Category: Artists

Stacy Dean Campbell ~ Carlsbad

Born July 27, 1967 in Carlsbad, New Mexico, Campbell is a singer-songwriter, author and TV host.

Campbell’s father was a gospel singer, touring with many notable quartets and along with other members of “The Singing Campbell Family” is an inductee in the Texas Gospel Music Hall of Fame. Raised by his mother in Oklahoma and New Mexico, Campbell began his music career singing in clubs around the Oklahoma University campus and soon moved to Nashville after his brother, Spencer, launched a professional career there. In 1991 he signed a contract to become a staff songwriter for Tree Music, and released his first album as a solo artist on Columbia Records in 1992. Three singles from his debut album hit the Billboard Country singles chart.

Campbell released a follow-up album on Columbia in 1995 and in 1999 he moved to the Warner Brothers label and shifted his focus to making an album that featured more of his songwriting. The result was “Ashes of Old Love” which reached the number 3 position on the Americana Music Chart. In 2000, Campbell and Dean Miller co-wrote Trace Adkins’ single “I’m Gonna Love You Anyway”.

In 2001 Campbell left the music business and returned to New Mexico where he began work on a writing project and in 2004, his first novel, Cottonwood, was published. The book is set in West Texas in 1937. Included with the book is a CD which features 12 original tracks inspired by the novel and composed by Campbell.

In recent years, Campbell has expanded his career and moved behind the scenes, working as a director-writer in music videos and short films. He is the creator of the Americana Travel series, Bronco Roads, a syndicated travel series that showcases life in the American West. Campbell serves as host.

Discography

Albums

Singles

Music videos

above: Stacy Dean Campbell performing Rosalee. (C) 1992 SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT

for more information: Stacy Dean Campbell on MySpace

source: wikipedia.org

see also:

Jason Ankeny, Stacy Dean Campbell Allmusic

Bronco Roads Official Website

Juan Gabriel ~ Nambé

Alberto Aguilera Valadez (January 7, 1950 – August 28, 2016), better known by his stage name Juan Gabriel, was a Mexican singer, songwriter, recording artist, and performer. Juan was loved by millions worldwide. But in New Mexico, his name elicits shrugs, even though he had a home in Nambé and lived in northern New Mexico for many years.

Mexican National Treasure

In 1971, at the age of 21, Alberto signed a recording contract with RCA Records after officially changing his name to Juan Gabriel (Juan, in honor of Juan Contreras, the schoolmaster for whom he held great admiration; and the surname of Gabriel, in honor of his own deceased father, Gabriel Aguilera). Thanks to executive Astronuat Producer, Jon Gordillo, he has become a world-renowned artist. Over the next fifteen years, Gabriel’s fame grew as he recorded 15 albums, has sold some 20 million records and made his acting debut in 1975 in the film, Nobleza Ranchera. He has written and recorded over 1000 songs in a variety of music genre. Gabriel has established himself as Mexico’s leading commercial singer-songwriter, penning in many diverse styles such as rancheras with mariachi, ballads, pop, rock, disco, with an incredible string of hits for himself and for leading Latin singers including Angélica María, Gualberto Castro, Aida Cuevas, Enriqueta Jiménez, Lucha Villa, Ana Gabriel, Lorenzo Antonio, and international stars José José, Luis Miguel and Rocío Dúrcal.

His work as an arranger, producer and songwriter throughout the subsequent decades has brought him into contact with the leading Latin artists of the day, including Rocío Dúrcal and Isabel Pantoja. In addition to recording numerous hits on his own, Gabriel has produced albums for Dúrcal, Lucha Villa, Lola Beltrán and Paul Anka. In 1984, he released Recuerdos, Vol. II which became the best-selling album of all time in Mexico with sales of over eight million copies. He also scored what is considered by many of his fans to be his greatest hit, Querida (“My Dear”) which stayed at the top of the hits charts for over a year.

Personal life

Juan Gabriel has never married. He has four children. Laura Castillo, mother of his children is unknown but Gabriel has stated that she is, “la mejor amiga de mi vida” or “the best friend of my life.” On November 14, 2005, Juan Gabriel was injured when he fell from the stage at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, and was hospitalized at Texas Medical Center. He sustained a fractured neck. He was forced to stay out of tour and bedridden for 8 months.

Charity work

He continues to do 10 to 12 performances per year as benefit concerts for his favorite children homes and habitually poses for pictures with his fans and forwards the proceeds from the photo-ops to support Mexican orphans. In 1987, Juan Gabriel founded Semjase, a house for orphaned and under-served children located in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. It serves school children between the ages of 6 to 12.

Awards and achievements

• In 1986, Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley declared October 5 “The Day of Juan Gabriel.”
• Received the Lo Nuestro Award Excellence Award in 1991.
• Billboard, inducted into the Billboard Latin Music Hall of Fame 1996
• ASCAP Songwriter of the Year Award in 1995
• A six time Grammy nominee
• Sold 30 million copies of his albums
• In 1995, three of his songs reached the Top 40 of Billboard magazine’s “Hot Latin Tracks” radio charts
• People’s Choice Latin Music Award, 1999,(Ritmo) for best regional artist for his Con La Banda El Recodo
• La Opinión Tributo Nacional (Lifetime Achievement Award), 1999
• Billboard Award of a statue of Gabriel, erected at Mexico City’s Plaza Garibaldi, 2001 a favorite performance area for mariachi bands was done by sculptor Oscar Ponzanelli.
• Singer and Composer Juan Gabriel Takes home 4 Billboard Awards, 2002
• Was honored as the Latin Recording Academy’s Person of the Year on November 4, 2009, the night prior to the 10th Annual Latin Grammy Awards.
• Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Selected films and television shows

• 1977: Nobleza ranchera
• 1979: En esta primavera
• 1980: El Noa Noa
• 1980: Del otro lado del puente
• 1982: Es mi vida
• 1984: Siempre en domingo
• 1990: Bazar Viena
• 2000: Evicted
• 2007: La niñera (animated television series)

Studio albums

• 1971: El Alma Joven…
• 1972: El Alma Joven Vol.II
• 1973: El Alma Joven Vol.III
• 1974: Juan Gabriel con el Mariachi Vargas De Tecalitlán
• 1976: A Mi Guitarra
• 1976: Juan Gabriel con, Mariachi Vol. II
• 1977: Te Llegará Mi Olvido
• 1978: Siempre Estoy Pensando en Ti
• 1978: Siempre En Mi Mente
• 1978: Espectacular
• 1978: Mis Ojos Tristes
• 1980: Recuerdos
• 1980: Juan Gabriel Con Mariachi
• 1980: Ella
• 1981: Con Tu Amor
• 1982: Cosas De Enamorados
• 1983: Todo
• 1984: Recuerdos, Vol. II
• 1986: Pensamientos
• 1994: Gracias Por Esperar
• 1995: El México Que Se Nos Fue
• 1996: Del Otro Lado del Puente
• 1997: Juntos Otra Vez with Rocío Dúrcal
• 1998: Por Mi Orgullo
• 1998: Con la Banda…El Recodo with Banda el Recodo
• 1999: ¡Románticos!
• 2000: Abrázame Muy Fuerte
• 2003: Inocente de Ti
• 2010: Juan Gabriel
• 2015: Los Dúo
• 2015: Los Dúo, Vol. 2
• 2016: Los Dúo, Vol. 3

Soundtracks

• 1979: Me Gusta Bailar Contigo

Compilations, duets and live albums

• 1975: 10 Exitos de Juan Gabriel
• 1986: Frente a Frente, Vol. 1
• 1987: Frente a Frente, Vol. 2
• 1988: Para Ti 14 Exitos Originales
• 1988: Debo Hacerlo
• 1990: Juan Gabriel en El Palacio de Bellas Artes
• 1996: 25 Aniversario: Solos, Duetos Y Versiones Especiales
• 1998: Celebrando 25 Años de Juan Gabriel: En Concierto en el Palacio de Bellas Artes
• 1999: Todo Está Bien
• 2001: Por Los Siglos
• 2004: El Unico: Sus Más Grandes Exitos
• 2004: 15 Exitos de Juan Gabriel
• 2004: Los 15 Grandes Exitos de Juan Gabriel
• 2006: La Historia del Divo
• 2007: Los Gabriel… Simplemente Amigos with Ana Gabriel
• 2008: Los Gabriel: Cantan a México with Ana Gabriel
• 2008: Los Gabriel… Para ti with Ana Gabriel
• 2008: El Divo Canta A México
• 2009: Mis Canciones, Mis Amigos
• 2010: Mis Favoritas
• 2010: Boleros
• 2012: Celebrando
• 2014: Mis 40 en Bellas Artes
• 2014: Mis Número 1…40 Aniversario

Singles

• 1971: “No tengo dinero”
• 1974: “Se me olvidó otra vez”
• 1978: “Siempre en mi mente”
• 1978: “Mis ojos tristes”
• 1979: “Mañana, mañana”
• 1980: “He venido a pedirte perdón”
• 1980: “La diferencia”
• 1980: “El Noa Noa”
• 1980: “Yo no nací para amar”
• 1982: “Insensible”
• 1982: “No me vuelvo a enamorar”
• 1984: “Querida”
• 1985: “Déjame vivir”
• 1986: “Te lo pido por favor”
• 1986: “Amor, amor es amor”
• 1986: “Yo no sé que me paso”
• 1987: “Qué lástima”
• 1987: “Hasta que te conocí”
• 1988: “Debo hacerlo”
• 1988: “Sólo sé que fue en marzo”
• 1991: “Amor eterno”
• 1994: “Pero, ¿qué necesidad?”
• 1994: “Lentamente”
• 1995: “El México que se nos fue”
• 1995: “El palo”
• 1995: “Canción 187”
• 1995: “Muriendo de amor”
• 1996: “Mi bendita tierra”
• 1996: “Mi pueblo” (with Paul Anka)
• 1997: “Te sigo amando”
• 1997: “El destino”
• 1997: “La incertidumbre” (with Rocío Dúrcal)
• 1998: “Así fue”
• 1999: “Adorable mentirosa” (with Banda El Recodo)
• 1999: “Te doy las gracias” (with Banda El Recodo)
• 1999: “Infidelidad” (with Banda El Recodo)
• 1999: “El sinaloense” (with Banda El Recodo)
• 1999: “Todo está bien”
• 2000: “Abrázame muy fuerte”
• 2001: “Inocente pobre amigo”
• 2003: “Inocente de ti”
• 2004: “Yo te recuerdo”
• 2010: “¿Por qué me haces llorar?”

