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The gentle singer-songwriter John Denver surprised everyone, including himself, by becoming one of the most beloved music stars of the 1970's. His songs were always deeply connected to nature and to his rural Colorado lifestyle, but tunes like "Take Me Home, Country Roads" successfully transcended location and brought the American Denver unprecedented international popularity. Today, from Sweden to Chile, you could easily walk into a bar and stumble onto a rowdy, surreal chorus of "Rocky Mountain High." Young John Denver certainly got to see enough of the American landscape as he was growing up. The son of a US Air Force flight instructor, Denver experienced a classic army brat upbringing. He was born John Deutschendorf in New Mexico, but the family spent most of John's formative years moving around the South and the Southwest. John Denver recalls that, throughout his many moves, he always felt friendliest with the surviving members of local Native American populations. John has also spoken out about having troubles with his father, who didn't understand his sensitive, artistically inclined son. John Denver got his first guitar at the age of 12, and began gigging at clubs in his late teens. Finally, he dropped out of architecture school to try his luck with music, also changing his last name to "Denver" so it would fit better on a theater marquee. John Denver than moved to Los Angeles in the mid-1960's, and was heavily influenced by the city's thriving folk-singer scene. In 1970, John Denver released his first solo album, Rhymes and Reasons. It was a local hit, but didn't get much national attention, despite containing Denver's melancholy single "Leaving On A Jet Plane." Folkie superstars Peter, Paul and Mary would later cover "Jet Plane" for a hit single. John Denver reached the peak of his career in 1970, with the country-folk single "Take Me Home Country Roads." After that, John Denver quickly became a TV variety show fixture, and his performances of future single "Thank God I'm A Country Boy", "Annie's Song" and "Sunshine On My Shoulders" earned the mild-mannered star a devoted following.

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