John Denver was one of the most successful singer-songwriters of the 1970s. His most successful albums included Poems, Prayers, and Promises (1971), which featured the hits “Take Me Home, Country Roads;” Rocky Mountain High (1972), and Back Home Again (1974) featuring “Thank God I’m A Country Boy.” He was an pilot and an outspoken environmental advocate. He died in a plane he was piloting in 1997.
Early Career
Singer-songwriter. Born Henry John Deutschendorf Jr., on December 31, 1943, in Roswell, New Mexico, to parents Henry John and Erma. As a teenager, Denver received his first guitar, a 1910 Gibson acoustic, as a gift from his grandmother. He attended the Texas Technical University from 1961-1964, but dropped out before completing his studies. In 1965, after traveling to New York City and successfully auditioning for the Chad Mitchell Trio, he began performing with the group until 1968.
John Denver