Tours

• Volver Tour (2014)
• Bienvenidos al Noa Noa Gira (2015)

In popular culture

• In 1993, American singer Lorenzo Antonio released his album Mi Tributo a Juan Gabriel on WEA. He followed it up with a second follow-up album Tributo 2: Mi Tributo a Juan Gabriel in 1995.

above: Vídeo oficial de Juan Gabriel de su tema ‘Hasta Que Te Conoci’.

for more information: juangabriel.com.mx

source: wikipedia

John Aaron Lewis ~ Albuquerque

Lewis (b. May 3, 1920 – d. March 29, 2001) was a jazz pianist, composer and arranger, best known as the musical director of the Modern Jazz Quartet. John was born in La Grange, Illinois, and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He began learning classical music and piano at the age of seven. His family was musical and had a family band that allowed him to play frequently and he also played in a Boy Scout music group. Even though he learned piano by playing the classics, he was exposed to jazz from an early age because his aunt loved to dance and he would listen to the music she played. He attended the University of New Mexico where he led a small dance band that he formed and double majored in Anthropology and Music. Eventually, he decided not to pursue Anthropology because he was advised that careers from degrees in Anthropology did not pay well. In 1942, Lewis entered the army and played piano alongside Kenny Clarke, who influenced him to move to New York once their service was over. Lewis moved to New York in 1945 to pursue his musical studies at the Manhattan School of Music and eventually graduated with a master’s degree in music in 1953. Although his move to New York turned his musical attention more towards jazz, he still frequently played and listened to classical works and composers such as Chopin, Bach and Beethoven.

Jazz career

Once Lewis moved to New York, he and Clarke tried out for Dizzy Gillespie’s bop-style big band by playing a song called “Bright Lights” that Lewis had written for the band they played for in the army.They both were asked to join Gillespie’s band, and the tune they originally played for Gillespie, renamed “Two Bass Hit”, became an instant success. Lewis composed, arranged and played piano for the band from 1945 until 1948 after the band made a concert tour of Europe. When Lewis returned from the tour with Gillespie’s band, he left it to work individually. Lewis was an accompanist for Charlie Parker and played on some of Parker’s famous recordings, such as “Parker’s Mood” (1948) and “Blues for Alice” (1951), but also collaborated with other prominent jazz artists such as Lester Young, Ella Fitzgerald and Illinois Jacquet.

In an article about Dexter Gordon for WorldPress.com, reviewer Ted Panken suggests that “. . . Higgins’s buoyant ride cymbal and subtle touch propels the soloists through the master take of “Milestones,” a John Lewis line for which Miles Davis took credit on his 1947 Savoy debut with Charlie Parker on tenor.” Panken seems certain of his claim but does not offer corroboration to a charge that Davis took credit for music that was not his own.

Lewis also was part of Miles Davis’s Birth of the Cool sessions. While in Europe, Lewis received letters from Davis urging him to come back to the United States and collaborate with the trumpeter, Gil Evans, Gerry Mulligan and others on the second session of Birth of the Cool. From when he returned to the U.S. in 1948 through 1949, Lewis joined Davis’s nonet and is considered “one of the more prolific arrangers with the 1949 Miles Davis Nonet”. For the Birth of the Cool sessions, Lewis arranged “S’il Vous Plait”, “Rouge”, “Move” and “Budo”.

Lewis, vibraphonist Milt Jackson, drummer Clarke and bassist Ray Brown had been the small group within the Gillespie big band, and they frequently played their own short sets when the brass and reeds needed a break or even when Gillespie’s band was not playing. The small band received a lot of positive recognition and it led to the foursome forming a full-time working group, which they initially called the Milt Jackson Quartet in 1951 but in 1952 renamed the Modern Jazz Quartet.

The Modern Jazz Quartet

The Modern Jazz Quartet was formed out of the foursome’s need for more freedom and complexity than Gillespie’s big band, dance-intended sound allowed. While Lewis wanted the MJQ to have more improvisational freedom, he also wanted to incorporate some classical elements and arrangements to his compositions. Lewis noticed that the style of bebop had turned all focus towards the soloist, and Lewis, in his compositions for the MJQ, attempted to even out the periods of improvisation with periods that were distinctly arranged. Lewis assumed the role of musical director from the start, even though the group claimed not to have a leader. It is commonly thought that “John Lewis, for reasons of his contributions to the band, was apparently the first among the equals”. Davis even once said that “John taught all of them, Milt couldn’t read at all, and bassist Percy Heath hardly”. It was Lewis who elevated the group’s collective talent because of his individual musical abilities.

Lewis gradually transformed the group away from strictly 1940’s bebop style, which served as a vehicle for an individual artist’s improvisations, and instead oriented it toward a more refined, polished, chamber style of music. Lewis’s compositions for The Modern Jazz Quartet developed a “neoclassical style” of jazz that combined the bebop style with “dynamic shading and dramatic pause more characteristic of jazz of the ’20s and ’30s”. Francis Davis, in his book In the Moment: Jazz in the 1980s, wrote that by “fashioning a group music in which the improvised chorus and all that surrounded it were of equal importance, Lewis performed a feat of magic only a handful of jazz writers, including Duke Ellington and Jelly Roll Morton, had ever pulled off—he reconciled the composer’s belief in predetermination with the improviser’s yen for free will”.

Lewis also made sure that the band was always dressed impeccably. Lewis believed that it was important to dress the way that they came across in their music: polished, elegant and unique. Lewis once said in an interview with Down Beat magazine: “My model for that was Duke Ellington. [His band] was the most elegant band I ever saw”.

From 1952 through 1974, he wrote and performed with and for the quartet. Lewis’s compositions were paramount in earning the MJQ a worldwide reputation for managing to make jazz mannered without cutting the swing out of the music. Gunther Schuller for High Fidelity Magazine wrote:

It will not come as a surprise that the Quartet’s growth has followed a line parallel to Lewis’ own development as a composer. A study of his compositions from the early “Afternoon in Paris” to such recent pieces as “La Cantatrice” and “Piazza Navona” shows an increasing technical mastery and stylistic broadening. The wonder of his music is that the various influences upon his work—whether they be the fugal masterpieces of Bach, the folk-tinged music of Bartók, the clearly defined textures of Stravinsky’s “Agon”, or the deeply felt blues atmosphere that permeates all his music—these have all become synthesized into a thoroughly homogeneous personal idiom. That is why Lewis’ music, though not radical in any sense, always sounds fresh and individual.

During the same time period, Lewis held various other positions as well, including head of faculty for the summer sessions held at the Lenox School of Jazz in Lenox, Massachusetts from 1957 to 1960, director of the annual Monterey Jazz Festival in California from 1958 to 1983, and its musical consultant, and “he formed the cooperative big band Orchestra U.S.A., which performed and recorded Third Stream compositions (1962–65)”. Orchestra U.S.A., along with all of Lewis’s compositions in general, were very influential in developing “Third Stream” music, which was largely defined by the interweave between classical and jazz traditions. He also formed the Jazz and Classical Music Society in 1955, which hosted concerts in Town Hall in New York City that assisted in this new genre of classically influenced jazz to increase in popularity. Furthermore, Lewis was also commissioned to compose the score to the 1957 film Sait-On Jamais, and his later film work included the scores to Odds Against Tomorrow (1959), A Milanese Story (1962), Derek Jarman’s version of The Tempest (1979), and the TV movie Emmanuelle 4: Concealed Fantasy (1994). His score to Odds Against Tomorrow was released on both an original soundtrack album (UA 5061) and an interpretation album by the MJQ in 1959.

The MJQ disbanded in 1974 because Jackson felt that the band was not getting enough money for the level of prestige the quartet had in the music scene. During this break, Lewis taught at the City College of New York and at Harvard University. Lewis was also able to travel to Japan, where CBS commissioned his first solo piano album. While in Japan, Lewis also collaborated with Hank Jones and Marian McPartland, with whom he performed piano recitals on various occasions.

In 1981, the Modern Jazz Quartet re-formed for a tour of Japan and the United States, although the group did not plan on performing regularly together again. Since the MJQ was no longer his primary career, Lewis had time to form and play in a sextet called the John Lewis Group. A few years later, in 1985, Lewis collaborated with Gary Giddins and Roberta Swann to form the American Jazz Orchestra. Additionally, he continued to teach jazz piano to aspiring jazz students, which he had done throughout his career. His teaching style involved making sure the student was fluent in “three basic forms: the blues, a ballad, and a piece that moves”. He continued teaching late into his life.

