On October 12, 1997, one of the greatest voices in the history of country and folk music passed away at the age of only 53. John Denver was tragically killed when the airplane (of the homebuilt, experimental variety) that he was flying ran out of gas mid-flight and crashed just outside the Monterey Bay coast. He was the only person on the plane, and despite being a pilot with thousands of hours of experience, Denver could not switch between fuel tanks during the flight in time to land safely.
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Denver’s death is considered one of the most tragic accidents in country music history. After his passing was announced, all state flags in Colorado were lowered to half-staff to honor him.
While John Denver recorded music well into the 1990s, he is best known for his hit songs and albums from the 1970s. Specifically, songs like “Take Me Home, Country Roads” from 1971 and No. 1 hit albums like Windsong from 1975 remain staples among country music lovers’ record collections. And his music continued to spark interest in new, young listeners to this day.
John Denver’s Legacy Might Just Live on Forever
John Denver enjoyed an astoundingly successful career. The “Take Me Home, Country Roads” hitmaker enjoyed 15 hits on the Top 40 pop chart. Of those hits, 10 reached No. 1 on the Billboard Country chart or the Adult Contemporary chart. He was a master of balancing between genres and producing music that appealed to just about everybody; not just country fans.
John Denver, born Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. on December 31, 1943, had an interest in music as a child. Denver had a stressful childhood with a military father who required constant relocation. He moved to Los Angeles in the mid-1960s to start his music career and sang in folk clubs. He also joined a band, but eventually decided to pursue a solo career instead. Rhymes & Reasons, his debut record, was released in 1969. RCA Records did not promote the album well. So, Denver kicked off a tour of the Midwest on his own and even offered to play concerts for free.
Eventually, Denver released Poems, Prayers & Promises in 1971, which marked his breakthrough. That was due, in part, to the smash hit single, “Take Me Home, Country Roads”. From there, Denver released Certified Gold and Platinum albums back-to-back through the 1970s. He also enjoyed continued (though waning) success in the 1980s. His last album before his death was All Aboard! in 1997. And the late great John Denver has been honored through the years with compilation and live albums, and was awarded a Grammy for All Aboard! after his death.
Photo by Gijsbert Hanekroot/Redferns
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