12 string guitar work. He did most of the show solo and carried it well. His songs were often magical and there's no denying that he was a great singer, although he did sound bored singing "Country Roads" in later years. His death was perhaps the first entertainer's that really upset me. When I got older and rediscovered his music, I was surprised to learn there was so much unhappiness in his life.

 

Wow! I love the color of that Rocky Mountain High vinyl.

 

A major reason John Denver isn't taken as seriously as a songwriter as say, James Taylor or Jackson Browne, probably has a lot to do with the fact that his first three albums consisted of roughly 15% originals and 85% covers. It's difficult to shake off that sort of first impression.

 

I remember being at Peaches Records and Tape in Denver with my older brother when Thank God I'm A Country Boy was at the top of the charts.I told my brother I liked that song and he punched me.I was like 13 or 14 at the time.

 

Attended one concert possibly two.
He put on a hell of a show.
Remember he liked to play his Guild 12 string.

 

John Denver wrote a tremendously large number of high quality songs and his voice had a very warm sincere sound to it.
I heard "Sunshine On My Shoulder" the other day on the radio and I was actually a bit teary by the end of it.
He is underrated for sure!

 

Yeah I remember he was everywhere in the mid 70s.Underrated and mostly forgotten anymore to the masses.

 

I would place him in the genius category. Much like Johnny Cash and Gordon Lightfoot, he was sorta like a genre into himself in that he had a distinctive and unique sound that no one else could reproduce.