In the 1990s, Lewis partook of various musical ventures, including participating in the Re-birth of the Cool sessions with Gerry Mulligan in 1992, and “The Birth of the Third Stream” with Gunther Schuller, Charles Mingus and George Russell, and recorded his final albums with Atlantic Records, Evolution and Evolution II, in 1999 and 2000 respectively. He also continued playing sporadically with the MJQ until 1999, when Jackson died.

Lewis performed a final concert at Lincoln Center in New York and played a repertoire that represented his full musical ability—from solo piano to big-band and everything in between.^[30] John Lewis died in New York City on March 31, 2001, at the age of 80, after a long battle with prostate cancer.

Style and influence

Leonard Feather’s opinion of Lewis’s work is representative of many other knowledgeable jazz listeners and critics: “Completely self-sufficient and self-confident, he knows exactly what he wants from his musicians, his writing and his career and he achieves it with an unusual quiet firmness of manner, coupled with modesty and a complete indifference to critical reaction.” Lewis was not only this way with his music, but his personality exemplified these same qualities.

Lewis, who was significantly influenced by the arranging style and carriage of Count Basie, played with a tone quality that made listeners and critics feel as though every note was deliberate. Schuller remembered of Lewis at his memorial service that “he had a deep concern for every detail, every nuance in the essentials of music”. Lewis became associated with representing a modernized Basie style, exceptionally skilled at creating music that was spacious, powerful and yet, refined. In an interview with Metronome magazine, Lewis himself said:

My ideals stem from what led to and became Count Basie’s band of the ’30s and ’40s. This group produced an integration of ensemble playing which projected—and sounded like—the spontaneous playing of ideas which were the personal expression of each member of the band rather than the arrangers or composers. This band had some of the greatest jazz soloists exchanging and improvising ideas with and counter to the ensemble and the rhythm section, the whole permeated with the fold-blues element developed to a most exciting degree. I don’t think it is possible to plan or make that kind of thing happen. It is a natural product and all we can do is reach and strive for it.

It is considered, however, that Lewis was successful in exemplifying, in his arrangements and compositions, this skill that he admired. Because of his classical training, in addition to his exposure to bebop, Lewis was able to combine the two disparate musical styles and refine jazz so that there was a “sheathing of bop’s pointed anger in exchange for concert hall respectability”.

Lewis was also influenced by the improvisations of Lester Young on the saxophone. Lewis had not been the first to be influenced by a horn player. Earl Hines in his early years looked to Louis Armstrong’s improvisations for inspiration and Bud Powell looked to Charlie Parker. Lewis also claims to have been influenced by Hines himself.

Lewis was also heavily influenced by European classical music. Many of his compositions for the MJQ and his own personal compositions incorporated various classically European techniques such as fugue and counterpoint, and the instrumentation he chose for his pieces, sometimes including a string orchestra.

In the early 1980s, Lewis’s influence came from the pianists he enjoyed listening to: Art Tatum, Hank Jones and Oscar Peterson.

Piano style

Len Lyons depicts Lewis’s piano, composition and personal style when he introduces Lewis in Lyons’ book The Great Jazz Pianists: “Sitting straight-backed, jaw rigid, presiding over the glistening white keyboard of the grand piano, John Lewis clearly brooks no nonsense in his playing, indulges in no improvisational frvolity, and exhibits no breach of discipline nor any phrase that could be construed as formally incorrect. Lewis, of course, can swing, play soulful blues and emote through his instrument, but it is the swing and sweat of the concert hall, not of smoke-filled, noisy nightclubs.” Although Lewis is considered to be a bebop pianist, he is also considered to be one of the more conservative players. Instead of emphasizing the intense, fast tempoed bebop style, his piano style was geared towards emphasizing jazz as an “expression of quiet conflict”. His piano style, bridging the gap between classical, bop, stride and blues, made him so “it was not unusual to hear him mentioned in the same breath with Morton, Ellington, and Monk”. On the piano, his improvisational style was primarily quiet and gentle and understated. Lewis once advised three saxophonists who were improvising on one of his original compositions: “You have to put yourself at the service of the melody…. Your solos should expand the melody or contract it”. This was how he approached his solos as well. He proved in his solos that taking a “simple and straightforward… approach to a melody could… put [musicians] in touch with such complexities of feeling”, which the audience appreciated just as much as the musicians themselves.

His accompaniment for other musicians’ solos was just as delicate. Thomas Owens describes his accompaniment style by noting that “rather than comping—punctuating the melody with irregularly placed chords—he often played simple counter-melodies in octaves which combined with the solo and bass parts to form a polyphonic texture”.

Compositions and arrangements

Similarly to his personal piano playing style, Lewis was drawn in his compositions to minimalism and simplicity. Many of his compositions were based on motifs and relied on few chord progressions. Francis Davis comments: “I think too, that the same conservative lust for simplicity of forms that draws Lewis to the Renaissance and the Baroque draws him inevitably to the blues, another form of music permitting endless variation only within the logic of rigid boundaries”.

His compositions were influenced by 18th-century melodies and harmonies, but also showed an advanced understanding of the “secrets of tension and release, the tenets of dynamic shading and dramatic pause” that was reminiscent of classic arrangements by Basie and Ellington in the early swing era. This combining of techniques led to Lewis becoming a pioneer in Third Stream Jazz, which was combined classical, European practices with jazz’s improvisational and big-band characteristics.

Lewis, in his compositions, experimented with writing fugues and incorporating classical instrumentation. An article in The New York Times wrote that “His new pieces and reworkings of older pieces are designed to interweave string orchestra and jazz quartet as equals”. High Fidelity magazine wrote that his “works not only show a firm control of the compositional medium, but tackle in a fresh way the complex problem of inprovisation with composed frameworks”.

Thomas Owen believes that “[Lewis’] best pieces for the MJQ are Django, the ballet suite The Comedy (1962, Atl.), and especially the four pieces Versailles, Three Windows, Vendome and Concorde… combine fugal imitation and non-imitative polyphonic jazz in highly effective ways.”

Discography

As leader/co-leader

• Grand Encounter (Pacific Jazz, 1956) – with Bill Perkins, Jim Hall, Percy Heath & Chico Hamilton
• Afternoon in Paris (Atlantic, 1957) – with Sacha Distel
• The John Lewis Piano (Atlantic, 1957)
• European Windows (RCA-Victor, 1958)
• Improvised Meditations and Excursions (Atlantic, 1959)
• Odds Against Tomorrow (Soundtrack) (United Artists, 1959)
• The Golden Striker (Atlantic, 1960)
• The Wonderful World of Jazz (Atlantic, 1960)
• Jazz Abstractions (Atlantic, 1960) – with Gunther Schuller and Jim Hall
• Original Sin (Atlantic, 1961)
• A Milanese Story (Soundtrack) (Atlantic, 1962)
• European Encounter (Atlantic, 1962) – with Svend Asmussen
• Animal Dance (Atlantic, 1962 [1964]) – with Albert Mangelsdorff
• Essence (Atlantic, 1960-62) – music composed and arranged by Gary McFarland
• P.O.V. (Columbia, 1975)
• Statements and Sketches for Development (CBS, 1976)
• Sensitive Scenery (Columbia, 1977)
• Helen Merrill/John Lewis (Mercury, 1977) with Helen Merrill
• Mirjana (Ahead, 1978) featuring Christian Escoudé
• An Evening with Two Grand Pianos (Little David, 1979) with Hank Jones
• Piano Play House (Toshiba, 1979) with Hank Jones
• Duo (Eastword, 1981) with Lew Tabackin
• Kansas City Breaks (Finesse, 1982)
• Slavic Smile (Baystate, 1982) with the New Jazz Quartet
• Preludes and Fugues from the Well-tempered Clavier Book 1 (1984, Philips)
• The Bridge Game (1984, Philips)
• The Chess Game Volume 1 (1990, Polygram Records)
• The Chess Game Volume 2 (1990, Polygram Records)
• Private Concert (1991, Emaecy)
• Evolution (Atlantic, 1999)
• Evolution II (Atlantic, 2000)

As sideman with Charlie Parker

• The Genius of Charlie Parker (1945–8, Savoy 12009)
• “Parker’s Mood” (1948)
• Charlie Parker (1951–3, Clef 287)
• “Blues for Alice” (1951)

As member of the Miles Davis Nonet

• The Complete Birth of the Cool (1948–50, Capitol Jazz)

As leader of Orchestra U.S.A. (with Gunther Schuller and Harold Farberman)

• Orchestra U.S.A. (1963, Colpix 448), including “Three Little Feelings”

