John Denver 1997 Deaths

John Denver

One of the most popular and successful recording artists of the 1970s, the clean-cut, all-American singer touched millions with his sentimental country songs about nature, love and family. Denver was born John Henry Deutschendorf and took the name Denver, honoring his adopted home state, Colorado, in the mid 1960s. His career began with the Chad Mitchell Trio in 1965 and took off after Peter, Paul and Mary scored with his “Leaving on a Jet Plane. ”He also tried his hand at acting, appearing in the film Oh God! and the television movie Foxfire. Denver was killed when his experimental plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean near California's Monterey Bay. His recordings include “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” “Annie's Song” and “Sunshine on My Shoulders.”