Open roads rv woodstock1/22/2024 ![]() ![]() Denver is widely recognized as a cultural icon of the American West. Īfter traveling and living in numerous locations while growing up in his military family, Denver began his music career with folk music groups during the late 1960s. Starting in the 1970s, he was one of the most popular acoustic artists of the decade and one of its best-selling artists. By 1974, he was one of America's best-selling performers AllMusic has called Denver "among the most beloved entertainers of his era". Ĭenver recorded and released approximately 300 songs, about 200 of which he composed. He had 33 albums and singles that were certified Gold and Platinum in the U.S by the RIAA, with estimated sales of more than 33 million units. He recorded and performed primarily with an acoustic guitar and sang about his joy in nature, disdain for city life, enthusiasm for music, and relationship trials. Denver's music appeared on a variety of charts, including country music, the Billboard Hot 100, and adult contemporary, earning 12 gold and four platinum albums with his signature songs " Take Me Home, Country Roads", " Poems, Prayers & Promises", " Annie's Song", " Rocky Mountain High", " Calypso", " Thank God I'm a Country Boy", and " Sunshine on My Shoulders".ĭenver appeared in several films and television specials during the 1970s and 1980s, including the 1977 hit Oh, God!, in which he starred alongside George Burns. He continued to record into the 1990s, also focusing on environmental issues as well as lending vocal support to space exploration and testifying in front of Congress to protest censorship in music. Known for his love of Colorado, Denver lived in Aspen for much of his life. In 1974, Denver was named poet laureate of the state. The Colorado state legislature also adopted "Rocky Mountain High" as one of its two state songs in 2007, and West Virginia did the same for "Take Me Home, Country Roads" in 2014.Īn avid pilot, Denver was killed in a single-fatality crash while piloting a recently purchased light plane in 1997 at age 53. was born on Decemin Roswell, New Mexico to Erma Louise (née Swope 1922–2010) and Captain Henry John "Dutch" Deutschendorf Sr. ![]() (1920–1982), a United States Army Air Forces pilot stationed at Roswell Army Air Field. In his 1994 autobiography Take Me Home, Denver described his father as a stern man who could not show his love for his children. With a military father, Denver's family moved often, and he found difficulty gaining friends and assimilating with children of his own age. The introverted Denver often felt misplaced but did not know where he truly belonged. While stationed at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona, the Deutschendorfs purchased a home and lived there from 1951 to 1959. Denver lived in Tucson, Arizona from the age of six until 14. ĭuring these years, Denver attended Mansfeld Junior High School and was a member of the Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus for two years. He was content in Tucson, but his father was transferred to Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama. The family later moved to Carswell Air Force Base in Fort Worth, Texas, where Denver graduated from Arlington Heights High School. Denver was distressed with life in Fort Worth, and in his third year of high school, he drove his father's car to California to visit family friends and begin his music career. His father flew to California in a friend's jet to retrieve him, and Denver reluctantly returned to complete his schooling. Career Early career Īt age 11, Denver received an acoustic guitar from his grandmother. ![]()
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