Recordings with the Modern Jazz Quartet

• Vendome (1952, Prestige 851)
• Modern Jazz Quartet, ii (1954–5, Prestige 170) incl. “Django” (1954)
• Concorde (1955, Prestige 7005)
• Fontessa (1956, Atlantic 1231) included “Versailles”
• The Modern Jazz Quartet Plays No Sun in Venice (Atlantic, 1957)
• The Modern Jazz Quartet (Atlantic, 1957)
• Third Stream Music (1957, 1959–60, Atlantic. 1345) including “Sketch for Double String Quartet” (1959)
• The Modern Jazz Quartet and the Oscar Peterson Trio at the Opera House (Verve, 1957)
• The Modern Jazz Quartet at Music Inn Volume 2 (Atlantic, 1958)
• Music from Odds Against Tomorrow (United Artists, 1959)
• Pyramid (Atlantic, 1960)
• European Concert (Atlantic, 1960 [1962])
• Dedicated to Connie (Atlantic, 1960 [1995])
• The Modern Jazz Quartet & Orchestra (Atlantic, 1960)
• The Comedy (1962, Atlantic 1390)
• Lonely Woman (Atlantic, 1962)
• A Quartet is a Quartet is a Quartet (1963, Atlantic 1420)
• Collaboration (Atlantic, 1964) – with Laurindo Almeida
• The Modern Jazz Quartet Plays George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess (Atlantic, 1964–65)
• Jazz Dialogue (Atlantic, 1965) with the All-Star Jazz Band
• Concert in Japan ’66 (Atlantic [Japan], 1966)
• Blues at Carnegie Hall (Atlantic, 1966)
• Place Vendôme (Philips, 1966) – with The Swingle Singers
• Under the Jasmin Tree (Apple, 1968)
• Space (Apple, 1969)
• Plastic Dreams (Atlantic, 1971)
• The Legendary Profile (Atlantic, 1974)
• In Memoriam (Little David, 1973)
• Blues on Bach (Atlantic, 1973)
• The Last Concert (Atlantic, 1974)
• Reunion at Budokan 1981 (Pablo, 1981)
• Together Again: Live at the Montreux Jazz Festival ’82 (Pablo, 1982)
• Echoes (Pablo, 1984)
• Topsy: This One’s for Basie (Pablo, 1985)
• Three Windows (Atlantic, 1987)
• For Ellington (East West, 1988)
• MJQ & Friends: A 40th Anniversary Celebration (Atlantic, 1992–93)

With Clifford Brown

• Memorial Album (Blue Note, 1953)

With Ruth Brown

• Ruth Brown (Atlantic, 1957)

With Dizzy Gillespie

• The Complete RCA Victor Recordings (Bluebird, 1937-1949, [1995])
• The Bop Session (Sonet, 1975) with Sonny Stitt, Percy Heath and Max Roach

With Milt Jackson

• Ballads & Blues (Atlantic, 1956)

With Sonny Stitt

• Sonny Stitt/Bud Powell/J. J. Johnson (Prestige, 1949 [1956]) – with J. J. Johnson

Barney Wilen

• Jazz Sur Seine (Philips, 1958 [2000])

Contributions

• Bill Evans: A Tribute (Palo Alto, 1982) – performs “I’ll Remember April”
• The Jazztet and John Lewis (Argo, 1961) – as composer and arranger

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0Wu8bmQl0E

above: John Lewis performing “I Can’t Get Started”

for more information: jazz.com

source: wikipedia.org

John Kurzweg ~ Santa Fe

Kurzweg (b. September 5, 1960) is a Santa Fe based record producer and musician who first became known for his work with successful post-grunge band Creed in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Three of Creed’s records, which Kurzweg produced, were certified multi-platinum and helped Creed achieve worldwide popularity. Kurzweg also played keyboards and sang background vocals on Creed’s first three albums. After Creed broke up in 2004, Kurzweg produced lead vocalist Scott Stapp’s platinum-selling debut album The Great Divide in 2005. Kurzweg has also produced other popular bands, such as Puddle of Mudd and Socialburn, as well as solo artists Jewel and Eagle Eye Cherry.

Kurzweg produced multiple albums for Puddle of Mudd, including their 2001 break-out success “Come Clean” and the majority of their follow-up release Life on Display in 2003. Kurzweg produced “Blurry,” which was released as their second single from the album Come Clean. The song is the band’s best known song, reaching the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks and Hot Modern Rock Tracks charts for ten and nine weeks, respectively. This soon propelled the single to mainstream success, reaching the No. 5 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay and Billboard Hot 100. The song is also the band’s highest selling U.S. single ever, with sales of 753,000 copies, as of 2010. The single “She Hates Me” continued the group’s popularity on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 13. It also topped the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart for one week in October. The popularity of “She Hates Me” made it become Puddle of Mudd’s second single to sell over 500,000 copies in the United States, following “Blurry”. The song peaked at No. 14 in the UK Singles Chart making it the group’s third Top 20 hit.

Prior to his success as record producer, in the 1980s, Kurzweg was a popular musician in the Tallahassee area, fronting bands such as Slapstick, Synergy, The Front, Radio Bikini and John Kurzweg and the Night. In late 1980s Kurzweg signed a record deal with Atlantic Records, which he released under the name John Phillip (using his middle name as his last name). The album, Wait for the Night, did not meet Kurzweg’s expectations and he returned to Tallahassee to pursue continue making music on his own terms.

Most recently Kurzweg has worked as producer, engineer and mixer for Godsmack’s “Whiskey Hangover”, which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks, and appeared on the deluxe edition of The Oracle.

Kurzweg also served as and produced/engineered/mixed/co-wrote and played all the electric guitars on The Sean Healen Band’s 2009 cd Floodplain, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Floodplain was awarded Best Rock CD 2009 at the New Mexico Music Awards.

Kurzweg also produced two of the tracks on Puddle of Mudd’s 2009 release Vol. 4 Songs in the Key of Love and Hate – “Better Place” and “Hooky”.

above: John Kurzweg performing with Dale Shumate and Terry Clarkat at The Moon in Tallahasse, Florida, 2014.

for more information: johnkurzweg.com

source: wikipedia.org

Alberto Nelson “Al Hurricane” Sanchez ~ Dixon | Albuquerque

Recipient of the New Mexico Music Commission’s 2017 Platinum Music Award, Al Hurricane (July 10, 1936-October 22, 2017) is a singer-songwriter, dubbed “The Godfather” of New Mexico music. He has released more than thirty albums and is best known for his contributions to New Mexico’s unique style of Spanish music.

He received his nickname, Hurricane, from his mother. As a child, he would accidentally knock things over; the nickname became synonymous with his band, studio, and a recording label. His signature look, which includes an eye-patch, is due to an automobile accident that occurred during the 1960s. These things, as well as his performance style, have led to Al Hurricane being known for his ability to improvise and adapt. They have also led to his music and image being ultimately entangled with the history of New Mexico music.

Al Hurricane is often accompanied on stage by his children, sons Al Hurricane, Jr. and Jerry Dean, and daughter Erika. He has also performed frequently with his brothers Baby Gaby and Tiny Morrie. He was the subject of a tribute concert which was recorded as a set of two tribute albums, as well a DVD. He has also performed alongside Fats Domino, Marvin Gaye, Chuck Berry, Jimmy Clanton, and Chubby Checker.

Hard-working father and tenacious mother (1930s – 1950s)

Al Hurricane was born Alberto Nelson Sanchez the first of four children to Jose Margarito Sanchez (April 28, 1910, Ojo Sarco, New Mexico – September 10, 1979, Albuquerque, New Mexico) and Bennie L. Sanchez (November 26, 1918, Albuquerque, New Mexico – January 27, 2011, Albuquerque, New Mexico) in Dixon, New Mexico.

The Sanchez family moved to Silver City and the father worked in the mines, until he became injured. At which point Bennie returned to work as a clerk at a department store in a Silver City. Jose had a band, called Los Sanchez, Bennie would often join in on vocals and guitar. She eventually became a licensed practical nurse while traveling with physicians throughout Northern New Mexico. His father and mother were extremely supportive of their children. Jose, Al’s father, was a miner during most of his childhood; but he still found the time to teach the, five-year-old, Alberto how to play the guitar. Al’s mother, Bennie, made quite a name for herself, she became the president of Hurricane Enterprises. She not only promoted her musically-inclined family, but also promoted concerts for Johnny Cash, Ray Charles, Chubby Checker, Fats Domino, Little Richard and, the one she was particularly proud of, a 1972 Elvis Presley concert in Albuquerque. Her own musically talented family didn’t just consist of her sons Al Hurricane, Baby Gaby and Tiny Morrie. It also consisted of Al Hurricane’s sons Al Hurricane, Jr. and Jerry Dean; as well as Tiny Morrie’s children Lorenzo Antonio and the members of Sparx.

During his childhood he moved to Albuquerque, where he began to play and perform in Old Town at the age of 12. He attended Old Albuquerque High, which he graduated in 1954.

Al Hurricane & the Night Rockers (1950s – 1960s)

Al became a singing waiter at the La Casita Restaurant in Old Town and, while he wasn’t working, he played for tips in and around Old Town Plaza. He also began to sing and write country and rock n’ roll music. During this time Al would also perform at the Sky Line Club. It was at this club, and several others, around Albuquerque and New Mexico that he built his audience. One of Al Hurricane’s first single records was distributed by Warner Bros. Records it contains two tracks, titled “Lobo” & “Racer”. They are both instrumental rock songs and were released in 1962 under the band name Al Hurricane & the Night Rockers with writing credits to “Albert Sanchez – Morrie Sanchez”. Other single recordings by Al Hurricane from this time, recorded at Norman Petty’s studio include, “South Bend / Burrito” (1960 Apt Records instrumental), “Panchita / La Mula Bronca” (Challenge Records, first tracks with vocals), “Mexican Cat / Pedro’s Girlfriend” (Hurricane Records instrumental), “Rosita’s Café / Only A Game (Tiny Morrie)” (Hurricane Records).

