The Other Side of John Denver

John Denver seemed to be the epitome of positivity and a sunny outlook on life. From his formative years on the ‘60s folk circuit to his untimely passing in 1997, Denver epitomized the forward-thinking mindset of his generation: connecting with his audience through insightful storytelling, supporting causes close to his heart, and hiking in the wilderness while saving wildlife. But unbeknownst to his fans, he endured some very dark times.

If you step back into his history, his performing career began with the Chad Mitchell Trio, satirical folkies with close-knit harmonies, acoustic backing, and commentary prevalent in the lead-up to America’s involvement in Vietnam.

Denver came aboard in 1965 as Mitchell himself was leaving and as ‘The Mitchell Trio’ the group performed nationally until disbanding in 1969. As the springboard to a solo career, the trio’s exposure and popularity were invaluable to Denver when he moved on.

His October 1969 release Rhymes & Reasons heralded the start of the iconic songsmith’s oeuvre. However, it was April 1971’s Poems, Prayers & Promises and “Take Me Home, Country Roads” that saw Denver gain a solid footing with the record-buying public, leading to the single’s appearance at Number 2 on Billboard’s Hot 100.

His producer Milt Okun, who would work with Denver on nearly 20 albums, was hailed as a genius marketer when it came to crafting big hits. However, criticism of his arrangements and his heavy-handed use of strings during his time with Denver may have been the catalyst for dismissing Denver as an out-of-step, fluffy lightweight. He was even derisively termed “Sunshine Boy.”

He started to diversify his career path by appearing on television in dramatic roles, first in 1973 on Owen Marshall – Counselor at Law as a murder suspect and in 1974 guest starring on NBC’s McCloud as a deputy (not coincidentally, providing a song interlude). His breakout role came in 1977 in Oh, God, playing a harried assistant supermarket manager caught up in his religious beliefs. Working alongside George Burns, Denver proved to have authentic acting chops.

Despite having 33 singles or albums certified gold or platinum,  Denver’s squeaky-clean image and affable personality would start to take a hit as the ‘70s wore on. Despite his upbeat persona, Denver was prone to bouts of depression and insecurity; in the late ’70s he enrolled in the controversial therapy technique known as “EST.” The purpose of the training was to help one recognize the situations holding them back in life. Denver never came to terms with how good he was as a musician; the press slagged his natural talent and superb songwriting skills as idealized and superficial.

He’d also begun his environmental activism and humanitarian endeavors, seeking out groups and individuals (including oceanographer Jacques Cousteau) to help contribute his talents and resources.

Denver immersed himself in herding wild cattle through Alaska and photographing birds in their natural habitat.

But his family life was taking a hit. Although he and his wife Annie Martell (the subject of his hit, “Annie’s Song”) had adopted a boy and girl and gave the appearance of a stable unit in Aspen, his alcohol consumption and the pressures of touring were wreaking havoc on the household. It came to blows when Martell, in a fit of rage, exited the house with an axe and proceeded to chop down one of Denver’s shrub oaks. He retaliated by taking a chainsaw to their kitchen table and the headboard of their bed. Needless to say, that incident highlighted the years of tension between them which resulted in their 1982 divorce.

Some observers may have thought these were not in character with Denver’s personality. But as the son of an Army Air Forces pilot, his emotional detachment from his father led to a decades-long estrangement as Denver rocketed to fame. While a reconciliation with his dad led to an award-winning television special regarding aircraft, Denver continued to have personal hardships in his second marriage which ended acrimoniously in 1993.

Denver’s philanthropy and concern for the environment drew recognition from conservation groups. He founded the sustainable living non-profit Windstar Foundation, receiving accolades from Presidents. He even stood with heavy metal frontman Dee Snider of Twisted Sister and Frank Zappa when he testified before the Senate on the topic of censorship during a Parents Music Resource Center hearing in 1985.

His wholesome, public-facing persona however turned against him that year when he was rejected after expressing interest in becoming part of the charity single “We Are the World.” Denver had been a constant torchbearer for developing solutions for world hunger, visiting Africa several times and working with African leaders. Manager Ken Kragen who was one of the forces behind the all-star gathering dubbed ‘USA for Africa’ turned down Denver’s offer and as Denver wrote later in his autobiography, “It broke my heart not be included.”

The ‘90s were a time of transition for Denver, from his marriage ending to several drunken arrests. He nonetheless had hope for a better world. After his father gave him flying lessons in the mid-’70s, Denver used that skill to his advantage, flying himself to shows on his own Learjet and working on experimental aircraft that would lessen the impact of carbon emissions on the environment.

However, his past DUI violations meant that he was not legally allowed to fly on his own. Still, on October 12, 1997, Denver died when a light homebuilt aircraft he was piloting solo, crashed into Monterey Bay near Pacific Grove, California while making a series of touch-and-go landings at the nearby Monterey Peninsula Airport. He was 53.

In the summer before his death, he released an album of children’s songs with music themed to railroad songs entitled All Aboard! In 1998, he was posthumously awarded the Grammy for Best Musical Album for Children – his only outright Grammy win. In the spirit of wanting to reclaim his masters, Denver also spent time re-imagining his greatest hits with the intent of replacing those from his longtime association with RCA. One can only think that The Lost Recordings would be something that a grown-up Taylor Swift is now fully appreciative of from an artist as forward-thinking as John Denver.

-Amy Hughes

Photo: John Denver, 1995 (John Mathew Smith & www.celebrity-photos.com from Laurel Maryland, USA via Wikimedia Commons)