John Denver, The #31 Artist of the Rock Era, Part Three

 

(Continued from Part Two)

One of the most beloved stars of his time, Denver hosted the Grammy Awards five times and guest-hosted for Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show many times.

But when Weintraub began to focus on other projects and John complained that he needed him to help him, Weintraub threw him out.  Denver later said to Arthur Tobier, who was helping him with his autobiography, "I'd bend my principles to support something he wanted of me. And of course every time you bend your principles – whether because you don't want to worry about it, or because you're afraid to stand up for fear of what you might lose – you sell your soul to the devil."

In 1976, Denver released his Greatest Hits, Volume 2 album, which rose to #3 in Australia and #6 in the U.S. and has sold over two million copies.

John founded the Windstar Foundation in 1976 to promote sustainable living.    

In 1977, John co-founded The Hunger Project and served as CEO for many years.  He released the album I Want to Live in 1977, which included the #2 Adult hit "How Can I Leave You Again". 

 Appointed by U.S. President Jimmy Carter to serve on the President's Commission on World Hunger, Denver wrote "I Want To Live" as its theme song from the album of the same name.  It reached #2 on the Adult chart.

 

I Want to Live also went Platinum, John's seventh straight Gold album.  "It Amazes Me" is another of his last great songs.

Denver's self-titled 1979 album also went Gold.

In 1979, John performed at the Music for UNICEF Concert in the United Nations International Year of the Child.  Later that year, John was named one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of America.

During this time, John's father taught him how to fly, which enabled the two to become close after many years apart.  In 1980, Denver and his father co-hosted the television special, "The Higher We Fly:  the History of Flight", which won an Osborn Award from the Aviation/Space Writers' Association and was honored by the Houston Film Festival.

Denver's album Autography broke his streak of consecutive Gold albums at eight.   Denver collaborated on "Perhaps Love" with elite tenor Placido Domingo for Domingo's album of the same name.  Although it stalled at #22 on the AC chart, it has now turned into a Christmas hit played every December.  But it's much more than that; "Perhaps Love" is one of The Top Unknown/Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*.

Denver got back on track with  Some Days Are Diamonds in 1981, another Gold release.  John covered "Some Days Are Diamonds (Some Days Are Stones)", written and originally recorded by Dick Feller.

 

In 1982, John released Seasons of the Heart, his last Gold album.  "Shanghai Breezes" also was Denver's last big hit, going to #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.

 

The album was dedicated to his wife Annie.  The two had been separated for some time and they divorced the following year.  The title song is powerful and gut-wrenching.

 

John won the Carl Sandburgh People's Poet Award.  It's About Time in 1983 contained the superb title song.

In 1984, the compilation John Denver's Greatest Hits, Volume 3 was released, which has been certified Gold.

John was called on by ABC-TV to write songs on the spot to represent the feeling of the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. 

He visited Africa to witness first-hand the horrors of starvation and worked with leaders on solutions to the problem.  In 1985, U.S. President Ronald Reagan awarded John the Presidential World Without Hunger Award. 

Denver released the album Dreamland Express in 1985.  

Denver served on the Board of Governors of the National Space Society for several years and helped to bring about the "Citizens in Space" program.  In 1985, John received the NASA Public Service Medal for "helping to increase awareness of space exploration by the peoples of the world", an award usually reserved for engineers and designers.  Denver passed the demanding NASA physical exam and was a finalist for the first citizen in space in 1986.  When the Space Shuttle Challenger blew up shortly after takeoff with teacher Christa McAuliffe on board, Denver dedicated "Flying For Me" to all NASA astronauts. 

John released the album One World in 1986 followed by Higher Ground in 1988.

After Anne and John divorced, Denver courted Cassandra Delaney and married her in 1988.  They divorced in 1993.

Denver released the albums Earth Songs and The Flower That Shattered the Stone in 1990.

John was the on-camera narrator of the television program In Partnership With Earth for Earth Day, 1990.  Denver released the album Different Directions in 1991.  

John won the Albert Schweitzer Music Award in 1993.  In 1994, Denver published his autobiography, Take Me Home. 

Later that year, Denver released the compilation album The Very Best of John Denver, which has sold over one million copies in the United States alone.

The live album The Wildlife Concert in 1995 was certified Gold.

In 1996, John was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.  The compilation album The Rocky Mountain Collection went Platinum.  

The following year, Denver recorded the children's album All Aboard!, which posthumously won a Grammy Award for Best Musical Album for Children, the only Grammy Award of his career.

John's love of flying was second only to his love of music.  He purchased a Learjet in 1974 to fly himself to concerts and owned several planes.  On October 12, 1997 Denver's Adrian Davis Long-EZ plane crashed into Monterey Bay near Pacific Grove, California while making several touch-and-go landings at the Monterey Peninsula Airport.  Denver had over 2,700 hours of experience at the time of the tragedy.

A post-accident investigation by the National Transportation safety Board found that the leading cause of the crash was Denver's inability to switch fuel tanks during flight.  The fuel selector valve handle was supposed to be located between the pilot's legs, but the builder instead installed the fuel selector behind the pilot's left shoulder, with the fuel gauge not visible to the pilot.  Denver was aware of this problem and worked with a mechanic to extend the reach of the handle, but the two were unable to come up with a solution.  To switch the fuel tank, Denver had to turn his body 90 degrees to reach the valve.

After his death, the album The Best of John Denver Live was released, which was certified Gold.

In 1998, the Grammy Hall of Fame inducted John's song "Take Me Home, Country Roads".

In 2002, Denver's fans financed a "Spirit" statue that is located at the Colorado Music Hall of Fame at Red Rocks.

The Colorado state legislature adopted "Rocky Mountain High" as one of its state songs in 2007.  Also that year, the California Friends of John and the Windstar Foundation unveiled a bronze plaque near the spot where his plane crashed.  

In 2014, the West Virginia Legislature approved a resolution to make "Take Me Home, Country Roads" the official state song of the state.  Denver thus became the second person after Stephen Foster to be the composer of two state songs.

In 2014, John was posthumously awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7065 Hollywood Boulevard.  The honor was accepted by his children, Zachary and Jesse.

Denver had 32 career hits, seven of which reached the Top 10, with four #1's.  Not bad with the teenage crowd, but among adults, John was one of the most successful of all-time, chalking up 35 hits, 19 Top 10 songs and nine #1's.

John earned 12 Gold and four Platinum albums.

Denver won a Grammy Award, three American Music Awards, an Emmy Award and a People's Choice Award