Recording and touring (1960s – 1970s)

A few years later, in 1967, he would release his first album, which was titled Mi Saxophone. The two lead singles off that album were “Sentimiento” and its eponymous song “Mi Saxophone”. “Sentimiento” had already been released in 1965 as a single. These early recordings were recorded on equipment purchased from Norman Petty, that Buddy Holly recorded on. This recording equipment gave the recordings their signature 50s sound.

He began to perform outside the New Mexico music scene, performing in throughout the American Southwest and Western United States in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming; he even toured Northern Mexico in Baja California, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Mexico City, Nuevo León, Sonora, and Tamaulipas. In fact, it was on his way to a concert in Denver, Colorado. on November 1, 1969, where he got into a car accident in which he lost his right-eye. This did not deter him from pursuing his musical career, instead it gave him his unique performing look, an eye-patch across his right eye. He even went on to play other American cities in other regions such as Chicago and Miami; Al Hurricane has even played internationally in the cities of Asunción, Buenos Aires, and Málaga.

Al recorded several albums from 1967-to-1974, these included three albums recorded around 1973; Canciones del Alma, Sigue Cantando, and Corridos Canta. These were each Spanish language releases, which continued to blend the sounds of New Mexico, the Southwestern United States’. The Latin, folk, and country/western sound was a hit each of the three communities of fans. Both Chicano and Country venues would be popular spots for Al Hurricane to play his music.

Another release at the time, Instrumentales con Al Hurricane, saw Al return to his old instrumental rock style of music.

In 1974, Al Hurricane saw two major milestones. his first full-length collaborative album with his brother Tiny Morrie; Para Las Madrecitas, the album is a tribute album to their mom, and a tribute to mothers in general. It also saw “Sentimiento”, his first hit single, selling its two-hundred-and-fifty-thousandth copy.

“Val de la O Show” & “The Far West Club” (1970s – 1980s)

Al Hurricane performed on a popular nationally syndicated television show called the Val De La O Show. It was a talk show and a music variety show. On his appearances he chatted with the host, and performed new hits from his recently released albums, which included material from his albums up to Vestido Mojado. The songs he played on the show also included a live performance of a Mariachi version of his hit “Sentimiento”, to lip sync-style music videos of recent hits like “Vestido Mojado”. The music video clips also contained some of his first video appearances performing with his son, Al Hurricane, Jr., as well as his brothers Tiny Morrie and Baby Gaby.

During the late 1960s, Al Hurricane, Tiny Morrie, and Bennie Sanchez purchased The Sky Line Club and renamed it “The Far West” in the early 1970s. From here Al performed with a band billed as Al Hurricane Band. The nightclub also became a hotspot for Country/Western and Spanish language music and dance. Artists like Purple Haze made the club their regular place to perform. It was also a spot where traveling Chicano and Tejano artists would perform, including Selena.

In 1979, father and son, Al Hurricane and Al Hurricane, Jr. recorded their first album together called Cantan Corridos.

“La Prision de Santa Fe” and “Bandido” (1980s – 1990s)

During Selena’s concert in the early 1980s, which Bennie Sanchez promoted, Selena met Al Hurricane and heard him perform his song “Sentimiento”. She went on to perform a cover, called “Sentimientos”, on her Alpha LP.

After the New Mexico State Penitentiary riot, in 1980, Al Hurricane wrote a song that was “strictly narrative, not a subjective account or soapbox. The song does not attempt to assign blame.”The song was called “(El Corrido De) La Prison De Santa Fe” it is the lead song on an album titled, La Prision de Santa Fe.

A few of Bennie Sanchez’s kids, Al Hurricane, Tiny Morrie, and Baby Gaby, got together to do a tribute album for her. It was similar in concept as Al and Morrie’s previous mother related album, but it was a bit more ambitious than their previous effort. Madrecita, Te Debo Tanto also had performances by Lorenzo Antonio and Gloria Pohl, the wife of Tiny Morrie, the mother of Lorenzo Antonio.

After these two projects, Al Hurricane became the lead singer in the supergroup Bandido. The band released four albums during the 1980s, it saw success not just on New Mexico radio; but also in Chicago, along the west coast, and internationally in Germany, Venezuela, and Spain.

The 80s also saw the release of another collaborative effort, this time it was collaborative compilation with Morrie and Jr., entitled 15 Exitos Rancheros. The album was a hit within Albuquerque, and got plenty of airtime on Radio Lobo.

After three Bandido releases, two collaborative family LPs, and a compilation album called Exitos De Al Hurricane. Al Hurricane released his next solo album The Return of Al Hurricane “EL” Godfather.

“La Leyenda” and “The Godfather” (1990s – 2000s)

He did another collaborative compilation album with Tiny Morrie and Al Hurricane, Jr. 15 Exitos Rancheros, Vol. 2 in 1994.

Once he returned to his solo albums Al Hurricane began to focus more on Ranchera music on his 1995 Sigue… “La Leyenda”!!! and mid-90s album The Legend of New Mexico. Not only did he want emphasize the Ranchera sound, he also wanted to focus on his roots in Rock and Country/Western, he re-added Chuck Berry’s Johnny B. Goode and Hank Williams’ Jambalaya to his live-music repertoire.

In 2000, Al Hurricane was the subject of a documentary by DJR Productions, Al Hurricane: Native Legend. The documentary focused on the life and career of Al Hurricane. It ran sixty minutes, and contained old footage and photographs of Al Hurricane throughout his life. It also contained live performances of “Sentimiento”, “Johnny B. Goode”, and his, then unreleased, “Siempre”.

The album, Siempre, came out soon after the release of the documentary.; it continued Al Hurricane’s focus on Ranchera and Western sound, while adding in a Cumbia vibe into the beat. ¡Que Viva El Godfather!, released in 2003, showed an increased enthusiasm to include an even stronger mix of Ranchera and Cumbia. Both albums contained number one hits on local New Mexico radio stations.

Al Hurricane’s touring hadn’t stopped, he had continued to tour nationally and internationally. In Saginaw, Michigan, Al even managed to pull in a crowd of 8,000 people. According to a local paper, “the bouncy music was something even those who don’t habla Español still could savor.”

“Tribute” and “Hey Sugar Baby!” (2000s – 2010s)

Al Hurricane recorded his next album, Albuquerque, in 2007. The following year Isleta Casino & Showroom played host to A Tribute To Al Hurricane, the concert was recorded and released a set of two CDs and a DVD. The DVD contained small documentary-like slideshows that educate the audience in order to inform them on the upcoming artists and songs.

His latest album, 2010’s Hey Sugar Baby! had Al Hurricane playing around his sound in fun and creative ways. The album ventures in Reggae, Reggaeton, as well as Italian, Brazilian, and Turkish genres.

Personal life

He was married twice, but is no longer married. He has had eight children: Al Hurricane Jr., Darlene, Sandra, and Jerry Dean from his first marriage, and Nelson, Erika, and Danielle and Lynnea from his second marriage. Lynnea, the twin of Danielle, died at the age of 2.

Discography

Solo studio albums

• Mi Saxophone (1968)
• Canciones del Alma (1970?)
• Sigue Cantando (1973?)
• Corridos Canta (1973?)
• Instrumentales con Al Hurricane (1973?)
• Vestido Mojado (1974)
• La Prision de Santa Fe (1980)
• Exitos De Al Hurricane (1980?)
• The Return of Al Hurricane “EL” Godfather (1980?)
• Sigue… “La Leyenda”!!! (1995)
• The Legend of New Mexico (1995?)
• Siempre (2000?)
• ¡Que Viva El Godfather! (2003)
• Albuquerque (2007)
• Hey Sugar Baby! (2010)

Studio albums with Tiny Morrie, Al Hurricane, Jr., Gloria Pohl, Baby Gaby, Lorenzo Antonio

• Para Las Madrecitas with Tiny Morrie (1974)
• Cantan Corridos with Al Hurricane, Jr. (1979)
• Madrecita, Te Debo Tanto with Tiny Morrie, Al Hurricane, Jr., Gloria Pohl, Baby Gaby, and Lorenzo Antonio (1979)
• 15 Exitos Rancheros with Tiny Morrie & Al Hurricane, Jr. (1986)
• 15 Exitos Rancheros, Vol. 2 with Tiny Morrie & Al Hurricane, Jr. (1994)
• Live at the Kimo – Vol.1 and Vol. 2 – with Al Hurricane, Jr. (2014)

Studio albums with Bandido

Under the EMI Capitol and/or Discos Musart label, in the 1980s Al Hurricane released four albums with the supergroup Bandido.

• Bandido (first release)
• Bandido (second release)
• Bandido (third release)
• 15 Exitos de Groupo Bandido

Live tribute albums

• A Tribute To Al Hurricane – Live, Vol. 1 (2008)
• A Tribute To Al Hurricane – Live, Vol. 2 (2008)

Documentaries with live performances

• Al Hurricane: Native Legend (2000)
• A Tribute To Al Hurricane (2008)

above: Al Hurricane’s tribute video from the 2017 Platinum Music Awards show.

for more information: alhurricane.net

source: wikipedia.org

Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr. ~ Roswell

Henry, professionally as John Denver (b. December 31, 1943 – d. October 12, 1997), was a singer-songwriter, actor, activist and humanitarian, whose greatest commercial success was as a solo singer, 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 firmly established as America’s best-selling performer, and AllMusic has described Denver as “among the most beloved entertainers of his era”. After traveling and living in numerous locations while growing up in his military family, Denver began his music career in folk music groups in the late 1960s. Throughout his life, Denver recorded and released approximately 300 songs, about 200 of which he composed, with total sales of over 33 million.

