On This Day in 1974, John Denver Recorded a Live Version of a Song That Would Become a Massive Crossover Hit

On this day (August 26) in 1974, John Denver took the stage at the Universal Amphitheatre for the first night of a series of concerts that would become his first live album. During the show, he recorded “Thank God I’m a Country Boy.” He had already released the song on Back Home Again earlier that year. However, he didn’t release it as a single until March 1975, months after the live album hit shelves.

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When he recorded An Evening with John Denver, the singer/songwriter was coming off a massive hit album. Back Home Again spent 13 weeks at the top of the Billboard Top Country Albums chart in 1974. Additionally, it topped the all-genre album chart for a week. The live album would top the country chart the next year, followed by Windsong, which enjoyed a five-week run at the summit.

[RELATED: On This Day in 1986, RCA Records Dropped John Denver After He Released His Controversial Song “Let Us Begin”]

Songs from the No. 1 albums followed a similar trend. “Back Home Again” topped the Hot Country Singles chart in 1974. Then, the live version of “Thank God I’m a Country Boy” hit No. 1 in May 1975. Denver scored his final country No. 1 in November of the same year with “I’m Sorry” from Windsong.

John Denver Didn’t Write “Thank God I’m a Country Boy”

John Denver was a prolific songwriter, penning or co-penning most of the songs in his catalog. However, he didn’t write “Thank God I’m a Country Boy.” Instead, Martin Sommers, who played fiddle and guitar in Denver’s band, wrote it. The two had similar backgrounds, though, according to Songfacts.

Neither Sommers nor Denver was a country boy. They had both been born in Los Angeles, California, and had moved to Aspen, Colorado, later in life. They met after Denver saw Sommers’ band, Liberty, playing at a bar. After the show, he approached the band and asked if he could record the song “River of Love,” also penned by Sommers.

Before long, Sommers left his bar band and joined Denver on the road. He sings backup on the No. 1 song he wrote on both Back Home Again and An Evening with John Denver.

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