He recorded and performed primarily with an acoustic guitar and sang about his joy in nature, his enthusiasm for music, and his relationship trials. Denver’s music appeared on a variety of charts, including country and western, the Billboard Hot 100, and adult contemporary, in all earning him twelve gold and four platinum albums with his signature songs “Take Me Home, Country Roads”, “Annie’s Song”, “Rocky Mountain High”, “Thank God I’m a Country Boy”, and “Sunshine on My Shoulders”.

Denver further starred in films and several notable television specials in the 1970s and 1980s. In the following decade, he continued to record, but also focused on calling attention to environmental issues, lent his vocal support to space exploration, and testified in front of Congress to protest against censorship in music. He was known for his love of the state of Colorado, which he sang about numerous times. He lived in Aspen, Colorado, for much of his life. He was named Poet Laureate of the state in 1974. The Colorado state legislature also adopted “Rocky Mountain High” as one of its state songs in 2007. Denver was an avid pilot and died in a single-fatality crash of his personal experimental aircraft at the age of 53.

Early years

Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr., was born in Roswell, New Mexico, to Erma Louise Swope and Lt. Col. Henry John Deutschendorf, Sr., an Air Force officer (who set three speed records in the B-58 Hustler bomber and earned a place in the Air Force Hall of Fame). Henry Sr. was of German ancestry, and met and married his “Oklahoma Sweetheart”. Denver’s Irish Catholic and German maternal grandmother was the one who imbued Denver with his love of music. In his autobiography, Take Me Home, Denver described his life as the eldest son of a family shaped by a stern father who could not show his love for his children. He is also the nephew of singer Dave Deutschendorf of The New Christy Minstrels.

Because Denver’s father was in the military, the family moved often, making it difficult for Denver to make friends and fit in with people of his own age. Constantly being the new kid was agony for the introverted child, and he grew up always feeling as if he should be somewhere else, but never knowing where that “right” place was. While living in Tucson, Arizona, Denver was a member of the Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus for two years. Denver was happy living in Tucson, but his father was transferred to Montgomery, Alabama, then in the midst of the Montgomery boycotts. The family later moved to Fort Worth, Texas, where Denver graduated from Arlington Heights High School. Attending high school in Fort Worth was a distressing experience for the disenfranchised Denver. In his third year of high school, he borrowed his father’s car and ran away 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 finish high school.

At the age of 11, Denver received an acoustic guitar from his grandmother. He learned to play well enough to perform at local clubs by the time he was in college. He adopted the surname “Denver” after the capital of his favorite state, Colorado. He decided to change his name when Randy Sparks, founder of The New Christy Minstrels, suggested that “Deutschendorf” wouldn’t fit comfortably on a marquee. Denver studied Architecture at Texas Tech University in Lubbock and sang in a folk-music group called “The Alpine Trio” while pursuing architectural studies. He was also a member of Delta Tau Delta Fraternity. Denver dropped out of the Texas Tech School of Engineering in 1963, and moved to Los Angeles, where he sang in folk clubs. In 1965, Denver joined the Chad Mitchell Trio, a folk group that had been renamed “The Mitchell Trio” prior to Chad Mitchell’s departure and before Denver’s arrival, and then “Denver, Boise, and Johnson” (John Denver, David Boise, and Michael Johnson).

In 1969, Denver abandoned the band life to pursue a solo career and released his first album for RCA Records: Rhymes & Reasons. Two years prior, Denver had made a self-produced demo recording of some of the songs he played at his concerts. He included in the demo a song he had written called “Babe I Hate to Go”, later renamed “Leaving on a Jet Plane”. Denver made several copies and gave them out as presents for Christmas. Producer Milt Okun, who produced records for the Mitchell Trio and the high-profile folk group Peter, Paul and Mary, had become Denver’s producer as well. Okun brought the unreleased “Jet Plane” song to Peter, Paul and Mary. Their version of the song hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Denver’s composition also made it to the U.K. No.2 spot in February 1970, having also made No.1 on the U.S. Cash Box chart in December, 1969. (Ironically, this was the only single to hit number one for the group.)

Although RCA did not actively promote Rhymes & Reasons with a tour, Denver himself embarked on an impromptu supporting tour throughout the Midwest, stopping at towns and cities as the fashion took him, offering to play free concerts at local venues. When he was successful in persuading a school, college, American Legion hall, or local coffee-house to let him play, he would spend a day or so distributing posters in the town and could usually be counted upon to show up at the local radio station, guitar in hand, offering himself for an interview. With his foot in the door as author of “Leaving on a Jet Plane”, he was often successful in gaining some valuable promotional airtime, usually featuring one or two songs performed live. Some venues would let him play for the “door”; others restricted him to selling copies of the album at intermission and after the show. After several months of this constant low-key touring schedule, however, he had sold enough albums to persuade RCA to take a chance on extending his recording contract. He had also built a sizable and solid fan base, many of whom remained loyal throughout his career.

Denver recorded two more albums in 1970, Take Me to Tomorrow and Whose Garden Was This, including a mix of songs he had written and cover versions of other artists’ compositions.

Career peak

His next album, Poems, Prayers, and Promises (released in 1971), was a breakthrough for him in the U.S., thanks in part to the single “Take Me Home, Country Roads”, which went to number 2 on the Billboard charts despite the first pressings of the track being distorted. Its success was due in part to the efforts of his new manager, future Hollywood producer Jerry Weintraub, who signed Denver in 1970. Weintraub insisted on a re-issue of the track and began a radio-airplay campaign that started in Denver, Colorado. Denver’s career flourished from then on, and he had a series of hits over the next four years. In 1972, Denver scored his first Top Ten album with Rocky Mountain High, with its title track reaching the Top Ten in 1973. Between 1974 and 1975, Denver experienced an impressive chart dominance, with a string of four No.1 songs (“Sunshine on My Shoulders”, “Annie’s Song”, “Thank God I’m a Country Boy”, and “I’m Sorry”) and three No.1 albums (John Denver’s Greatest Hits, Back Home Again, and Windsong).

In the 1970s, Denver’s onstage appearance included long blond hair, embroidered shirts emblazoned with images commonly associated with the American West (created by designer & appliqué artist Anna Zapp), and “granny” glasses. His manager, Jerry Weintraub, insisted on a significant number of television appearances, including a series of half-hour shows in United Kingdom, despite Denver’s protests at the time, “I’ve had no success in Britain… I mean none.” Weintraub explained to Maureen Orth of Newsweek in December 1976, “I knew the critics would never go for John. I had to get him to the people.”

After appearing as a guest on many shows, Denver went on to host his own variety/music specials, including several concerts from Red Rocks Amphitheatre near Denver. His seasonal special, Rocky Mountain Christmas, was watched by more than 60 million people and was the highest-rated show for the ABC network at that time.

His live concert special, An Evening with John Denver, won the 1974–1975 Emmy for Outstanding Special, Comedy-Variety or Music. When Denver ended his business relationship because of Weintraub’s focus on other projects, Weintraub threw Denver out of his office and called him a Nazi. Denver would later tell Arthur Tobier, when the latter transcribed 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.”

Denver was also a guest star on The Muppet Show, the beginning of the lifelong friendship between Denver and Jim Henson that spawned two television specials with The Muppets. He also tried acting, appearing in the The Colorado Cattle Caper episode of the McCloud television movie on February 24, 1974, and starring in the 1977 film Oh, God! opposite George Burns. Denver hosted the Grammy Awards five times in the 1970s and 1980s and guest-hosted The Tonight Show on multiple occasions. In 1975, Denver was awarded the Country Music Association’s Entertainer of the Year award. At the ceremony, the outgoing Entertainer of the Year Charlie Rich presented the award to his successor, but in protest of what he considered the inappropriateness of Denver’s selection, Rich set fire to the envelope containing the official notification of the award. However, Denver’s music was defended by country singer Kathy Mattea, who told Alanna Nash of Entertainment Weekly, “A lot of people write him off as lightweight, but he articulated a kind of optimism, and he brought acoustic music to the forefront, bridging folk, pop, and country in a fresh way… People forget how huge he was worldwide.”

In 1977, Denver co-founded The Hunger Project with Werner Erhard and Robert W. Fuller. He served for many years and supported the organization until his death. Denver was also appointed by President Jimmy Carter to serve on the President’s Commission on World Hunger, writing the song “I Want to Live” as its theme song. In 1979, Denver performed “Rhymes & Reasons” at the Music for UNICEF Concert. Royalties from the concert performances were donated to UNICEF. His father taught him to fly in the mid-1970s, which led to a reconciliation between father and son. In 1980, Denver and his father, Lt. Col. “Dutch” Deutschendorf, co-hosted an award-winning television special, “The Higher We Fly: the History of Flight”. It won the Osborn Award from the Aviation/Space Writers’ Association, and was honored by the Houston Film Festival.

Political activism

Denver became outspoken in politics in the mid-1970s. He expressed his ecologic interests in the epic 1975 song “Calypso,” which is an ode to the exploration ship and team of environmental activist Jacques Cousteau. In 1976, he campaigned for Jimmy Carter, who became a close friend and ally. Denver was a supporter of the Democratic Party and of a number of charitable causes for the environmental movement, the homeless, the poor, the hungry, and the African AIDS crisis. He founded the charitable Windstar Foundation in 1976, to promote sustainable living. His dismay at the Chernobyl disaster led to precedent-setting concerts in parts of communist Asia and Europe.

During the 1980s, Denver was critical of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Administration, but he remained active in his campaign against hunger, for which Reagan awarded Denver the Presidential World Without Hunger Award in 1985. Denver’s criticism of the conservative politics of the 1980s was expressed in his autobiographical folk-rock ballad “Let Us Begin (What Are We Making Weapons For).” Denver was also critical of the Republican-dominated Congress and American Conservatism of the 1990s. He denounced the National Rifle Association (NRA) as a corrupt political machine that could buy off politicians, and in an open letter to the media, he wrote that he opposed oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Denver had battled to expand the refuge in the 1980s, and he praised President Bill Clinton for his opposition to the proposed drilling. The letter, which he wrote in the midst of the 1996 presidential election, was one of the last he ever wrote. Denver was also on the Board of Governors of the National Space Society for many years.

Later years and humanitarian work

He had a few more U.S. Top 30 hits as the 1970s ended, but nothing to match his earlier success. He began to focus more on humanitarian and sustainability causes, focusing extensively on conservation projects. He made public expression of his acquaintances and friendships with ecological-design researchers such as Richard Buckminster Fuller (about whom he wrote and composed “What One Man Can Do”) and Amory Lovins, from whom he said he learned much. He also founded two environmental groups; the Windstar Foundation and Plant-It 2020 (originally Plant-It 2000). Denver had a keen interest in solutions to world hunger. He visited Africa during the 1980s to witness first-hand the suffering caused by starvation and to work with African leaders toward solutions.

In 1983 and 1984, Denver hosted the annual Grammy Awards. In the 1983 finale, Denver was joined on stage by folk-music legend Joan Baez with whom he led an all-star version of “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “Let The Sunshine In,” joined by such diverse musical icons as Jennifer Warnes, Donna Summer, and Rick James.

In 1984, Roone Arledge, president of ABC Sports, asked Denver to compose and sing the theme song for the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo. Denver worked as both a performer and a skiing commentator. (Skiing was another avocation of Denver’s.) He had written and composed “The Gold and Beyond,” and he sang it for the Olympic Games athletes, as well as local venues including many schools.

In 1985, Denver asked to participate in the singing of “We Are the World,” but he was turned down. According to Ken Kragen (who helped to produce the song), the reason Denver was turned down was that many people felt his image would hurt the credibility of the song as a pop-rock anthem. “I didn’t agree” with this assessment, Kragen said, but reluctantly turned Denver down anyway.

For Earth Day 1990, Denver was the on-camera narrator of a well-received environmental TV program, In Partnership With Earth, with then–EPA Administrator William K. Reilly.

Due to his love of flying, he was attracted to NASA and became dedicated to America’s work in outer space. He conscientiously worked to help bring into being the “Citizens in Space” program. Denver received the NASA Public Service Medal, in 1985 for “helping to increase awareness of space exploration by the peoples of the world,” an award usually restricted to spaceflight engineers and designers. Also in 1985, Denver passed NASA’s rigorous physical exam and was in line for a space flight, a finalist for the first citizen’s trip on the Space Shuttle in 1986, but he was not chosen. After the Challenger disaster with teacher Christa McAuliffe aboard, Denver dedicated his song “Flying for Me” to all astronauts, and he continued to support NASA.

Denver testified before the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee on the topic of censorship during a Parents Music Resource Center hearing in 1985. Denver also toured Russia in 1985. His 11 Soviet Union concerts were the first by any American artist in more than 10 years, and they marked a very important cultural exchange that culminated in an agreement to allow other western artists to perform there. He returned two years later to perform at a benefit concert for the victims of the Chernobyl disaster. In October 1992, Denver undertook a multiple-city tour of the People’s Republic of China. He also released a greatest-hits CD, “Homegrown,” to raise money for homeless charities.

In 1994, he published his autobiography, Take Me Home, in which he candidly spoke of his cannabis, LSD, and cocaine use, his marital infidelities, and his history of domestic violence. In 1996, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

In early 1997, Denver filmed an episode for the Nature series, centering on the natural wonders that inspired many of his best-loved songs. The episode contains his last song, “Yellowstone, Coming Home,” which he composed while rafting along the Colorado River with his son and young daughter.

In the summer of 1997, Denver recorded a children’s train album for Sony Wonder, titled All Aboard! This was produced by long-time friend Roger Nichols.^[28] The album consisted of old-fashioned swing, big band, folk, bluegrass, and gospel styles of music woven into a theme of railroad songs. This album won a posthumous Best Musical Album For Children Grammy for Denver, which was his only Grammy.

Personal life

Denver’s first marriage was to Annie Martell of St. Peter, Minnesota. Annie was the subject of his hit Annie’s Song, which he composed in only ten minutes while on a ski lift in 1974. The couple lived in Edina, Minnesota, from 1968 to 1971. Following the success of “Rocky Mountain High”, Denver purchased a residence in Aspen, Colorado and owned one home in Aspen continuously until his death. The Denvers adopted a son, Zachary John, and daughter, Anna Kate, who Denver would say were “meant to be” theirs Denver once said, “I’ll tell you the best thing about me. I’m some guy’s dad; I’m some little gal’s dad. When I die, Zachary John and Anna Kate’s father, boy, that’s enough for me to be remembered by. That’s more than enough.” Zachary was the subject of “A Baby Just Like You”, a song that included the line “Merry Christmas, little Zachary” and which he wrote for Frank Sinatra. Denver and Annie Martell divorced in 1982 and the ensuing property settlement caused Denver to become so enraged he nearly choked his ex-wife, then used a chainsaw to cut the marital bed in half. Martell continues to live in Aspen.

Denver married Australian actress Cassandra Delaney in 1988, after a two-year courtship. Settling at Denver’s home in Aspen, the couple had a daughter, Jesse Belle. Denver and Delaney separated in 1991 and divorced in 1993. Of his second marriage, Denver would later recall that “before our short-lived marriage ended in divorce, she managed to make a fool of me from one end of the valley to the other”.

In 1993, Denver pleaded guilty to a drunken driving charge, and was placed on probation. In August 1994, while still on probation, he was again charged with misdemeanor driving under the influence after crashing his Porsche into a tree in Aspen^. Though a jury trial in July 1997 resulted in a hung jury on the second DUI charge, prosecutors later decided to reopen the case, which was closed only after Denver’s accidental death in October 1997. In 1996, the FAA decided that Denver could no longer fly a plane due to medical disqualification for failure to abstain from alcohol, a condition that the FAA had imposed in October 1995 after his prior drunk-driving conviction.

Denver’s talent extended beyond music. Artistic interests included painting, but because of his limiting schedule he pursued photography, saying once “photography is a way to communicate a feeling”. Denver was also an avid skier and golfer, but his principle interest was in flying. His love of flying was second only to his love of music. In 1974 he bought a Learjet to fly himself to concerts. He was a collector of vintage biplanes, and in addition made the purchase of a Christen Eagle aerobatic plane, two Cessna 210 airplanes, and in 1997, an experimental, amateur-built Rutan Long-EZ.

Death

On October 12, 1997, Denver was killed when his experimental Rutan Long-EZ plane, aircraft registration number N555JD, crashed into Monterey Bay near Pacific Grove, California, while making a series of touch-and-go landings at the nearby Monterey Peninsula Airport. The National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) accident ID is LAX98FA008. Denver was the only occupant of the aircraft. The crash seriously disfigured Denver’s head and body, making identification impossible by dental records, so records of his fingerprints were used to confirm that the fallen pilot was indeed the singer.

A pilot with over 2,700 hours of experience, Denver had pilot license ratings for single-engine land and sea, multi-engine land, glider, and instrument. He also held a type rating in his Learjet. He had recently purchased the Long-EZ aircraft and had taken a half-hour checkout flight with the aircraft the day before the accident.

Denver was not legally permitted to fly at the time of the accident. In years prior Denver had a number of drunk driving arrests. In 1996, nearly a year before the accident, the Federal Aviation Administration had learned that Denver had failed to maintain sobriety by failing to refrain entirely from alcohol, and thus the FAA was compelled to revoke his medical certification. The accident, however, was not influenced by alcohol use, as there was no sign of alcohol or other drugs in Denver’s body at autopsy.

Post-accident investigation by the NTSB showed that the leading cause of the accident was Denver’s inability to switch fuel tanks during flight. The quantity of fuel had been depleted during the plane’s transfer to Monterey and in several brief practice takeoffs and landings performed by Denver at the airport immediately prior to the final flight. His newly purchased experimental Rutan had an unusual fuel selector valve handle configuration. Intended by the plane’s designer to be located between the pilot’s legs, the fuel selector had instead been placed by the plane’s builder behind the left shoulder of the pilot, with the fuel gauge also behind the pilot’s seat and thus not visible to the person at the controls. An NTSB interview with the aircraft mechanic servicing Denver’s plane revealed that he and Denver had discussed the inaccessibility of the cockpit fuel selector valve handle and its resistance to being turned.

Before the flight, Denver and the mechanic had attempted to extend the reach of the handle, using a pair of Vise-Grip pliers. However, this did not solve the problem, as the pilot could still not reach the handle while strapped into his seat. NTSB investigators’ post-accident investigation showed that given the positioning of the fuel selector valves, switching the craft’s fuel tanks required a pilot to turn his body 90 degrees to reach the valve. This created a natural tendency to extend one’s right foot against the right rudder pedal to support oneself while turning in the seat, causing the aircraft to yaw (move off course) and pitch up.

According to the mechanic, after he had noted to Denver that the fuel sight gauges were visible only to the rear cockpit occupant, Denver asked about the quantity of fuel shown. The mechanic told Denver that he had “less than half in the right tank and less than a quarter in the left tank”. The mechanic then provided Denver with an inspection mirror so that he could look over his shoulder at the fuel sight gauges; the mirror was later recovered in the wreckage. Denver told the mechanic that he would use the autopilot inflight, if necessary, to hold the airplane level while he turned the fuel selector valve. Denver refused an offer to take on additional fuel, informing the mechanic that he would only be flying for about one hour.

The NTSB interviewed 20 witnesses of Denver’s last flight; six of them had observed the plane’s crash into the ocean near Point Pinos. Four of the witnesses indicated that the airplane was originally heading west; five of them observed the airplane in a steep bank, with four of those five reporting the bank was to the right (north). Twelve witnesses saw the airplane in a steep nose-down descent. Witnesses estimated the plane’s height at 350 to 500 feet while heading toward the shoreline. Eight of the witnesses said that they heard a “pop” or “backfire”, along with a reduction in the engine noise level just before the airplane descended into the water.

In addition to Denver’s failure to refuel the plane prior to takeoff and his subsequent loss of control while attempting to switch fuel tanks, the NTSB determined there were several other key factors that led to the accident. Primary among these was the inadequate transition training on this type of aircraft by the pilot, and the builder’s decision to locate the unmarked fuel selector handle in a difficult-to-access location. Following its investigation the board issued recommendations regarding the requirement and enforcement of mandatory training standards for pilots engaged in operating experimental aircraft. The board also emphasized the importance of mandatory ease of access to all controls, including fuel selectors and fuel gauges, in all aircraft.

Posthumous recognition

Upon announcement of Denver’s death, Colorado governor Roy Romer ordered all state flags to be lowered to half staff in his honor. Funeral services were held at Faith Presbyterian Church in Aurora, Colorado, on October 17, 1997, officiated by Pastor Les Felker, a retired Air Force chaplain, following which Denver’s remains were cremated and his ashes were scattered in the Rocky Mountains. Further tributes were made at the following Grammys and Country Music Association Awards. On September 23, 2007, nearly ten years after Denver’s death, his brother Ron witnessed the dedication of a plaque placed near the crash site in Pacific Grove, California, commemorating the singer.

In 2000, CBS presented the television movie Take Me Home: The John Denver Story loosely based on his memoirs, starring Chad Lowe. The New York Post observed, “An overachiever like John Denver couldn’t have been this boring.”

Denver’s music remains popular around the world. Previously unreleased and unnoticed recordings are now sought-after collectibles in pop, folk and country genres. Also in demand are copies of Denver’s many television appearances, especially his one-hour specials from the 1970s and his six-part series for Britain’s BBC, The John Denver Show. Despite strong interest in these programs, no sign of “official” release is evident for the vast majority of this material.^{[citation needed]} An anthology musical featuring Denver’s music, Back Home Again: A John Denver Holiday, premiered at the Rubicon Theatre Company in November 2006.

On March 12, 2007, the Colorado Senate passed a resolution to make Denver’s trademark 1972 hit “Rocky Mountain High” one of the state’s two official state songs, sharing duties with its predecessor, “Where the Columbines Grow”. The resolution passed 50–11 in the House, defeating an objection by Rep. Debbie Stafford (R-Aurora) that the song reflected drug use, most specifically the line, “friends around the campfire and everybody’s high”. Sen. Bob Hagedorn, the Aurora Democrat who sponsored the proposal, defended the song as nothing to do with drugs, but everything to do with sharing with friends the euphoria of experiencing the beauty of Colorado’s mountain vistas. Nancy Todd (D-Aurora) said that “John Denver to me is an icon of what Colorado is.”

On September 24, 2007, the California Friends of John Denver and The Windstar Foundation unveiled a bronze plaque near the spot where his plane went down near Pacific Grove. The site had been marked by a driftwood log carved (by Jeffrey Pine of Colorado) with the singer’s name, but fears that the memorial could be washed out to sea sparked the campaign for a more permanent memorial. Initially the Pacific Grove Council denied permission for the memorial, fearing the place would attract ghoulish curiosity from extreme fans. Permission was finally granted in 1999, but the project was put on hold at the request of the singer’s family. Eventually, over 100 friends and family attended the dedication of the plaque, which features a bas-relief of the singer’s face and lines from his song “Windsong”: “So welcome the wind and the wisdom she offers. Follow her summons when she calls again.”

To mark the 10th anniversary of Denver’s death, his family released a set of previously unreleased recordings of Denver’s 1985 concert performances in the Soviet Union. This two-CD set, John Denver – Live in the USSR, was produced by Denver’s friend Roger Nichols, and released by AAO Music. These digital recordings were made during 11 concerts, and then rediscovered in 2002. Included in this set is a previously unpublished rendition of “Annie’s Song” in Russian. The collection was released November 6, 2007.

On October 13, 2009, a DVD box set of previously unreleased concerts recorded throughout Denver’s career was released by Eagle Rock Entertainment. Around the World Live is a 5-disc DVD set featuring three complete live performances with full band from Australia in 1977, Japan in 1981, and England in 1986. These are complemented by a solo acoustic performance from Japan in 1984, and performances at Farm Aid from 1985, 1987 and 1990. The final disc has two-hour-long documentaries made by Denver.

On April 21, 2011, Denver became the first inductee into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame. A benefit concert was held at Broomfield’s 1stBank Center and hosted by Olivia Newton-John. Other performers participating in the event included Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Lee Ann Womack and John Oates. Both of his ex-wives were in attendance, and the award was presented to his three children.

The John Denver “Spirit” statue is a 2002 bronze sculpture statue by artist Sue DiCicco that was financed by Denver’s fans. It is located at the Colorado Music Hall of Fame at Red Rocks.

On March 7, 2014, the West Virginia Legislature approved a resolution to make “Take Me Home, Country Roads” the official state song of West Virginia. Governor Earl Ray Tomblin signed the resolution into law on March 8. Denver thus shares the distinction with the father of American music, Stephen Foster as the composer of two state songs.

On October 24, 2014, Denver was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood, California, which was accepted by his children Zachary and Jesse. His star is located at 7065 Hollywood Boulevard.

Awards and recognition

Academy of Country Music

• 1974 Album of the Year for “Back Home Again”

American Music Awards

• 1975 Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist
• 1976 Favorite Country Album for Back Home Again
• 1976 Favorite Country Male Artist

Country Music Association

• 1975 Entertainer of the Year
• 1975 Song of the Year for “Back Home Again”

Emmy Awards

• 1975 Emmy for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special for “An Evening With John Denver”

Grammy Awards

• 1997 Best Musical Album For Children for All Aboard!
• 1998 Grammy Hall of Fame Award for “Take Me Home, Country Roads”

Songwriters Hall of Fame

• Inducted in 1996

Other recognition

• Poet Laureate of Colorado, 1977
• People’s Choice Awards, 1977
• Ten Outstanding Young Men of America, 1979
• Carl Sandburg’s People’s Poet Award, 1982
  
• NASA Public Service Medal, 1985
• Albert Schweitzer Music Award, 1993
• Freedoms Foundation Award, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, 1980

Discography

John Denver Sings (1966) Rhymes & Reasons (1969) Take Me to Tomorrow (1970) Whose Garden Was This (1970) Poems, Prayers & Promises (1971) Aerie (1971) Rocky Mountain High (1972) Farewell Andromeda (1973) Back Home Again (1974) Windsong (1975) Rocky Mountain Christmas (1975) Spirit (1976) I Want to Live (1977)

John Denver (1979) Autograph (1980) Some Days Are Diamonds (1981) Seasons of the Heart (1982) It’s About Time (1983) Dreamland Express (1985) One World (1986) Higher Ground (1988) Earth Songs (1990) The Flower That Shattered the Stone (1990) Different Directions (1991) All Aboard! (1997)

Selected writings

• The Children and The Flowers (1979) ISBN 0-914676-28-8
• Alfie the Christmas Tree (1990) ISBN 0-945051-25-5
• Take Me Home: An Autobiography (1994) ISBN 0-517-59537-0
• Poems, Prayers and Promises: The Art and Soul of John Denver (2004) ISBN 1-57560-617-8

above: John Denver’s first live album, An Evening with John Denver (1975), was a lavish two-LP set accompanying a network TV special, released at his commercial peak. His second live album, The Wildlife Concert, is a lavish two-CD set accompanying a cable TV special and home video, released at his commercial trough. Denver performs most of his Top Ten hits from the ’70s (but not “Thank God I’m a Country Boy,” the big hit off the last live album), getting the bulk of them out of the way early on the first disc. He adds some well-chosen covers by folk peers such as David Mallett (the antiwar “You Say the Battle Is Over”) and Tom Paxton (“Bet on the Blues”), selects some of his better, if less familiar, songs of the last decade (“The Harder They Fall,” “Falling Out of Love”), and introduces new material touching on his favorite romantic (“Is It Love?”) and political/philosophical themes. With such a balanced set list, he manages to revitalize the best of his catalog, reassert his folk roots, and, to an extent, redefine himself.

for more information: johndenver.com

source: wikipedia.org